Municipal fire department · Minnesota · United States

Minneapolis Fire Department

The Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) protects the City of Minneapolis — approximately 430,000 residents across roughly 58 square miles on the Mississippi River, the most populous city in Minnesota and (together with neighbouring Saint Paul, which has a separate fire department) the urban core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. MFD fields about 430 uniformed members from around 19 fire stations and provides structural fire suppression, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, and marine firefighting on the Mississippi (including the upper falls and lock-and-dam infrastructure). EMS first response is provided alongside Hennepin EMS / Hennepin Healthcare, which operates the primary 911 ambulance system in the county; MFD engines provide EMT-level medical first response. Winter operations — sub-zero temperatures, frozen hydrants, ice rescue on the Mississippi and city lakes — are a defining feature of the operational picture. Firefighter recruitment is administered by the City of Minneapolis Human Resources Department. The process typically includes an online application, written examination, the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), medical and psychological evaluation, background investigation, and an oral interview. Successful candidates attend the MFD Training Academy for a recruit course covering structural firefighting, cold-weather operations, EMT certification, and technical rescue. Bluewatch refers candidates to the official portal.