>> Eric: THE MINNEAPOLIS FIRE DEPARTMENT SWORE IN A NEW CHIEF LAST WEEK AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE DEPARTMENT'S HISTORY AN OUTSIDER GOT THE J JOB.

REGINALD FREEMAN COMES FROM CONNECTICUT AND MOST RECENTLY DIRECTOR OF FIRE AND EMS IN SAUDI ARABIA.

AND WE HEARD NOW IT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH WARMER FOR YOU.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> Eric: WE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS DURING THE 9/11 OBSERVANCE AND I WONDER IF THE PHYSICAL AND MUCH LESSER DEGREE OF COURSE BUT I WONDER IF THE KIND OF TRAUMATIC STUFF AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE INJURIES AND MENTAL ISSUES, IS THAT PERMEATING THE PROFESSION IN GENERAL?

>> ABSOLUTELY, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW ON BEHALF OF ALL OF OUR MEMBERS OF THE MINNEAPOLIS FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS.

AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, WHETHER IT BE THE PHYSICAL OR THE MENTAL IMPACT THAT RESPONDING TIME AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN FOR SUCH TRAUMATIC EVENTS, THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT CERTAINLY HAS A DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON FIRST RESPONDERS, LET ALONE OUR MINNEAPOLIS FIREFIGHTERS.

>> Cathy: AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HELP THE FOLKS OUT THERE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT >> SO THERE'S LITERALLY NO ROCK OVERTURNED AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED AS THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS FROM UR MAYOR'S OFFICE TO COMMISSIONER, COMMUNITY SAFETY SERVICES TO MY OFFICE AS THE FIRE CHIEF.

WE BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO ENSURE THAT OUR MEMBERS HAVE ALL THE REQUISITE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED TO SEEK HELP OR TO SEEK COUNSELING AND TO BE ABLE TO DECOMPRESS IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

>> Eric: ARE YOU HAVING SIMILAR CHALLENGES TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN STAFFING LEVELS?

>> I CAN'T SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUT I DO KNOW WE ARE HONORED O SERVE ALONGSIDE THE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS OF THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

>> Cathy: YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON AS AN OUTSIDER TO TAKE THE JOB OF CHIEF AND HOW INTERESTING.

DO YOU SEE, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OH, MY GOSH, HE'S AN OUTSIDER, GOOD LUCK.

BUT DO YOU SEE POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH IN THE DEPARTMENT AS AN OUTSIDER?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE HAVE WORLD-CLASS FIREFIGHTERS IN THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS.

AND IT'S TRULY AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AS THEIR 19TH FIRE CHIEF.

SO WHETHER THE CHIEF COMES IN FROM THE OUTSIDE OR THE INSIDE, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT THE CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT PUTS THE MEMBERS FIRST.

THE CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT ENSURES THAT THE PEOPLE UNDERNEATH THEIR COMMAND HAVE ALL THE TOOLS, RESOURCES, AS WELL AS THE REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE TO EXECUTE THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

>> Cathy: YOU ARE THOUGH GOING INTO A PRETTY SOLID, STRONG CULTURE, AS IT WERE, AS AN OUTSIDER.

HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

>> YOU SAY THANK YOU AND I DON'T KNOW.

[ LAUGHTER ] AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO, YOU KNOW, PERSONS IN POSITIONS OF AUTHORITY, WE DON'T SAY THAT ENOUGH.

AND IT'S OKAY TO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

BUT THAT'S THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT LEADING AN ORGANIZATION OF 450 MEMBERS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, YOU HAVE TO BE, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO ASK WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN DO FOR YOU TO ENSURE YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL AND GET THE JOB DONE.

>> Eric: IN THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA IN 2024 THERE WERE 7400 FIRES AND 179,000 EMS AND RESCUE CALLS.

THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SEE ON THE TV, BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS IT'S MORE OR LESS RESCUE AND EMS, HUH?

>> SURE, SO WE'RE PROUD TO BE AN ALL-HAZARDS EMERGENCY MITIGATION ORGANIZATION JUST LIKE MANY FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES.

BUT MOSTLY, 07% OF OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE ARE EMS AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY EMS AS WELL AS THE REAT FOLKS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT THAT EXERCISE OUR EMS PROTOCOLS ON A DAILY BASIS.

>> Cathy: AND THEN HOW DO YOU RECRUIT FOLKS WHO ARE THINKING, I WANT TO BE THE PERSON TO RUN INTO THE BURNING BUILDING, VERSUS GIVING SOMEONE OXYGEN?

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?

HOW DO YOU -- HOW DO YOU RECRUIT PEOPLE THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS THEN IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FOLKS?

>> WE LOOK FOR GOOD PEOPLE, RIGHT, SO FIRST AND FOREMOST WE JUST LOOK FOR GOOD PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TEACH CHARACTER.

ONCE WE GET A GOOD PERSON ON THE TEAM, WE CAN TEACH THEM HOW TO BE A GREAT FIREFIGHTER OR A GREAT FIRST RESPONDER.

BUT YOU CAN'T TEACH ATTITUDE, SO WE'RE GRATEFUL TO HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY TEAM WITHIN THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW FAMILY MEMBERS TO JOIN US.

>> Eric: WELL, THANKS FOR COMING OVER AND GOOD LUCK ON