To minimize loss of life and property for the City of Arlington and surrounding townships from fire, natural disasters, life threatening situations and to assist other emergency agencies. To perform these service in an efficient manner by maintaining effective fire prevention, emergency response, fire suppression, and training.

In addition to the Officers, Department members are:
Joe Aquilera, Grant Bening, Nick Gillette, Samantha Gregory, Howard Grey, Spencer Haggenmiller, Tim Haggenmiller, Derek Hahn, Ethan Henke, Ben Klaers, Jason Litfin, Jeff Otto, Jen Otto, Trevor Otto, Ali Pedraza, Marshall Robinson, Jose Sandoval, Jim Soeffker, Paul Soeffker, Alexzander Stier, Michael Sutton, James Taylor, Jaime Weikle. 

 

 
Firefighter’s Pledge
I promise concern for others.
A willingness to help all those in need.
I promise courage – courage to face and conquer my fears.
Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me.
I promise strength – strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed on me.
Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.
I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called.

Stats/Calls
The fire department responds to many different kinds of calls a year including: fires, medicals, car accidents, alarms, weather watches, bomb threats, sandbagging, and search and rescue. On initial response to a fire, AFD has 8,000 gallons of water in the trucks.  AFD responds to an average of 60 calls a year, with an average response of 15 firefighters a call.

Service Area
The Arlington Fire Department is a paid-on call department. The fire department provides service for the City of Arlington and 6 townships. Those townships include: Arlington, Dryden, Green Isle, Jessenland, Kelso, and New Auburn.

Township/City/Partnerships
The Arlington Fire Department provides mutual aid to all communities surrounding our fire district and also provides assistance with the area ambulance services in terms of lifting and loading patients and preparing them for transport. The Arlington Fire Department also provides assistance to the Sibley County Sheriff’s Dept. and Arlington Police Dept. when requested.

Awards and Grants
When receiving awards and grants, the monies are utilized to purchase equipment and provide training to help the firefighters better serve and protect their fire district.

Training
The fire department trains the second and last Wednesdays during the months of April through October and the last Wednesday evening during November through March for a total of 18 varied trainings. All firefighters are trained and certified to Firefighter I level (approx. 160 hours).  20 firefighter’s are First Responder trained (approx. 48 hours), 2  are trained EMTs, 2 are trained paramedics, and 2 firefighters are Haz-mat Operations trained (28 hours)
Additional training is also taken throughout the year on weekends through different colleges and conferences.

Fire Awareness Week
The Arlington Fire Department would like to promote Fire Prevention 52 weeks a year, but have set aside the first full week in October as Fire Prevention Week. During that time, there are a few members of the Fire Department that go to the elementary school to speak to the students about Fire Prevention. There are also some members that provide these same services to areas such as Highland Commons and Senior Apartments in Amberfield to name a few. 

Fundraisers
The AFD hosts a Pork Chop Drive Thru at the Sibley County Fairgrounds. Additional information is provided prior to this event.

Charges for Fire Department Services
According to Minnesota State Statue 366.011, .012, & 415.01 cities have the authority to charge citizens for a fire utility fee. Many cities utilize this as a way to keep updated equipment and personnel available to serve the community at a moment’s notice while still maintaining minimal tax increases that are necessary for day to day operations.

The members of the fire department have joined this organization with the willingness to help citizens in time of need. The firefighters are considered paid-on call. When the fire department is paged out for a call the firefighters are paid an hourly wage that is set by the city. The firefighters still volunteer many hours a year in various trainings, meetings, and other community activities. Many billed residents/individuals feel that they are being treated unfairly by getting a bill for a service that is needed at a very emotional and stressful time in life. The City of Arlington has always been very flexible in working with people or insurance companies when dealing with a outstanding bill. The fee charged for this service does not cover the annual expenses associated with the fire department. The department responds to many different calls a year in the fire district, from motorists traveling through on the road, to people having rental property. Sometimes the city has a very difficult time getting a payment. This accounts for many hours of billing and collection fees that the city has to endure while still maintaining an operating budget for the department. This service fee can be looked at like other services that the city provides to residents.