It is our mission to get to a point before next year to have all of your vehicles with this device in it. It’s a good program, and a wonderful tool for our first responders.”

Lloyd Cheney, Senior Warden of the Accacia Lodge #51

Local Masonic organization Accacia Lodge #51 donated six fire suppression devices to the Cottage Grove Police Department, which were presented to the city at the May 1 city council meeting. The local Accacia Lodge was founded in 1865 and is currently located in Old Cottage Grove at 11094 70th St. S., once the original First Congregational Church, which has been the lodge’s home since 1966.
Public Safety Director Pete Koerner introduced Lloyd Cheney, Senior Warden of the lodge, and Adam Martin, Worshipful Master of the lodge, to present the donation.
“On behalf of Accacia Lodge #51 in Cottage Grove, Minn., it is our honor to donate these fire suppression tools to the City of Cottage Grove and its first responders,” said Martin, before turning over the microphone to Cheney.
“If one of our squad cars is driving through the city and sees smoke, with this, that officer can grab this, pull the pin, open up the door and throw it in and it will deploy,” said Cheney. “And it’s not a toxic substance.”
The device emits an aerosol that does not pull the oxygen out of the room but lowers the temperature significantly.
“We recently had a save in Newport with this device,” Cheney said. “A Washington County Deputy deployed and saved some dogs in a house, and actually saved the structure from the fire; 35 seconds, 1,000 degrees temperature difference, and it will put out the fire, or at least get it to where the fire department can come and continue putting out the fire in the building.”
Cheney asked Koerner how many squad vehicles the Cottage Grove Police have in service, and he responded that they currently have 18.
“It is our mission to get to a point before next year to have all of your vehicles with this device in it,” said Cheney. “It’s a good program, and a wonderful tool for our first responders.”
Cheney then noted that kids in Park High School or Woodbury High School are able to apply for three $1,000 scholarships from the lodge. June 15 is the deadline. Apply at accacia51freemasons.org/scholarship-program.
A Flag Day Feast celebration is planned for June 14, from 3–6 p.m. at the lodge.
“The flag that we’re putting up actually is an Eagle Scouts project put on by our brother Steve and his sons,” said Cheney. “And the flag itself actually flew and was carried on the USS Minnesota submarine.”
Mayor Myron Bailey said, “Thank you, immensely. Thank you to all of you for this amazing donation. And the fact that you’re committing already to putting them in every one of our squad cars is truly inspiring. It’s groups like yourself that really, truly do make our community an awesome place.”
Cheney said, “We could not do this without the help of Minnesota Masonic Charities, our charitable arm of our organization. They are subsidizing these units, along with the lodges. We’re working in partnership with them.”
“I just want to say thank you for doing that,” said Bailey. “And it’s obviously good giving back to the community.”