Waseca fire chief shares fire prevention advice

Waseca Fire Chief Jason Forshee says he’s happy to make appointments with people and groups to help with their concerns surrounding fire prevention and fire safety. 

 

Forshee was the guest speaker at the Oct. 13 meeting of the Waseca Exchange Club, where he shared information with a group of about 20 area business and service providers. 

 

October is Fire Prevention Month, perhaps chosen because it leads into firefighters’ “busy season,” that time of year when people are heating their homes.

 

Forshee told those in attendance the Waseca Fire Department was formed 158 years ago, making it one of the oldest continually operating services in the state. It has three full-time employees, one of whom is always on call for everyday business. There are 33 firefighters on call to respond to emergencies: their employers honor that service by allowing them to leave their duties at work on short notice. At other times of day, they are prepared to leave family or personal events when paged.

 

So far in 2026, Forshee said, fire department staff has responded to 679 calls, 600 of which were medical. He went on to say only a minority of fire departments choose to attend medical calls, “but when people need help, that’s what we’re here for.”

 

Forshee says the department is “on pace” to respond to about 900 calls for the year.

 

The department has responded to three structure fires in the last 30 days.

 

Naming smoking as one of the top three causes of fires–cooking and overloaded or faulty electrical wiring being the other two–he mentioned it is something of a loss to safety that coffee no longer comes in tin containers. “It used to be, smokers had a coffee tin where they’d throw the ends of their cigarettes,” he elaborates. “Now they have to find other places.” One common choice is to put some dirt in a container and use that to crush out any embers. “But if people use potting soil, they don’t realize there are styrofoam beads in there that can ignite.” 

 

Forshee emphasized the importance of fire prevention awareness by mentioning a recent fire in White Bear Lake that led to the deaths of three people. People living in older homes, he mentioned, often use extension cords because the number of installed outlets tends to be smaller than modern homeowners want to make use of. In White Bear Lake, analysis showed the deadly fire was ignited by an overloaded extension cord. 

 

So far in Minnesota this year, there have been 56 fire-related deaths.

 

The Waseca Fire Department responds to fire calls around the area due to area fire departments having mutual aid agreements. 

 

The Waseca Fire Department has assisted with fire calls this year; Forshee states proudly that there have been only a few, minor injuries.

 

When it comes to fire prevention, Forshee says he and other full-time fire department members willingly go to day cares, classes of students of any age, and organizations to share information. He says they will also visit homes or apartments to provide input about prevention, escape routes, and general safety.

 

The fire department recommends that people not use space heaters. 

 

It is also recommended that all homes have fire extinguishers. Nearly all home extinguishers are on a 6-year maintenance cycle, he said, meaning they should be professionally checked over at 6, 12, and 18 years. Twice a year, he said, homeowners should turn the extinguisher over and listen for the sound of the powdered retardant flowing. If the powder is still loose and moving, he said, the extinguisher can be kept for use. He also requested that, if homeowners have decided to discard an extinguisher, they should bring it to the fire department. There, staff members will disassemble the unit, recycle the metal and plastic, and keep the powder for emergency use. “We would pound on the powder and loosen it back up,” Forshee described. “Then we would keep it in a bag. For example, if there was a chimney fire, we might toss the bag down the chimney to put the fire out.”

 

“We’re the fire department. We’re here to help.” Forshee provided the 24-hour contact number of 507-835-3210.