For the first time in years, Chaska fire and police personnel are enjoying some elbow room.
The departments had been operating out of cramped quarters — a situation that continued to worsen as the community’s population spiked and first responder numbers crept upward.
But on Monday, April 13, the local police and fire departments were finally settling into spaces at the newly constructed Public Safety Facility. Going forward, the public is encouraged to interact with both departments at the new locations — 285 and 301 Engler Boulevard.
As boxes were being unpacked and workspaces were organized, everyone’s mood appeared upbeat. It was easy to see why. The new facility provides more than just extra space, it also features state-of-the-art upgrades designed with training, safety and employee wellness in mind.
“Everybody’s pretty ecstatic about the space and the opportunities that it affords them,” said Fire Chief Stephen Kraus. “It’s been a long process, but everybody’s excited and kind of living off that energy right now.”
Across the shared hallway, Police Chief Ryan Seibert says he sees similar excitement among his officers and staff. Almost everyone showed up last Thursday and Friday to pitch in with the move, he reported.
“There’s a lot of positive energy,” Seibert said. “People are excited and optimistic about the future.”
According to Seibert, the Police Department now enjoys about 50,000 square feet of space — about half dedicated to offices and the other half to the lower-level parking garage and locker rooms. The department had just 6,800 square feet in their previous building downtown.
According to Kraus, the Fire Department has expanded to about 43,000 square feet of space from its previous 32,000 square feet.
While the extra space is helpful, Kraus explains, the real improvements come from better flow, training opportunities and areas for relaxation inside the building.
Construction costs for the project totaled $49.2 million, slightly above the $48.4 million cost estimate from 2023, according to Kevin Wright, Chaska communications manager. When adding in the totals for the information technology, contingency, bond issuance plus furniture, fixtures and equipment, the overall cost was $54 million.
Fire Department Highlights
For the past two years, the Fire Department has been operating out of temporary space and waiting for the new facility to be constructed.
“We’ve been living without running water in some spaces,” Kraus said. “So, we were bringing in bottled water and temporary bathrooms.”
The two-story space on the north end of the new Public Safety Building is dedicated to the Chaska Fire Department, made up of nine full-time and 43 paid on-call firefighters.
During a tour of the building, Kraus explained that the new building will help the department recruit crew members and retain the current ones. Fire officials toured dozens of fire halls in nearby communities to better inform the design of Chaska’s new facility.
Training Tower: One of the key upgrades found in the new facility is a three-story training tower, designed to simulate firefighting approaches in an apartment complex or residential home. A switchback staircase leads to a water-proof room that can be customized to test crew member skills under various scenarios. Moveable walls allow trainers to create bedrooms, kitchens and more to prepare firefighters for any possible challenge. The space also allows trainers to pump “theatrical” smoke inside the rooms, simulating low-visibility situations. In addition, loud noise can be piped in from the control room to add to the chaos a firefighter might experience.
“We’re trying to create some real-world training,” Kraus said. “There are different things we can do to try to simulate some of the stress that they might encounter.”
There are even simulated windows so firefighters can practice entering or leaving a building, as well as roof-top training spaces.
Decontamination Flow: Perhaps the most important upgrade is found in the building’s layout, which allows crews to decontaminate vehicles, equipment and personal gear without tracking contaminants into the main building. After fighting a fire, vehicles enter a bay on the east end of the facility where washing stations flush away any accumulated debris or soot.
Firefighters then step inside a gear decontamination room, allowing for equipment to be cleaned. Jackets, pants and boots are left behind and sent away to be professionally cleaned.
“We’re always trying to keep our gear as clean as possible,” Kraus said. “That’s a huge change. When I started the fire service in the late 2000s, it was cool to have your gear dirty. We’ve learned that the opposite is what we should be doing.”
From there, firefighters access individual shower stalls to rinse off, making sure potential carcinogens are immediately removed from the crew member’s body.
“There’s a lot of science behind getting all that off your skin within the first hour before it can be absorbed,” Kraus explained.
“The fastest rising cause of workplace injury for firefighters is cancer,” Kraus continued. “Everything that we can do to mitigate that risk is a benefit to our staff. When we were designing this building, we had five firefighters — two active and three retired — fighting cancer. So, this was a big, big deal to me.”
Ventilation: According to Kraus, the walls inside the previous fire hall were yellowed due to trapped exhaust from the fire trucks and other vehicles. In the new building, an advanced ventilation system constantly forces the air out of the vehicle bays.
Crew Quarters and Day Room: According to Kraus, the department is ramping up to begin 24/7 duty crews by July 1 to improve response times throughout Chaska. To accommodate for four-person, all-day crews, the upper level of the fire facility includes eight private dorm rooms and a day room.
“This is an area we were very, very intentional about staff experience,” Kraus said.
With an eye toward mental health, the day room is geared toward on-call and full-time staff and is equipped with comfortable furniture, a television, a kitchen and an outdoor patio.
“It’s a place where they can really relax or unwind and just be together,” he said. “We created a camaraderie-type space.”
The dorm rooms include a bed, chair, lockers and private bathroom. Each room is equipped with an individualized alert system so that crew members are only awakened when needed for a call.
“We’re trying to reserve people’s sleep in the best way that we can, making sure we’re only disturbing them when necessary,” he said.
The day room will eventually include a fire pole — although it’s not yet installed — giving firefighters quick access to the firetrucks below.
Conference Room: A large conference room will serve both the Police Department and Fire Department. Kraus said the technologically advanced space will allow for joint training sessions, community engagement meetings, Citizen Academy programming and more. The space will also serve as the Emergency Operations Center during local emergencies.
Police Department Highlights
The Police Department’s previous space opened in the late 1980s, when just 12 officers were on staff. Today, 33 officers are on the payroll, with an additional three officers budgeted for 2027.
“It’s simple math,” Seibert said. “It just didn’t work in our old facility any longer.”
The new building is designed with expansion in mind, he said, addressing the expectation that Chaska will continue to grow.
“Now that we’re in the new building, I am far more optimistic that we’re going to be able to continue to serve our community in the manner that’s expected,” he said.
Evidence Rooms: Toward the rear of the department’s space are several rooms dedicated to evidence collection and storage. Seibert said the area is designed to maintain the integrity of evidence and provide for specialized testing.
The main evidence space has an outside entrance, so evidence can be quickly processed. Along the wall are secure lockers, limiting access to vital evidence to technicians assigned that task.
The area also has a separate ventilation system, so that any dangerous odors or contaminants do not drift into other parts of the building. In addition, the department has purchased a new “fentanyl hood” that allows officers to weigh and identify narcotic substances without exposing themselves to the drugs.
Another evidence room will be dedicated to computer forensics, although the department hasn’t equipped the space just yet. Seibert said extracting information from computers, phones and other technology is becoming a big part of police work today.
Detention Area: The department has a new detention area built into the facility. There are three detention cells that can hold people who are under arrest.
“This in no way, shape or form replaces the Carver County Jail,” Seibert said. “It provides us an area to temporarily detain people when we’re investigating a crime.”
When in use, the cells will hold people for a maximum of four hours, he said.
Use of Force Training: A new training space gives the department room to instruct staff members on jujitsu-style techniques. The room is filled with exercise mats. On the other end of the room, an active-shooter and de-escalation simulator is planned.
“It’s about as realistic as you can get, short of the real thing,” Seibert said.
Garage Capacity: In the Police Department’s old station, there were three indoor stalls for vehicles. In the new facility, there are 28 indoor stalls on the lower level.
“We also have a temporary animal kennel,” he added. “If we come across a dog and we’re trying to get that dog back to their owner, that’s a place we can put them.”
Lobby Upgrades: When the public arrives in the department’s lobby, they will immediately notice significant upgrades. There are two meeting rooms adjacent to the lobby designed so people can meet with officers in private and provide a statement about crimes or concerns.
Victim Entrance: A separate entrance was installed on the west side of the building, facilitating easy access for victims of crime. Inside, there’s a family waiting room and a “soft” interview room.
“This usually is going to be with a juvenile victim of a sensitive crime,” he explained. “They can come in with their families. It’s a way to eliminate the awkwardness of coming into a police lobby and having other people in the lobby. It’s not the police interview room that you see on TV. We’re trying to make kids as comfortable as they can be in these situations.”
Exercise Space: To meet the wellness needs of its staff, the Police Department and Fire Departments each have well-equipped gym space.
“We have a workout-on-duty program that allows our staff up to an hour a day to work out while on duty,” Seibert reported. “Our previous space was about the size of a closet, so we had to restrict it to two people at a time.”
Eventually, an outdoor area will be added, including a small park and artificial turf field for CrossFit workouts.
Break Room: The Police Department’s previous break room also doubled as the evidence processing area. Now there’s a dedicated space for staff to unwind, including a nice kitchen, dining area, counter, television and comfortable furniture. Down the hall are two private dorm rooms.
“These rooms would be used if somebody has a challenging call and they need time to decompress,” Seibert explained. “Maybe that’s reading a book or sitting for 10 minutes in silence.”
The rooms are also available to officers working the night shift but then have a court date early the next morning.
Canine Space: The department doesn’t have a canine unit yet, but the new facility has a special room equipped once a dog joins the local force.
Locker Room Upgrades: Sparkling, new locker rooms are now available to department staff. Adjacent to showers and restroom facilities, the space is designed with privacy in mind. Additionally, each locker includes electrical outlets so officers can charge cell phones, radios, body cameras and more.
Collaboration Spaces: Scattered throughout the Police Department’s space are collaboration desks, encouraging interaction among officers and leaders, as well as across various divisions.
“It’s a way to make staff more comfortable with having organic conversations, which is important for the morale of the department,” Seibert said.
