Masons of Concord Lodge 13 Equip WPD with State-of-the-Art Firefighting Tool

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - At the April 20, 2026, Watertown City Council meeting, the Watertown Masons of Concord Lodge 13 officially presented a state-of-the-art fire suppression unit to the Watertown Police Department (WPD), marking the latest chapter in a community safety initiative that has already proven its life-saving potential.

The donation replaces a unit that was successfully deployed in 2024 to prevent the destruction of a local structure.

A Tool for First Responders

The technology, known as the Fire Suppression Tool (FST), is a portable, aerosol-based device designed to be carried in the cruisers of law enforcement officers, who are often the first to arrive at the scene of a fire. Unlike traditional extinguishers, the FST is deployed by simply pulling two pins and throwing the unit into a structure fire.

Within 30 seconds of deployment, the environmentally safe aerosol can extinguish flames and lower a room’s internal temperature by up to 1,000 degrees. This cooling effect slows the fire’s progression, giving first responders and fire crews critical minutes to secure the scene.

“One of the greatest assets with this fire suppression unit is if there are people or pets in the building at the time this is deployed, it does absolutely no harm to people or pets,” said Greg Dubois of Concord Lodge 13 during the presentation. “They can sit in the midst of this. And what it does is it lowers the degree of the fire, so it slows it down”.

Proven Success in Watertown

The Masons originally donated three of these units to the WPD in April 2023. That investment paid off on August 29, 2024, when officers deployed one of the tools during a local structure fire.

Police Chief Toomey spoke highly of the tool’s impact during that incident, noting that it effectively suppressed the fire long enough for the fire department to arrive and finish the job.

“It bought valuable minutes for the fire department to get there,” Chief Toomey told the Council. “It was deployed inside the residence, lowered the temperature, suppressed the fire for just a couple minutes to get the fire department there. So it’s definitely enhancing public safety in Watertown”.

The Masonic “Pet Project”

The donation is part of a broader program coordinated by the Grand Lodge of South Dakota and South Dakota Masonic Charities, which offers matching grants to local lodges to help them gift these $899 units to their local first responders.

Dubois, who was joined by fellow Masons Troy Stavig, Frank Kiderman, and Cliff Knox, described the initiative as a “pet project” the lodge truly believes in. The replacement unit presented on Monday was ordered immediately after the 2024 deployment, though supply chain issues delayed its arrival by over a year.

Mayor Ried Holien expressed the city’s gratitude for the Masons’ continued support of local safety.

“Well, thank you to the Masons for doing this for the community,” Mayor Holien said. “It already has saved one building. It’s great technology”.