Red Saint Paul Fire truck parked inside a fire station, connected to a large yellow exhaust hose hanging from the ceiling.
Red Saint Paul Fire truck parked inside a fire station, connected to a large yellow exhaust hose hanging from the ceiling.

We protect the people of Saint Paul with public education, fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services.  We partner with the community to mitigate risks and respond to all calls for service with skill, dedication, and compassion.

Cores Values
  • Professionalism leads us to continuously improve our knowledge and skills, always striving to be “first in” with excellent service.
  • Respect guides every interaction, honoring the dignity of all persons.
  • Integrity demands that we do the right thing, no matter what.  We are accountable for our commitments and our actions.
  • Duty calls us to selfless service in all our communities.  
  • Equity is our call to uphold principles of fairness and justice, building a Saint Paul that works for everyone. 

Operations & Service to the Community 

The Saint Paul Fire Department protects the people of Saint Paul with many capabilities and services:

  • Fire prevention and risk mitigation through public education (the City of Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections is responsible for code enforcement)  
  • Emergency medical services (EMS), both advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS)  
  • Fire suppression  
  • Hazardous materials-related rescue and mitigation
  • Technical rescue, including high- and low-angle rope rescue; trench, below-grade, and confined space; and air-deployed rescue through the Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART)
  • Water and ice rescue and fire suppression
  • Fire and incident investigation
  • Tactical EMS 

Plan Assessment Process

Facilities

Area 

Access Issue 

Solution 

Comments  

Est. Cost 

Date 

Fire Station Doorbells 

Doorbells were placed too high and were not accessible. 

All doorbells were either lowered to 32” or a second doorbell was added 

All 15 fire stations were updated 

n/a 

2024 

Blood Pressure Checks 

Blood pressure is typically taken in the lobby area. The Station 17 vestibule is small. 

Blood pressure is taken in the garage 

The BP table is sitting in the garage next to the fire engine.  It is not ideal, but it is accessible and has more room than the vestibule. 

$0 

2024 

Accessible stations for tours 

Identify the most accessible fire stations for tours 

Station 1, 19, 8, and 7 

Planners should always ask in advance about mobility considerations for a tour group and stick to these 4 stations if mobility issues are stated. Groups without mobility considerations can tour any station that works for the department.  

n/a 

n/a 

Services

Service 

Who is Served 

Accommodations / Considerations 

Comments / Ideas for Improvement 

911 response - Fire 

Public 

Sensory issues (loud sirens can be silenced before approaching a house where a sensory issue is stated by dispatch) 

 

911 response - EMS 

Public 

Lift assist (responders should be alerted about people in wheelchairs or with other mobility considerations that may need special assistance) 

 

Special Event EMS Scheduling 

 

Any events happening within the city give the EMS plan to the department and can pay for on-site paramedics.  

-Event planners currently choose to have an EMT presence or not, so discuss with the team if that should/could be changed.  

School Fire Drills 

 

Practice helping students with mobility considerations once per year – School administrators give floor plans and evacuation plans for disabled students, which are reviewed with SPFD yearly. (state rule) 

 

Station Tours 

 

 

 

Events - Firefighter Visits 

 

An inflatable firehouse with an ADA-accessible floor for kids to access.  

 

Programs

Program 

Who is Served 

Accommodations / Considerations 

Comments / Ideas for Improvement 

Safe Haven Visits 

Firefighters visit homes for smoke and CO2 alarms  

Requested via phone or online form.  

Include a link to the accommodation request form AND language at the top of the form to either call or fill out a form for ADA accommodation.  

EMS Academy 

Right-track interns, planning to be EMTs 

What are the physical needs for an EMT?  

Are there any disabilities that would exclude a person from participating? Should those be stated and explained up front?  

 

Fire Explorer 

Younger kids interested in a career in fire/EMS 

The doctor must fill out a physical form to participate in certain activities. 

We want everyone to try and experience the program.  

14-20 max attendees 

Equipment is a hold-up for the class size 

 

Some accommodations can be made for students in the fire explorers program for an open house at the end of January/early February, starting mid-February, and going through August. 

Community Academies 

Community members looking to learn more about SPFD or Fire as a career. 

Accommodations would be based on the individual's needs and can be made. 

 

Information

Information Avenue 

What Information is Conveyed Here? 

How Is It Accessible? 

Potential Barriers Between the Public and This Information? 

Website 

General information, 

Job opportunities, run reports, data requests, community events, programs, and station tours. 

The city scorecard for accessibility is 85%, one of the city's highest. 

Any PDFs should be accessible.  

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram 

Current events, recruiting, fire safety education,  

Captions are included for all pictures and videos. 

 

Twitter 

 

 

 

Instagram 

 

 

 

News Segments 

Current events, recruiting, fire safety education, 

 

See the media guideline 

Signage/ Brochures 

Recruiting, fire safety education, 

Easy to read, color contrast. Appropriate photos are included for easy understanding. 

No braille available 

Radio 

Recruiting, fire safety education, and current events 

Clear audio communication 

n/a 

Policy

Name of Policy 

What Information Is Conveyed Here? 

How Is It Accessible? 

Requesting Fire Reports 

 

Able to request via phone, email, in person, or a data request platform. 

Requesting Ambulance Reports 

Private medical information 

Able to request via phone, email, in person, or a data request platform. 

EMS/Paramedic Scheduling 

Should there be policies around event attendance and requiring EMS/Paramedics? 

The threshold where the City requires events to have EMS staff is very high.  

Requesting presence at public events 

Public safety education 

The event organizers are asked if there are any accessibility needs at the event. A question was added to the event request form. 

Last Edited: June 27, 2025