Some of the things Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Chief Tom Nelson has spoken about as he settles into his new full-time role, are 
the fire prevention and education responsibilities that are part of the position.
Along with collecting the blueprints of all commercial buildings in the area and enforcing parking issues in fire lanes, he is thinking about building occupancy and plans to help people get out of buildings if there is a fire, in particular buildings where people have assembled
To that end, NAFRS has begun to work with buildings where people gather, buildings of worship, restaurants, and bars to name a few, and is working with the management of those places to develop a plan to help get people out of the building safely in case of an emergency.
He said quite often there is something blocking an emergency exit, or the staff hasn’t been trained on how to help facilitate an evacuation. Nelson said his department is going to begin to address these issues.
“The main thing that we’re trying to do is educate people that are going to restaurants or bars or nightclubs, and staff, to think about what would happen ‘if.’ Hopefully to look [through a clear lens,] because it doesn’t have to be some big major thing. [But] panic can happen. So, look at where you’re going, look at how you’d get out, and be a helper. Once you know, you can say, ‘Hey, look, let’s go this way.’”
He was quick to point out that the lack of a plan is not done maliciously or out of negligence. It is simply not something a lot of people think about. One example he used are gatherings in a tent. That may not be an obvious place to think about public safety, but it only takes one comment by someone who has had too much to drink, or an ill-thought-out prank to set off a stampede where people can be seriously hurt. Another example he used is a holiday worship service that receives much higher attendance than an everyday service, so more seating is brought in. Making accommodations for larger crowds can add to the danger of a situation, he said, if something goes wrong.
NAFRS Board Chair Brad Ness praised Nelson for renewing the emphasis on issues like this, and said he hopes more Northfielders will begin thinking in these terms.
“As you can see Tom has taken this job fairly seriously. You know, fire safety is not just a revenue generator. It is way beyond that. And even businesses downtown have been asked, ‘Can I see your latest inspection?’ And they have that deer in the headlights look. This is about safety.”
More than anything, Nelson said, people need to be aware of their surroundings and think about an easy way out when they attend large gatherings.
Pursell says more attention must be paid to missing and murdered black women
The Minnesota House of Representatives continued its torrid pace of passing legislation last week, including a bill that would create an 
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) said the bill was passed after testimony was heard on the House floor by the bill’s chief author, Representative Ruth Richardson (D-Mendota heights) discussing the specific cases of Brittany Clardy and Taylor Hayden.
According to information supplied by the House of Representative’s press office, a state report from the Missing and Murdered African American Task Force found that Black women are nearly three times more likely to be murdered than white women in Minnesota. It also said, while black women make up 7% of the state’s population, they make up 40% of the state’s victims of domestic violence.
The bill allocates $2.5 million over the next two years. The office would facilitate research, collect data, review cold cases and advocate for legislation to address violence against Black women and girls. The bill also requires the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to operate a missing person alert system. About $50,000 a year would be spent to create public awareness about the office.
Pursell said that is one of the strengths of the bill, because, put simply, there just isn’t as much attention paid to missing black women as there is in other areas.
“I think also it’s interesting, this summer there was a young white woman who went on a road trip with her boyfriend and disappeared. The amount of press that got versus the fact that this is happening all too frequently to predominantly women of color and indigenous women, we want some actual manpower.”
The bill has been introduced in different forms twice before, and both times failed in the Senate. However, with the DFL now in the Senate majority Pursell was optimistic that the bill could make it to the Governor’s desk this time. Indications are that Governor Walz would sign the bill into law.
School board will discuss more budget ‘prioritization’
The Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the Northfield School District Office Boardroom, at the District Office building. 
Among the items the board will discuss this evening is another round of what the district calls “budget prioritizations,” or budget cuts.
The district has been receiving smaller amounts of funding from the state over the past two years due to declining enrollment and what Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann has referred to very often as “chronic underfunding” of education by the state legislature.
Last year, he board cut about $4.5 million from the annual budget, which currently sits at about $60 million.
Hillmann said the board will decide on the best use of the funds it receives and will allocate money accordingly.
“We will continue to make the hard decisions, put the dollars where they’re most useful in terms of in our classroom, and continue to be as efficient as we can with our administration. But fewer students simply means less revenue, which means we have fewer opportunities to be able to invest in our student.”
Hillmann also said the cuts in the budget will mean cutting jobs.
The School Board will always invite public comment from those who live in the Northfield School District. Public comments for the regular school board meetings may be made in person at the beginning of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must sign up in person prior to the beginning of the meeting. The boardroom opens at 5:30 pm.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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