Dayton Fire – History & Mission
The Dayton Fire Department was founded in 1962. The original fire station was located at the intersections of Dayton River Road and Robinson Street in old town Dayton. Today’s stations one and two were both built in the 1980’s. Many trucks have come and gone over the years, but the original engine is still owned by the Dayton Fire Department and is being considered for restoration.
The Dayton Fire Department fleet currently consists of two engines, two rescue trucks, one grass truck, one tanker, two rescue boats, a UTV and two command vehicles. The newest additions are two 2025 F150 Ford Crew Cab Pick Up trucks which serve as our rescue 11 and grass 11, a UTV Polaris ranger xp1000 crew cab North Star edition ultimate, and a Sea Ark Jet Boat which were acquired in 2023 and 2024. As in many departments across the United States, the Dayton Fire Department values and the way in which we operate have morphed greatly in the past 25 years. The Dayton Fire Department strives for excellence, and we hold to our core values of Trust, Integrity, and Professionalism.
Our Mission Statement
The Dayton Fire department strives for excellence in the performance of duty during the service they provide to all citizens.
About Us
Dayton is one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota. In spite of unprecedented growth, we remain committed to providing trusted and professional care to our residents. The population increase and thousands of new structures create new and exciting challenges for the Dayton Fire Department. We are working hard to keep up with the growth by increasing our training hours, our number of firefighters and by keeping our equipment up to date.
When fully staffed, there are 36 members who continuously train to become more effective and efficient at protecting lives, homes, and other property from fire and other disasters. Currently, there are 23 paid-on-call firefighters, a full-time Chief and a full-time Assistant Chief in the Dayton Fire Department. Our paid-on-call firefighters include three Line Officers. In addition to fighting fires, our members are trained as First Responders and are first on-scene for Dayton’s medical emergencies. The Dayton Fire Department responds to over 600 calls of various nature each year.
Fire Chief
Gary Hendrickson
763-323-4001
ghendrickson@cityofdaytonmn.com
Assistant Fire Chief
Kevin Astrup
kastrup@cityofdaytonmn.com
