Watertown Fire Department :: Official Site :: Frequently Asked Questions

A. There are several different types of fire extinguishers. We suggest that you go to your local hardware store and see extinguishers for home use. As a general rule, extinguishers labeled Class ABC are best for home use.

A. Residential smoke detectors are early warning devices to wake a sleeping person or persons. Smoke detectors should be placed in each bedroom (sleeping area) and in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

A. Firefighters work a 24-hour shift. We eat, sleep and work out of our fire station. We purchase and cook all of our own meals. All daily maintenance on fire department vehicles is performed at the fire stations. We are involved in educational programs in the schools and to the public. We perform fire inspections at businesses throughout the City of Watertown. We also attend daily training to help maintain and continuously improve our skills, much of which is federally and state mandated.

Q. Does Watertown Fire and Rescue provide ambulance service?

A. Yes. 24 of our personnel are paramedics. This enables us to take the Emergency Room right to the patient. Studies have found that the first ten minutes of an emergency are the most critical. Our Paramedics are trained not only in (BLS) Basic Life Support, but are trained in establishing I.V.s' and administering numerous life saving medications in the field. They can use comprehensive cardiac monitoring including 12 lead, pediatric advanced life support and advanced airway management.

Q. When I called 9-1-1, I asked for an ambulance. Why did a fire truck also respond with the ambulance?

A. Frequently medical calls require the assistance of more than just the two personnel that arrive on the ambulance. Since all of our staff are medically trained, we frequently utilize the extra manpower of an engine or rescue crew for calls where the patient is experiencing chest pain, difficulty breathing, or perhaps has been involved in a traffic accident. This is in line with federal standards, and allows us to provide the best possible care for the patient.

Q. When I called 9-1-1, I asked for a fire truck. Why did an ambulance also respond?

A. All of our paramedics are also cross-trained as firefighters (they even keep their firefighting gear on the ambulance). Federal standards require that we have a minimum number of personnel on scene before we enter a burning structure or other hazardous incident. If you report a fire incident, it�s common for an ambulance to respond with the fire truck to provide this assistance. This provides safety in numbers and allows us to extinguish your fire more quickly.

A. City Ordinance 13.0316 states that all outdoor fires within the corporate limits of Watertown (and within 1 mile radius around this boundary) require a burning permit from the Fire Chief. The Fire Department rarely issues such burn permits. The exceptions to this ordinance are:

a. Recreation fires are defined as the burning of cut trees, with a total area of less than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet or less in height, for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, or cooking purposes.

It should be noted that even if an individual has a burn permit or allowable exception for open burning, the Fire Department may still require you to extinguish such fire if complaints are received or your fire is deemed unsafe or hazardous.

We frequently get questions from Codington County residents asking what kind of materials may be burned. While Watertown Fire and Rescue does not have jurisdiction over county burning regulations (with the exception of county residents who reside within 1 mile of city borders as noted above), ARSD 74:36:06:07 prohibits the open burning in any county of materials that generate hazardous air pollutants that have the potential to cause serious health problems. These materials include oils, railroad ties, coated electrical wire, rubber, tires, tarpaper, asphalt shingles and wood products treated with inorganic arsenicals, pentacholorophenol, or creosols.

A. We�ve received many comments recently from citizens who have noted that their fire insurance rates have in some cases nearly doubled. They have called to ask if something has changed recently at WFR that is impacting their rates. These comments surprised us as well and we subsequently investigated the cause. Insurance companies have told us that there have been recent industry-wide changes on how fire insurance rates are calculated. These changes are primarily based on the distance between the nearest staffed fire station and your home or business. Even though you may have a fire hydrant across the street from your house, insurance companies are more concerned about how close you are to the nearest fire station. We hope to address this, at least in part, through the construction of the new west fire station.

Q. How can I join the Watertown Fire Department? Do you have a volunteer program?

A. The Watertown Fire Department is an all paid fire department. The volunteer firefighter program was eliminated back in the 1920s. We occasionally have vacancies due to retirements or resignations, and we post those position openings as they occur. Currently, applicants are required to complete a written test and Civil Service interview, as well as an intensive psychological screening. In the future we will also be adding a physical agility test. If you live in the Watertown area, watch the local newspaper for position openings. Alternatively, all job openings are also posted on this website.

A. The difference between an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Paramedic is a significant amount of education.A Paramedic goes through more education and training and can provide a higher level of emergency care including invasive procedures. A Paramedic is an EMT. There are different levels of EMT training: EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate (in some states), EMT-Paramedic. Each level requires more training and education than the prior. WFR has EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic personnel, although the majority of our personnel are trained at the Paramedic level.

Q. Why does the emergency equipment sometimes run with lights and siren, then just turn them off?

A. On occasion, the fire engine and ambulance will be driving with lights and sirens and then suddenly turn them off--perhaps only to turn into a parking lot or side street. Be assured that when this happens it means we have received information through our 911 dispatchers that the caller or incident is no longer a dire emergency. It is what we call "being cancelled". Any or all of the apparatus may continue to drive to the call or perhaps some will return to the Fire Station.

Q. Why do firefighters work 24 shifts? Wouldn't 8 or 12 hour shifts be better?

A. Watertown firefighters currently work 24 hours on duty, followed by 48 hours off duty. This shift schedule is by far the most common for paid fire departments in the United States. Some large metropolitan fire departments work 8 and 12 hour shifts, but this type of shift schedule wouldn't work very well for Watertown. Not only does it require more personnel (and thus more money) to use such a schedule, but Watertown's decentralized and rural population doesn't have "busy" and "slow" hours like a big city does. This greatly diminishes the primary advantage of 8 hour shifts.

Q. How many emergency calls do you respond on each year?

A. In 2008, WFR responded to 1,706 medical calls and 691 fire calls. As a comparison, in 1975 WFR responded on 467 medical calls and 145 fire calls. This represents a 291% increase in call volume in the past 35 years. In the past decade alone, emergency call volume has increased 70%.

Q. I've seen the fire chief at several council presentations stating that WFR's overall staffing has increased by only one position in the past 35 years. How is this possible? Didn't you add several new firefighters over the past few years?

A. In 1975, WFR's staffing was 32 personnel. In the late 70's, three personnel were laid off. In the early 1980's, the fire marshal position was eliminated. This brought staffing down to 28. In the past three years, WFR has added 5 new positions, bringing our staffing to 33. This brings our current staffing up one position more than it was in 1975.

Q. Why do you need to hire three additional firefighters for the new west fire station?

A. Federal standards dictate how many people we must have on scene before we can fight a structure fire. If we don't hire these additional personnel, we're going to run in to problems fighting some fires. Additionally, overtime costs would increase dramatically as well as some response times increasing. We also have a future plan to add a volunteer student resident program to coincide with construction of the new west station. All of these changes will help us greatly in providing service to the citizens living in the west side of Watertown.