Bemidji Fire Chief Running for VP of MN State Fire Chiefs Association

Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood will be running for vice president of the Minnesota State Fire Chief Association, a position that has never been held by any fire chief in northern Minnesota.

Sherwood currently serves on the association’s board as Region 2 Northern Representative, but he wants to take a step further to promote not just Bemidji, but northern Minnesota as a whole. He says that sometimes it feels as if the state fire service ends at St. Cloud and wants to be the voice at the table representing the northern part of the state in the Twin Cities metro.

“I just want to bring attention to all the great things that these organizations are doing up here, and I’m in a position as a full-time chief where I can have that voice for all of my partners up here,” Sherwood explained. “We work really closely, at least Bemidji fire, with 10 fire departments in our mutual aid. But when we look at the region as a whole, Region 2 Northern Minnesota, there’s 70 other departments. And I want to be that funnel from northern Minnesota down to the metro and have an impact.”

Sherwood believes a lot of grant dollars are mainly given to the metro area. He says that if he were elected, northern Minnesota fire departments could see more money coming their way.

“When we look at the data, state and federal grant dollars typically are concentrated down there, and I ask those questions, why?” he continued. “And they say, because the risk is higher, because there’s more people. But we have just as many people. We’re just spread out. Our people are lateral, not up-and-down, vertical, stacked on top of each other.”

The Bemidji Fire Department is also looking to employ six paid on-call firefighters. Those interested in applying can call the department at 218-751-8001.