Elk River struggles to hire enough firefighters to keep up with growing town

As the population in Elk River continues to grow, so do the needs of its fire department.

The city is opening its third fire station, but the department is having a tough time finding firefighters.

With many retiring, the department hasn’t been able to find 20 new paid on-call members. 

“Call comes in, you got to go,” Elk River Fire Chief Mark Dickinson said. “You got to leave little Johnny’s soccer game, or dinner, or church, or whatever it may be. It’s getting tough. It’s getting real tough.”

The department is having its biggest recruitment campaign ever.

“Trying to keep up is going to be a continuing battle,” Dickinson said. 

The fire department plans on moving into its new station next week.