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BCA divisions

Minnesota Duty Officer Program

The Minnesota Duty Officer Program provides a single answering point for local and state agencies to request state-level assistance for emergencies, serious accidents or incidents, or for reporting hazardous materials and petroleum spills. The duty officer is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If there is an immediate threat to life or property, call 911 first.

When to call the duty officer

Examples of incidents the duty officer can assist with include but are not limited to:

  • Natural disasters (tornado, fire, flood, etc.)
  • Requests for the National Guard
  • Hazardous materials incidents
  • Search and rescue assistance
  • AMBER Alerts
  • Requests for the Civil Air Patrol
  • Radiological incidents
  • Aircraft accidents/incidents
  • Pipeline leaks or breaks
  • Substances released into the air

Contact the duty officer

Phone: 651-649-5451 or 1-800-422-0798

Fax: 651-296-2300

Available agency resources

State agencies

  • Department of Agriculture
  • Department of Commerce
  • Department of Education
  • Department of Health
  • Department of Human Services
  • Department of Military Affairs
  • Department of Natural Resources
  • Department of Transportation
  • Minnesota IT Services
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • Department of Public Safety
    • Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
    • Homeland Security and Emergency Management
    • Minnesota State Patrol
    • Office of Pipeline Safety
    • State Fire Marshal
  • Other state agencies as needed 

Other resources

  • Minnesota Arson Hotline
  • Chemical assessment teams
  • Fire and rescue mutual aid
  • Minnesota voluntary organizations
  • Search-and-rescue dogs
  • U.S. Air Force Search and Rescue Center
  • Local bomb squads
  • Emergency response teams
  • Amateur radio (ARES/RACES)
  • Fire chiefs assistance teams
  • Interagency Fire Center

Information for the duty officer

The Minnesota Duty Officer will request the following information

  • Name of caller
  • Date, time and location of the incident
  • Telephone number for call-backs at the scene or facility
  • Whether local officials (fire, police, sheriff) have been notified of incident
  • Additional information will be requested in the following special circumstances:
    • Requesting state assistance for incidents:
      • Type of assistance requested (informational specialized team assets, etc.)
      • Name of requesting agency/facility
      • Materials, Quantity and personnel involved in the incident
      • Whether all local, county and mutual aid resources have been utilized
    • Making notification of spills/incidents:
      • Materials and quantity involved in the incident
      • Incident location (physical address, intersection, etc.)
      • Responsible party of incident (property/business owner)
      • Telephone number of responsible party
      • Any surface waters or sewers impacted
      • What has happened and present situation