After 25 Years, Rosemount Fire Chief Will Retire This Spring

Scott Aker will close the book on roughly a quarter-century of service when he retires from his role as the Rosemount Fire Chief this spring.

On Tuesday, the Rosemount City Council is expected to vote whether to appoint Rosemount Fire Department Captain Richard Schroeder as Aker's replacement. Schroeder was selected as a finalist from a pool of four candidates, who were all interviewed in February by a six-person panel of Rosemount firefighters, city staff and regional public safety officials.

Schroeder, who has served in the Rosemount Fire Department for 15 years, also owns a private business with six employees. His management experience, multi-faceted public safety background and history with the Rosemount Fire Department were all factors for his selection as a finalist, according to Rosemount City Administrator Dwight Johnson.

"He did interview very well, and has some ideas for the challenges that face the department in the future," Johnson said.

Aker deftly managed a rapidly growing fire department, according to Johnson. During his tenure, the city nearly tripled in population and fire department calls increased from 100 or 200 annually to more than 700 incidents each year, Johnson said.The fire department also added two stations on Aker's watch, Johnson said.

"He’s overseen a lot of growth in the community, and the training requirements for the fire services have increased over time; it's not just fighting a house fire, it’s chemicals and everything," Johnson said, referencing the growth of heavy industry on Rosemount's east side.

Aker was also quick to recognize the strengths of individual fire department staff, and put them in roles that would maximize their potential, Johnson said.

"We have a lot of telanted people in the fire department and a lot of different backgrounds, and he’s found a way to employ to most of them to get an advantage," Johnson said.

Aker, who began serving as chief in 1988, will retire on April 30.

The fire department will likely add an officer's vehicle and several small pickups to its fleet in the near future, Aker said. The department will likely have to ramp up hiring over the next several years to replace a growing number of retirees, Aker added.

Aker, who said he enjoyed meeting many of Rosemount's residents in his role as fire chief, said his biggest accomplishment as chief is the fact that, during his tenure, no employees were injured or killed.

"Everybody always went home from a call," Aker said. "That's probably the thing I'm most happy about."