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Wilson Township is south of Winona, MN, the county seat of Winona County. Wilson Township has approximately 1,177 residents, and is bordered by the City of Winona, Wiscoy Township, Homer Township, and Warren Township. There are 474 housing units within the township. 128 of those housing units were built prior to 1939. The township is approximately 35 square miles of primarily rural residential and rural agricultural land.
The Wilson Fire Dept. and First Responders was originally organized in 1981. At that time, fire response in the area was handled by the Winona Fire Dept.’s rural fire engine. Township residents banded together and formed the fire department, and bought the fire engine from the Winona Fire Dept. for their first fire engine, and used an old single axle milk truck as a water tanker. Since that time, changes in fire fighting practices, equipment, and technology have changed the face of the department and how we operate. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication to the community put forth by the volunteers that make up the fire department.
We are an entirely volunteer department, and are comprised of 30 members who have a desire to serve their community. 13 of those members are also First Responders, who respond to medical emergencies, car accidents, farm accidents, and other emergencies within the First Responder response area.
We respond to calls for service within all of Wilson Township, as well as portions of Wiscoy and Warren Townships. The overall response area is approximately 40 square miles, with approximately 74 miles of paved and unpaved roads, including Interstate 90 and MN Hwy 43. There are also mutual aid agreements in place with neighboring fire departments to assist them, and receive their assistance when the need arises.
We are one of six volunteer departments in the county with Jaws of Life equipment. These hydraulic rescue tools are primarily used for extricating victims of car accidents. They’re capable of cutting through metal, and prying apart doors and other vehicle parts to gain access to, and remove victims. When considering the high number of vehicles that travel through the township on county roads 12 and 17, in addition to approximately 30,000 vehicles that come through on Highway 43 and Interstate 90 every day, we frequently respond to car accidents where victims need to be extricated. Our Jaws of Life response area is the second largest in the county, extending toward Lewiston, Stockton, Wyattville, and Ridgeway.
Our apparatus fleet includes a 2001 Pierce engine with a 1000 gpm pump and a 500 gallon water tank, a 1992 International water tanker with 2,200 gallons of water, a 1988 Chevrolet Kodiak water tanker with 2,500 gallons of water, a 1991 Thomas Built equipment bus, and a dual use 2012 Ford F-550 4x4 mini-pumper/rescue truck with a 750 gpm pump and 300 gallons of water. The rescue truck acts as our back up pumper and grass fire rig, in addition to responding to all medicals and accidents. It also carries our Jaws of Life. The rescue truck is by far the most active truck.
