Fire Services & Operations

Rochester Fire provides a full range of fire prevention services, including inspection and plan review of new and existing building construction, as well as fire protection systems and equipment. Fire Department Fire Prevention staff work hand in hand with other city and private agencies to achieve a high level of code enforcement and inspection services for the community's fire and life safety.

Rochester Fire Prevention staff provide full fire origin and cause investigation services. All fires of unknown, suspicious, or incendiary origin are investigated, and arson fires are actively pursued and prosecuted.

The Rochester Fire Department (RF) provides fire suppression services for the City of Rochester and the townships of Cascade, Rochester, Haverhill, and Marion. Rochester firefighters respond from five fire stations staffed 24 hours a day, located within the City of Rochester.  

RFD provides mutual aid services to the surrounding community fire departments upon request.

The Rochester Fire Department (RFD) Honor Guard was established in 2001 by Captain Eric Kerska, with the primary mission of honoring our fallen. This is accomplished by providing an honor guard at the funerals of not only current members but also retirees.

The RFD Honor Guard is comprised of active and retired Rochester firefighters and RFD Chaplains.  In addition to funerals, the honor guard participates in local and regional ceremonies and events. Every effort is made to accommodate community requests.

Firefighters Who Died Serving the Rochester Community

• Captain Peter S. Mackey | July 23, 1942
• Firefighter Stanley J. O'Brien | December 24, 1953
• Motor Operator Ambrose J. Riley | December 24, 1953
• Motor Operator Otis D. Ondler | January 23, 1976

Final Tribute

It is customary in the fire service to sound a sequence of five bells, repeated four times, for each firefighter who dies in the line of duty, also known as the "four-fives". Traditionally, this cadence of twenty rings was sounded across the firehouses of the affected department. Although firehouse bells have become rare, the “four-fives” sounded on a ceremonial bell continues to be used as the final tribute to our fallen.

Contact

For more information about the Rochester Fire Department Honor Guard, please contact Captain Bryce Pronk or Assistant Chief Caleb Feine.

Rochester firefighters are Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and respond to more than 5000 medical emergencies each year, ranging from vehicle crashes and cardiac arrests to falls and other medical-related conditions. Every apparatus is equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), which has greatly improved the survival rate for victims of a witnessed cardiac arrest through early defibrillation efforts within the City of Rochester.

The Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (MN HSEM) maintains a Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team program currently made up of ten Chemical Assessment Teams (CAT) and two Emergency Response Teams (ERT) located across the State of Minnesota.  Rochester Fire is contracted by MN HSEM to respond as a CAT to hazardous materials emergencies (HazMat) within the 11 counties that make up south-eastern Minnesota. The Rochester CAT can provide local HazMat incident commanders with:

• Technical support and monitoring
• Professional responders trained to exceed OSHA and NFPA competencies
• Specialized equipment and reference materials
• Additional support and/or follow-up by other state agencies as needed

To request the Rochester CAT to respond to your HazMat emergency, please contact:

Minnesota Duty Officer
(651) 649-5451
1-800-422-0798
Fax: (651) 296-2300

For more information about MN HSEM emergency response, please visit the MN HSEM Emergency Response Branch.

Classes are taught by firefighters in schools, at fairs, block parties, and other community events, with emphasis directed toward children and youth. If you are interested in RFD presenting a fire and life message to your group, visit the Education, Outreach & Fire Safety page.

Rochester Fire provides emergency vehicle extrication, water rescue, ice rescue, and high and low-angle rope rescue services.

The Rochester Fire Department is part of a statewide resource implemented by the Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management division (MN HSEM), and developed for the response to emergencies involving structural collapse and other specialized rescue. This highly skilled team of personnel and specialized equipment is known as the Minnesota Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1, or MN-TF1.