Keeping You Safe: How Firefighters Brave the Cold
Fargo firefighters faced hot and cold overnight, battling a fire at a commercial kitchen in frigid conditions.
A fire broke out at Square One Kitchens, with wind chills well below zero.
When the heat is on, how much does the cold hamper efforts to keep Fargo safe?
Firefighters have an important job to do.
When they’re called into duty, winter weather makes their job harder, but they don’t let adverse conditions get in their way.
Firefighter Nick Mitchell knows a thing or two about fighting fires in Fargo winters.
“I pumped out a fire a few years ago where it was about 30 below,” Mitchell recalls.
Crews didn’t deal with temperatures that cold Monday night, but it still wasn’t pleasant.
The fire at Square One Kitchens caused $100,000 in damage.
“Most of the damage would be from the smoke that occurred inside, and the little bit of structural damage,” says Fargo Fire Battalion Chief Chris Rasmussen, “but there wasn’t a lot of structural damage.”
When it is this cold, firefighters have more to worry about than just putting out the flames.
“Things slow down,” Rasmussen says. “We have to make sure we get things set up correctly.”
Equipment can freeze. Trucks can freeze. Water can freeze fire hoses.
“So you gotta be good about getting them picked up quickly,” Mitchell says. “Otherwise you have 100 foot long chunks of ice.”
Firefighters also have to worry about their friends and colleagues. Because of the cold, extra firefighters were called to Square One.
Rasmussen explains, “That’s partially for fighting the fire itself and partially for rotating crews in and out.”
Fargo firefighters bundle up pretty good before they head out into the elements.
But they say sometimes the coat, the helmet and the pants aren’t enough to protect from the cold.
“You’re covered in water. You come back out and you freeze pretty quickly,” Mitchell explains. “You gotta be conscious of that.”
That’s when outside help comes in.
The Salvation Army often joins firefighters at the scene, with supplies to help keep them warm and safe.
“So they provide, you know, coffee, water, Gatorade, some snacks,” Rasmussen explains, “and a lot of times a place for us to get warm.”
Because sometimes the heroes who rush into danger to keep you safe, need a helping hand too.
Firefighters we talked to say that even in the worst conditions they’ve ever seen, they were still able to do their jobs and put out fires.
As for Square One, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of rebuilding the kitchen.
