Safety First Newsletter
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Current issue: Vol. 3, Issue 6, March 18
SFM: Remembering heartbreaking fatal fires
St. Cloud firefighter Deelia Guite was a volunteer for Sauk Rapids Fire Department in January 2023 when her crew was called to an apartment fire in Sartell. It was her first time responding to a deadly fire.
That family and fire call remain on her mind two years later. The deaths were two of 56 fire casualties reported to our State Fire Marshal (SFM) division in 2023.
Preliminary data shows at least 71 people died around the state in fires last year.
- 62 percent were in one- or two- family homes.
- 65 percent were outside the Twin Cities Metro Area.
- Most deaths happened during colder months.
- 71 percent of the fatalities were men.
Commissioner's Corner: Don't wait when a loved one goes missing – file a report right away
Every hour is critical in a missing person’s investigation, especially the first 48 to 72 hours after someone has disappeared.
Yet it’s a familiar scene in movies and television: someone doesn’t make it home for dinner, there’s a flurry of phone calls but no one knows where they might be. Cue the tense countdown until the 24-hour mark to file a police report.
In Minnesota, that well-known narrative is a dangerous myth.
You can — and should — file a police report right away when a loved one is missing. Police are required to take the report.
Minnesota lawmakers enacted Brandon’s Law in 2009, which requires law enforcement to take a missing person’s report without delay when someone of any age goes missing under dangerous circumstances.
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In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, we invite you to learn about the important work and advocacy being done by listening to the latest Domestic Abuse Project of Minnesota podcast episode featuring Kaleena Burkes, director of the Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls (MMBWG).
Listen in to explore the root causes of violence against Black women and girls, tackle health care disparities and highlight MMBWG’s efforts to end this epidemic. Together we will celebrate and uplift the voices of women making history!