Mendota Heights Welcomes New Fire Marshal

There’s a new face in the neighborhood, but he may look a bit familiar. Jim Lee, longtime West St. Paul firefighter and current Little Canada fire marshal, is taking the position of Mendota Heights fire marshal.

The position of fire marshal is dedicated to inspecting buildings and enforcing safety codes. By working with building owners and occupants, the fire marshal “can prevent catastrophe before it starts,” in the words of Mendota Heights Fire Chief John Maczko.

“As a community, our businesses are important to us. Our firefighters are important to us. The work of the fire marshal ensures both are safe,” said Maczko.

Current fire marshal Paul Kaiser is retiring. The position is remaining at 20 hours per week. The city council approved Lee’s appointment at their June 7 meeting.

“Paul really established a record of excellence. His work made a huge difference in the number of fire calls,” said Maczko. “We needed someone strong to continue the work. Jim is the guy.”

The department had a general call for applicants. Six applicants moved on to a written evaluation and an interview process with a review panel.

“Experience with firefighting is a huge plus,” said Maczko. “A fire marshal should be someone who can speak from experience, and not just from books. He or she needs to truly understand codes, that every code that’s out there is result of tragedy in the past and not wanting them to occur again.”

Lee was a firefighter in nearby West St. Paul for 23 years, occasionally working closely with the Mendota Heights fire department.

“Jim has passion for the work, he’s done inspections, and he shares our philosophy of helping the community and educating on the importance of code,” said Maczko.

He also has a familiarity with the area, which Maczko called “very valuable.”

“I have a long history with Mendota Heights,” the new fire marshal said when he addressed the city council. “I went to school at , I went to . I have family members who live here. I’m honored to get this position,” said Lee.

Lee began his new position this week. To smooth the transition, Kaiser will stay on for a short amount of time to introduce Lee to builders and building occupants and get him going on department processes.

Mackzo is looking forward to the opportunity to have a fresh perspective in the department.

“We’re always striving to do our best at our job, and sometimes a fresh set of eyes will show us how we can be working smarter,” he said.