ST. PAUL – A team of firefighters for Jordan are among the more than 400 people who have registered to climb 30 stories of the Accenture Tower in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, Feb. 27 to raise money for the American Lung Association in Minnesota. Now in its second consecutive year at the Accenture Tower, the event is attracting teams of firefighters, fitness buffs and friends and families of Minnesotans who have been personally affected by lung disease. One of these is “Team Sophia,” led by Kim and Chad Williams of Ramsey, Minn.

An error was published in a headline for a story in the Firefighters and Next Door sections of this Web site.

It was the Savage fire chief, not the Prior Lake fire chief, who rescued two pet ducks after a garage fire.

The Jordan Independent takes pride in providing accurate reports of the news.

The editor will make an effort to respond to any complaints about errors or inaccuracies in the newspaper. If it is determined that the paper printed an error, a correction will be prominently displayed, usually on page 2.

Shawn Hogendorf of the Prior Lake American reports:

The fire chief rescued two pet ducks after a garage fire broke out at a home in the 14800 block of Virginia Avenue Monday night (Feb. 8).

Fire Chief Joel McColl was the first on the scene and as he was sizing up the situation, he saw two pet ducks that were trapped inside a pen that was built off the side of a storage garage. McColl then grabbed the ducks and moved them out of the pen.

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce gave special awards to the Jordan Fire Department and ERA Sandey Real Estate, the Anna Sandey (businessperson of the year) award to Sharon Velishek, and the business of the year award to Insurance Brokers of Minnesota.

The 2010 chamber board includes Velishek, Troy Schuette, Cathy Isles, Howard Senske, Jason Hombach, Elizabeth Thelemann, Jo Erp, Allen Houdek, Amy Radermacher, Dave Holzer, Vicki Borowicz, and Dr. Jeff May.

See the videos from the event:

Thirty years ago, money from the Sno Flake softball tournament went to buy firefighter raincoats.

Read about this and more of Jordan's history in the Looking Back
column published in the Jan. 21 print edition of the Jordan Independent.

Andrina C. (Weckman) Radermacher, 93, of Jordan, died Jan. 13 at the Gardens in Shakopee.

The matriarch of the Radermacher family, Andrina was known for her talents at the piano and organ of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jordan, her work with the Jordan Fire Department ladies auxiliary, and her love for her children and husband, the late Roman Radermacher, who started the family's local grocery store business.

Visitation will be on Friday, Jan. 15, and the mass of Christian burial will be on Saturday, Jan. 16.

The Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division announced that Minnesota’s projected number of fire deaths in 2009 will be the lowest since recordkeeping began in 1970. The preliminary count of 32 represents a 20 percent drop from the previous record low of 40, which occurred in 2007. The 2009 number may rise as hospitals submit fatality reports (preliminary numbers come only from fire departments) but historically, hospital reports number five or fewer.

Public safety training is not what it used to be.

“I think we’re going to see lots of simulation training in public safety,” said Rob Boe, a consultant for the Scott County Association for Leadership and Efficiency (SCALE) facility in Sand Creek Township, near Jordan.

SCALE already has a use-of-force simulator that puts police officers in hypothetical situations and a computer-controlled fire tower for firefighters to practice without risk of structure failure.