Shakopee Fire Department still slow to fill ranks, even after warning

More than a year after an outside consultant found the Shakopee Fire Department was “inadequately staffed,” city leaders so far haven’t hired the recommended number of firefighters, raising questions about the department’s ability to swiftly respond to emergencies in the sprawling city.

The February 2024 review, which former interim Fire Chief Mike Scott requested, urged the department to hire 25 “career personnel” over the next four years, including firefighters, captains and battalion chiefs. But a Minnesota Star Tribune analysis of payroll data and interviews with former leaders found hiring continues to lag behind the study’s recommendations.

Former department leaders point to a fire station that still isn’t fully staffed and response times they contend should be faster. Former Fire Chief Mike Nelson said one metric of the department’s efficiency — the time it takes crews to respond to 90% of fires — was 11 minutes and 18 seconds in 2025. That number has been roughly the same since 2020.

“It isn’t going to change unless they open station two,” Nelson said, referring to a recommendation in the study the city hasn’t implemented.

City Administrator Bill Reynolds, who after last year’s review called for immediate changes to the department, said in an email that the study was a “roadmap, not a mandate.” He added that officials followed plenty of the recommendations besides the staffing suggestions and noted it’s up to the City Council to determine the level of investment “that taxpayers can accept.”

“No one should have been under the impression that the … Study was going to be wholly and immediately adopted in total,” Reynolds said.

The staffing situation is the latest challenge for a department that in recent years has faced high turnover and complaints about workplace culture. Nelson, the veteran firefighter whom the city tapped to lead the organization after the review, resigned as fire chief in July. Reynolds said Nelson’s abrupt departure forced him to postpone a meeting where city officials were set to discuss the report’s recommendations.

“People need to understand that in 2025,” he said, “they have the exact same daily staffing they had in 2020 with COVID.”

When a California-based firm presented the results of its study of the Shakopee Fire Department to city leaders last winter, officials agreed the organization needed a makeover. A culture of “ad hoc decisions,” a training program that strayed from state standards and understaffing weakened the department, according to the report from Citygate Associates.

Reynolds said officials swiftly worked to improve the department’s culture and training programs. And Nelson noted the organization in 2024 hired five full-time firefighters, which he called a “good step.” But he noted it was part of a broader reorganization that saw the department lose several part-time firefighters at the same time.

“So although they hired five full-time people, it didn’t improve their ability to cover calls,” he said.

Hiring slowed after that, Nelson said. The department didn’t bring on three captains and six firefighters this year, as the study recommended. Nor does the city plan to hire six more firefighters next year, as the review suggested.

Reynolds said the budget the department submitted for 2026 was “unrealistic,” with a fiscal impact that’s greater than every other department combined. The study estimates hiring 25 people would represent an annual net cost increase of $1.7 million over four years. The city’s total operating budget this year is $39.6 million.

“There are six other departments with needs as well,” he said.

Mayor Matt Lehman called the study’s hiring recommendation too “aggressive” for the 48,000-person city. Asked about the concern that certain response time metrics have remained the same over the past five years, Lehman said the department should adopt a regional model, with nearby cities combining their resources to respond to emergencies, rather than heavily investing in hiring more people.

“It’s not really about puffing up your chest and saying, ‘This is my jurisdiction,’” he said.

Still, Reynolds said the city followed the study’s suggestion to reorganize several roles, add an administrative assistant and fire inspector, move to a 24-hour staffing model and renovate a station. The city has applied for a federal grant to fund more firefighters, he added, noting that factors beyond staffing influence response times, including 911 service and geography.

But Mike Scott, the interim leader who preceded Nelson and requested the study, said in an email that Shakopee’s failure to follow the staffing suggestions remains his “main concern.”

Scott complimented the department for making changes that “didn’t require substantial new budget dollars.” But he contended the city is “choosing not to make the financial commitment to follow the Citygate staffing model recommendations.”

“Failure to follow these recommendations,” he added, “causes me concern for the safety of the fire department staff and the community.”

When a lightning strike in April set fire to multiple buildings at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, a truck didn’t reach the scene for 14 minutes, Nelson said. It took seven more minutes for another truck to arrive.

Emails obtained by the Star Tribune suggest Reynolds remained concerned about the cost of investing in the department. In one July 2024 email, he expressed his frustration after learning an employee approved a raise for a fire department administrative assistant without consulting him.

“That doesn’t mean I will not take action or risks if it’s the right thing to do,” he added.

Asked about the email, Reynolds said every city administrator faces concerns about their political future.

About six months later, Nelson asked Reynolds if the council ever officially adopted the study’s recommendations. The chief said doing so would help the department track its progress implementing changes.

Reynolds said no, later telling the Star Tribune that council adoption wasn’t necessary because city leaders had discussed the recommendations in two meetings.

Nelson resigned a few months later.

“I firmly believe, from the most junior firefighter up through their current leadership, they have the right people there, and have really made a ton of progress as an organization,” he said.

Reynolds appointed Joe Simon, then a deputy chief, to lead the department in the interim after Nelson left. Simon didn’t respond to an interview request.