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West Metro fire department to mark 25th anniversary with 'biggest public event' in its history

An event Thursday will feature a DJ, food trucks and fire rescue demonstrations.

June 30, 2023 at 11:00AM
Gear belonging to West Metro Fire-Rescue District firefighters is ready to go at Station 2, next door to Crystal City Hall. The department has served the communities of Crystal and New Hope since 1998. (Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The West Metro Fire-Rescue District turns 25 Thursday, and to celebrate the department will hold an open house billed as the "biggest public event" in its history.

From 4 to 8 p.m., the public can tour the station at 4251 Xylon Av. N. and see fire trucks and equipment the department uses to respond to fires, emergency medical calls, water and ice rescues, hazardous materials response and mitigation and incidents at the Crystal Airport.

In addition to a DJ and food trucks, Thursday's event will feature demonstrations of how firefighters carry out technical rescues and vehicle extrications, Assistant Fire Chief Joel Nelson said.

Children will have the opportunity to chop a log, crawl through a tube, carry a hose and spray a toy house that is "on fire," Nelson said.

"It's a kid version of what we do for [firefighter] testing," he said.

The district formed in 1998 when the New Hope and Crystal fire departments merged to combine resources and save money, Nelson said.

The department has eight full-time and about 60 on-call crew members who answer between 2,000 and 2,200 calls a year.

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about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.

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