The lead investigator into the cause of the fire that destroyed the interior of the Archer House has filed his final
report and has concluded that the fire was accidentally caused by improper operation of a commercial smoker in the kitchen of Smoqehouse, a barbecue restaurant that was in the Northeast section of the hotel, by an employee who had not received enough training.
According to the report filed by State Fire Marshall Investigator Ron Rahman, a Smoqehouse employee was using the equipment to smoke 19 chicken wings when the fire started. The employee, who was 21 at the time of the fire, had worked at Smoqehouse for three months.
Rahman said in his report that the employee had neglected use temperature probes when cooking the food. Without the probes, the expected alarm to notify the kitchen when the food was fully cooked never came. Because he never heard an alarm, he increased the heat in the smoker to what turned out to be an unsafe level.
At the same time, the employee had improperly placed the wood into the smoker. Rather than using chips in a metal box to create smoke in the equipment, a piece of split wood was laid in direct contact across all five of the smoker’s gas burners.
When the employee opened the door to the smoker, he added more oxygen into the compartment. He said that was when flames burst out of the smoker and covered him. He received burns to his hands and his heads
After making multiple attempts to contain the fire, the decision was made to call the fire department.
Rahman concluded the fire was an accident. However, he said the accident occurred because ownership and management of the restaurant had not properly trained their empolee on how to use the equipment.
The report focuses on how the fire started. A second report, yet to come, will detail how it spread from the kitchen of the restaurant to the rest of the building.
Gieseke selected to lead combined County Corrections/Social Services Department
Rick Gieseke has been named Deputy Rice County Administrator in charge of the newly formed Community Services Department.
The new department is the combined resources and responsibilities of the Community Corrections Department and the Social Services Department.
Last month Gieseke, who had previously been the director of Community Corrections, along with Social Services Director Mark Shaw, and Rice County Administrator Sara Folstad, proposed the merging of the two departments to both streamline the way the county handles those services, and enhance their offerings.
The County Board of Commissioners approved the proposal last month, and last week, Shaw, who had been the county Social Services Director for 18 years retired.
Gieseke, a 1994 graduate of Faribault High School, was a Waseca County Probation Officer for ten years, before taking a position as a Rice County Probation Supervisor. He was named Community Corrections Director in 2018.
As the first Deputy Administrator of Community Services, Gieseke will be responsible for establishing the department and hiring the four managers who will report to him. Each will have a specific area of responsibility and oversee staff in their respective specialty.
Job descriptions for the managers’ positions are still being written. Once they’re completed, the hiring process will begin. Gieseke said it will most likely be early spring before his new staff members are in place.
Gieseke will also be responsible for establishing priorities; ensuring department goals align with county objectives, developing a long-range strategic plan, and planning and implementing program changes to improve service delivery.
County Administrator Folstad called Gieseke a proven leader and said the new department will “provide opportunities for greater collaboration and efficiencies between departments.”
Gieseke said his new position is an exciting opportunity, and he is looking forward to getting to work.
Age Friendly Northfield asking one and all to take Health & Wellness survey
Age Friendly Northfield is seeking community input on several areas having to do with health and wellness for the
older members of the Northfield Community.
To that end, the organization, an advocacy and assistance group for Northfield’s seniors, has prepared an online survey. They are asking anyone interested in services for older Northfielders to take the time to fill it out.
Nancy Just, the secretary on the Age Friendly Northfield steering committee, said the group conducted a more wide-ranging survey in 2017, and they are now starting to look at more specific areas that would support older adults, allow them to live in their homes, and maintain a certain amount of independence.
The health and wellness survey is divided into several categories focusing on services people either want or need as they get older. Categories include Healthy Living Services, Homemaking, Chores, Home Modification, Nutrition and Meals, Personal Care Experiences, and Transportation.
Postcards have been mailed to the community asking for participation in the survey, which can be found on the Age Friendly Northfield website at agefriendlynorthfield.com. Hard copies of the survey are available at the Northfield Public Library and 50 North. Just said there are Spanish language surveys available as well.
Participation in the survey is important, said Just, and she truly hopes everybody will take the small amount of time the survey requires to share their thoughts and opinions.
“On the address side of the postcard you will receive, it says ‘Your feedback matters.’ And it does. We really want that feedback, so we would appreciate you taking the time. It’s about a fifteen-minute chunk of time. So, it’s definitely doable.”
Just said the survey will be online until March 10. The results should be made available by the end of May.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Nancy Just of Age Friendly Northfield can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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