Jeff Basinger retires as Clearbrook Fire Chief-January 25

Jeff’s instruction for this position includes Firefighter I and II as well as HazMat training. He is trained as an Emergency Medical Responder. He has attended special classes designed to prepare emergency responders for situations involving railroads, natural gas, and ice rescues. He has also participated in special pipeline training with Enbridge. Over the years, Jeff has spent hundreds of hours in these classes in order to be able to deal with potential emergencies in our community.

There are nineteen volunteer firefighters in the Clearbrook Fire Department. Each volunteer is on call at all times and answers every emergency call if they are able to do so. The Clearbrook fire department responds to 90-140 calls per year. As the fire chief, Jeff has had the additional responsibility of overseeing these calls and the volunteers who respond to them.  Making decisions on issues such as when to call for mutual aid are also the chief’s responsibility. In addition, Jeff has handled extra calls, such as carbon monoxide checks that can occur at any hour of the day. 

Jeff has seen many changes in the fire department over the years he has served, especially in technology and equipment. Technology has greatly changed how information about emergencies is transmitted to the volunteers. For example, when Jeff started with the department, only four or five houses had fire phones. If one of these phones would ring, a message would be taken and the city’s siren would be blown to summon the firefighters. Upon hearing the siren, the firefighters would meet at the fire hall. Only then would they receive details about the emergency. When pagers first came into use, their range was limited and calls could be easily missed. Now pagers have a wider range and are used along with firefighter’s cell phones that can provide much more detailed information about locations of both the emergency and the responders. One of the most notable changes in equipment is the vehicles used by the fire department. Jeff remembers when each of the Clearbrook fire trucks could hold only two people. The new truck holds eight people, a change that allows for much faster response to a fire once the truck gets to the scene.

Over the years that Jeff has served as fire chief, the amount of mutual aid between fire departments has changed. The Clearbrook and Gonvick fire departments have seen a great increase in how much they support each other. The ease of these departments working cooperatively and sharing resources has been improved by the fact that they train together.

When asked what was most challenging about being fire chief, Jeff said that dealing with fatalities, especially suicides and drownings, was extremely difficult. Coping with emergencies affecting children is particularly stressful for the firefighters. Because Clearbrook is a small community and Jeff has served so many years, he knows most of the people he encounters. When the pager goes off, it could easily be a friend or family member who needs help, adding to the stress of his job.

Jeff said that the main thing he would like the public to know about the fire department is the amount of time the volunteer firefighters give up attending classes and responding to emergencies. Family plans such as suppers or special events like birthday parties can be interrupted by an emergency call. So serving on the fire department not only affects the volunteers, but their spouses and children as well. Emergency calls during the evening can interrupt sleep, and often more than one call occurs in a single night. The responders never know how long they might be at a call. During the Enbridge fire, Jeff was gone for two days straight. Jeff said he avoids getting too hungry, because he never knows when he will be called out and miss a meal.

Because Jeff will continue as a volunteer at the fire department, he will probably not have too much extra free time even though he isn’t the fire chief. If he has any extra hours, he and his wife Wendy will probably spend it with their children and grandchildren. He is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church where he serves on the council and property committees and sings in the choir. He also runs a business, Clearbrook Collision Center.

For Jeff, the best part of being the Clearbrook fire chief has been helping people, and knowing that his work is making a difference in the community. He has found that many county agencies rely on each other, and he values the relationships he has developed with these groups. Connections with his fellow department members are also important and he feels they are close, like family. Jeff says he has found being the fire chief and serving with the Clearbrook Fire Department very satisfying.

Adam Krog will be new fire chief for Clearbrook.