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Gem Lake News Page 5 of 8 <br /> <br />Day Parade, Fridays with Firefighters, Fire Safety with <br />Santa, their Annual Open House and many other events. <br />The Citizen’s Fire Academy is back by popular demand and <br />is very well attended. During this multi-week training event, <br />residents learn about basic firefighting, and experience <br />things like search and rescue, repelling down a building, <br />donning typical firefighting gear, and more. <br /> <br />Gem Lake thanks our public safety partners for their <br />superior service to our community. <br /> <br /> <br />Vial of Life Program <br /> <br />When every second counts, <br />Accurate and Accessible <br />Information is key! <br />Medical emergencies can strike <br />without warning, and sometimes <br />leave you unable to advocate for <br />yourself. The Vial of Life pocket <br />can help family members and <br />rescue workers find important <br />medical information FAST! Life <br />What are you waiting for? Protect <br />ALL your loved ones- prepare a <br />Vial of Life for everyone in your <br />household today! <br />They are available at Heritage Hall <br />or White Bear Lake Fire <br />Department, 4701 Highway 61 <br /> <br />The department has one chief, two assistant chiefs, 3 <br />full-time captains, 15 full-time firefighter/paramedics, 3 <br />full-time firefighter/EMTs (Emergency Medical <br />Technicians), and 8 part-time firefighter/EMTs. Due to <br />the amount of training involved in keeping staff up to <br />date on techniques, practices and technology, the <br />department is moving away from hiring more part-time <br />personnel and would opt for full-timers instead. <br />Peterson highlighted trends in call volume, beginning <br />with the fact that overall call volume in 2025 was up 7% <br />from 2024. Calls for service broke into two main <br />categories: 28% were fire/rescue calls and 72% were <br />medical calls. This is due in part to the fact that 64% of <br />patients encountered are over the age of 60. Peterson <br />pointed out that Minnesota’s 65 and over age group is <br />expected to double from 2024 to 2075. Medical call <br />types were led by the classification of “sick person,” <br />followed by falls. The next three reasons for the <br />emergency call were divided fairly equally between <br />breathing problems, unconscious individual and <br />psychiatric problems. <br />Call Volume <br /> <br />The call volume for the fire department was 5,112 in <br />2025, compared to 4,784 in 2024. This is still down <br />from the high of 5,283 calls in 2022. <br />The fire department recently obtained the Certificate of <br />Clinical Excellence from the Minnesota Office of <br />Emergency Medical Services, which recognizes White <br />Bear’s ability to provide exceptional clinical care. The <br />department has also embarked on a medication trail for <br />the use of IV acetaminophen as an alternative pain <br />control method for ambulance calls. This allows the <br />department to reduce the use of narcotics when <br />possible. <br />The White Bear Fire Department is also involved in <br />numerous community events, as is the police <br />department. These include the Polar Plunge, Memorial <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Medicine Disposal <br />Did you know that you can <br />drop off unused medication <br />at the White Bear Lake <br />Public Safety Building, <br />4701 Highway 61. <br />Please keep medicines in <br />their original container for <br />legal transport. Put loose <br />medicines in a clear, <br />resealable plastic bag and <br />label it with the medicine <br />name. <br />Seal all containers in clear, resealable plastic bags, <br />ideally one-gallon or smaller size. Place the bag with <br />medicine into the drop box.