St. Paul Fire Capt. Brittney Baker is most comfortable when she’s teaching students who are becoming EMTs, and when out in the community to talk about fire prevention and health. She’s never wanted to be in the limelight and it hasn’t been easy, but she sees the greater good in telling her story.

Baker recently made history as the first African-American woman in the St. Paul Fire Department to reach the rank of captain, and the St. Paul City Council honored her Wednesday.

People have been approaching Baker, telling her she’s made them realize they could also be firefighters.

A girl she didn’t know came up to Baker at a coffee shop asking, “Are you the captain?” Baker replied, “I’m a captain.” The girl told Baker she had seen her story online and said, “Oh my gosh, congratulations!”

Baker also has seen comments people have left on news stories along the lines of, “Who cares? She’s just a diversity, equity and inclusion hire.” Friends tell her not to let it bother her, but she wonders how she can when people aren’t considering she earned the promotion because of her experience, leadership skills and civil service testing.

“It’s a lot of weight,” she said this week. “There’s a lot of positivity that comes with it and there’s a lot of negativity that we still have to deal with. I just want to do the job, and work hard because I’ve always worked hard.”

From student to teacher

Baker grew up in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood and graduated from Central High School in 2006. She worked at a temp agency, “finding other people jobs,” and was attending Century College. She wanted to become a pediatric oncology nurse.

Baker’s sister, Naajidah, died at age 3 from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Baker was 8 and the kindness of the medical staff who cared for Naajidah stuck with her.

“Taking care of people, especially kids — they’re the most innocent thing that we have,” she said of what drives her. “Not just trying to fix their illness, but care for them as a whole. Understanding that you’re not just treating the illness, you have to treat the person, too.”

When a friend told Baker about the St. Paul Fire Department’s EMS Academy, she applied in 2012 and was accepted. In its current form, the academy is a tuition-free emergency medical technician certification program for St. Paul or Ramsey County residents. “It’s designed to have the department better reflect our community,” said firefighter/paramedic Kayla Sanchez, one of the lead instructors with Baker.

About three weeks into the academy, Baker’s father was shot. He survived, and seeing the work of EMTs and paramedics also confirmed to her that “this is where I belonged.”

She hadn’t considered becoming a firefighter before the EMS Academy.

“I saw men that looked like me, I didn’t see any women that looked like me,” Baker said. “To be truthful, I didn’t see a whole lot of women to begin with.” But during her first ride-along with a fire crew when she was in the EMS Academy, she was paired with three women firefighters and that started opening her eyes.

Newly promoted St. Paul Fire Captain Brittney Baker gets a hug from her mom, Shantell Hutchinson, after a presentation recognizing her promotion in the St. Paul City Council Chambers on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Capt. Baker is the first African-American woman to earn the rank of captain with the St. Paul Fire Department. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

After graduating from the EMS Academy, Baker was hired in 2012 as an EMT for the fire department’s Basic Life Support (BLS) division, which responds to less serious medical emergencies than the fire department’s paramedics, among other duties. The St. Paul Fire Department handles all emergency medical calls in the city.

The BLS division was part-time work at that point (its EMTs are now full-time employees), and along the way Baker worked for Regions Hospital EMS, Mercy Hospital’s emergency room, radiology at Regions Hospital and hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. She still teaches EMT, medic and fire medic courses at Century College.

Baker became a paramedic in 2015 and was accepted to the St. Paul Fire Department academy in 2018, becoming a firefighter/paramedic that year.

She continued taking apprenticeship courses and written exams that are required before a St. Paul firefighter can seek a promotion, and she earned the rank of fire equipment operator.

After six months of studying and preparation, she took the test to become a captain.

There’s a written portion and practical simulations, during which potential captains are evaluated on being in charge of fire scenes. At the St. Paul Fire Department, a captain is assigned to each fire rig to supervise its staff on each shift.

Chief Butch Inks called Baker in February to tell her he was promoting her to captain. She and three other people took on the new rank just over a month ago.

Sixteen graduates of St. Paul’s EMS Academy, which started in 2009, have gone on to become St. Paul firefighters. Baker is the first graduate of the academy to reach the rank of captain in the St. Paul department.

‘Serves selflessly’

Baker will be assigned again to a fire station in May, but the department’s kept her busy with teaching lately. She doesn’t spend much time at her desk at the fire department’s headquarters, which is decorated with thank-you cards from children, photos and more.

There’s also a large chess piece — the queen — she keeps on her desk. It was a gift from Sanchez, who graduated the EMS Academy a year after Baker, worked with her in the BLS division and became a firefighter alongside Baker.

Sanchez said she saw a quote from Karim Ellis: “A king may be the most important piece on the chess board, however, the queen is the most powerful as she performs more moves than any other token.”

“I wanted to give her a chess piece to remind her that she is the most valuable piece on the board,” Sanchez said. “We support each other.”

Also on her desk is a photograph of Baker with three other St. Paul Fire Department employees who are women and EMS Academy graduates, and who were among a group of six women who went to Kenya in November to teach EMS and fire-suppression courses to Kenyan firefighters for two weeks.

Baker began teaching at the fire department’s EMS Academy in 2013, the year after she graduated. She’s now the EMS Academy’s coordinator and one of three lead instructors.

Baker has three children of her own, though “we have always said, our students aren’t students, they become our kids when they are in the class,” Sanchez wrote previously about Baker. “We do whatever it takes to make sure our students overcome any barrier in front of them to be successful. Brittney takes this motto into every part of her life. She serves selflessly and does whatever it takes to ensure the success of others.”

This is the inaugural year for St. Paul Public Schools to have an EMS class; students who pass a national exam will be certified as EMTs and they earn nine college credits in the process.

Baker’s getting ready for the next EMS Academy, which will be for 18- to 24-year-olds. Applications will open in April.

Baker is also a student herself. She’s working on a degree in emergency management/homeland security.

She hopes to use what she’s learning to help sex-trafficking victims because studies have found a high percentage received medical care while being trafficked. Baker said she wants to work on training for EMTs, “so we can try to spot some of that.”

Brittney Baker Day

Surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, newly promoted St. Paul Fire Captain Brittney Baker addresses the St. Paul City Council in chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. Capt. Baker is the first African-American woman to earn the rank of captain with the St. Paul Fire Department. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

During Wednesday’s city council meeting, Baker’s oldest child, 15-year-old Naaziah, read a portion of the council resolution recognizing Baker, including a part that said: “She is passionate about ‘Not just opening the door, but making sure the door never closes again,’ through teaching and instruction.”

City council member Cheniqua Johnson continued reading from the resolution: “During Women’s History Month, we acknowledge trailblazers and pioneers such as Brittney Baker.”

“The historic all-woman, majority women of color St. Paul City Council congratulates Capt. Brittney Baker as she makes local history as the first Black woman captain in the St. Paul Fire Department,” Johnson concluded, and announced it was Brittney Baker Day in the city. Firefighters, Baker’s family and friends, and community members erupted in applause.

Chief Inks suggested to council members that if they plan a meeting with Baker and it’s in public, “I encourage you to make it longer than the allotted time.” He said when he’s out and about, most people want to say “hi” or ask him questions, “except when I’m with Brittney. They all want to talk to Brittney because she’s so well-connected in the community and so devoted to giving back.”

First women joined SPFD 30-plus years ago

The first women became St. Paul firefighters in 1992 and Sue Jacobson made history in 2005 when she became deputy chief. She’s now retired and Deputy Chief Stacy Hohertz is currently the highest-ranked woman in the department. Five women hold the title of captain or higher, according to Hohertz.

“Brittney’s a natural leader,” Hohertz said. “She is committed to making the community a safe place for everyone.”

The first African-American woman to be a firefighter in the St. Paul department’s history was Toni Terry, who retired as a fire equipment operator. Baker was the second African-American woman firefighter in St. Paul. She’s now president of Firefighters United, the St. Paul chapter of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters.

There are currently 30 women firefighters, of which five are people of color, and eight women in the BLS division, of which four are people of color, according to Hohertz.

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Timberwolves coach Chris Finch revealed to the entire team after shootaround Wednesday that Minnesota had signed forward T.J. Warren through the rest of the season.

The gym erupted.

Warren — who was with Minnesota for the past 20 days on a pair of 10-day contracts — has been a solid bench option for the Wolves. Heading into Wednesday’s bout with Detroit, Minnesota had outscored opponents by 31 points in Warren’s 98 minutes. In his seven games, Warren touted only one game with a negative point differential when he was on the floor.

The 30-year-old likely won’t be a part of Minnesota’s playoff rotation unless several injuries occur, but he offers length and experience, can get his own bucket off the bounce and appears to be well-liked around the team.

Just ask Kyle Anderson.

“I’ve played against him since we were about 10 or 11 years old. It’s a very special moment to have him on the team for me. It means a lot to me,” Anderson said. “We’ve always competed against each other, so I think this is the first time we’ve been able to be teammates, and it’s special. That’s a dear friend to me. Since we were 10 years old, we’ve always kept in touch over the years. Now to be on the same team is really cool.”

The Warren signing puts Minnesota’s full-time roster at 14 filled spots, leaving one open space that may not be filled.

REST FOR THE WEST?

Minnesota is engaged in a tight battle with Oklahoma City and Denver for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves — down Karl-Anthony Towns — appear to be “going for it,” as Minnesota has stuck true to form and played all healthy players throughout the season.

Denver has been a little more strategic with its availability. In recent games against cellar-dwellers Portland and Memphis, the Nuggets have found days off for Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon, and still earned a pair of wins.

Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed Oklahoma City’s bout with Houston on Wednesday with a quad injury.

Minnesota has cut back on its volume of practices of late.

WELCOME BACK, TROY

Troy Brown Jr. made his return to Minnesota on Wednesday after he was dealt mid-season to Detroit as part of the move that brought Monte Morris to the Wolves.

Brown has struggled in Detroit, shooting just 38 percent from the field. He has seen more run of late given the Pistons’ slew of injuries.

 

 

Rocco Baldelli isn’t sure what the Twins are capable of if Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis are all healthy, but he knows at least two things: One, it’s a lot. And two, he doesn’t mind thinking about it.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 11: Royce Lewis #23 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his home run against the Houston Astros during the first inning in Game Four of the Division Series at Target Field on October 11, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

“It feels like the possibilities are almost endless,” the Twins manager said this spring.

Last year, Correa played through pain almost all season after developing plantar fasciitis. Buxton played just 85 games, slowed again by a knee that he had surgically repaired in the offseason for the second time. And Lewis showed glimpses of stardom in between injured list stints that held him to 58 games.

Even though the talented trio was not at 100%, the Twins won the American League Central division, finishing 87-75, nine games ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers. They then went on to win their first playoff game since 2004 and swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series before falling to the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series.

As the season kicks off — first pitch will be at 3:10 p.m. Thursday at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals — the Twins are favorites to win the division once more. And with that trio healthy, it’s easy for the Twins to dream of more.

“All our goals are to be healthy. We know how good we are and we know what we can do,” Buxton said. “ … We want to go out there and make sure that we can play every day and contribute to the team the way we know we can.”

In the 2022 season, Buxton was an all-star for the first time in his career, hitting a career-high 28 home runs in 92 games and posting a 133 OPS+, a mark that is 33 percent better than the league-average hitter. Buxton, a Gold Glove Award winner in 2017, was limited last year to just hitting, something he has readily admitted was a challenge mentally. He will take his position in center field once again on Thursday for the first time since August 2022.

Correa, a 2021 Gold Glover, was hampered by his foot pain, which limited his defensive range and affected him at the plate. But the shortstop has a long track record of productivity and spent the offseason trying to get his swing back to how it felt in 2021, when he finished fifth in Most Valuable Player voting.

And Lewis, the youngest of the trio, has just scratched the surface of his potential. But last year, he hit a home run every 15.9 at-bats, with four grand slams. He settled in defensively at third, right next to Correa.

Of course, the Twins will need contributions from much more than those three players.

Their rotation is led by Pablo López, a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate, who will take the ball Thursday for his second straight Opening Day. The Twins will look for steps forward from Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. Louie Varland will slide into a rotation spot to begin the year and the Twins have high hopes for Chris Paddack, who is returning after spending much of last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Their bullpen, which has been hit recently by a spate of injuries, has the potential to be among the best in baseball when healthy. In the coming month, they hope to be able to add closer Jhoan Duran (oblique), lefty Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and right-hander Justin Topa (knee) back to the group. While Duran is out, the Twins will rely on Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart to cover some of their most important innings.

Second baseman Edouard Julien and left fielder Matt Wallner joined Lewis last year as part of one of the Twins’ best rookie classes in recent memory, catcher Ryan Jeffers emerged as one of the most productive hitting catchers in the game, and down the stretch, veteran right fielder Max Kepler played some of the best baseball in his career.

“Between the influx of young guys that we have and Carlos and Buck being MVP candidates when they’re healthy, I think that this lineup is very dangerous,” Lewis said. “I think that people kind of sleep on our team a little bit more just because we’re Minnesota and not the Yankees or Dodgers.”

Within the confines of the Twins’ clubhouse, the expectations are high. And higher still if their $200-million man Correa and homegrown stars Buxton and Lewis can maintain their good health.

How good could they be? What are they capable of?

“I don’t want to talk about it — I want to show you,” Correa said. “That’s our goal this year.”

Their chance to do that begins on Thursday.

“These guys matter so much to where we’re going,” Baldelli said. “It doesn’t mean we can’t succeed. We succeeded last year without these guys out there on a full-time basis. But I mean, my God. These are three of the better players you’re going to find anywhere and to get everyone back and healthy at the same time, I try to stay within my shoes here, but it’s very encouraging.”

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A teen was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for being an accomplice after the fact in the 2022 murder of Otis Elder in St. Paul, a killing that prompted Minneapolis police to carry out a “no-knock” search warrant in which Amir Locke was fatally shot by an officer.

Feysal Jama Ali, 18, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty to the added charge in December in connection with the killing of Elder, a 38-year-old who was shot during a suspected marijuana robbery or attempted robbery on Jan. 10, 2022. Elder, a father of two sons, died a half-hour later at Regions Hospital of a gunshot wound to the back.

Feysal Jama Ali (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

In exchange for the plea, two counts of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and two other charges in the case were dismissed and he also was given a concurrent three-year prison term for a second-degree assault conviction stemming from a carjacking in South Minneapolis in November 2021.

Also part of the plea deal were the lengths of the two prison terms. Ali received credit for the two years and six days he already served in custody.

Ali confirmed that his cousin, Mekhi Camden Speed, then 17, shot Elder as he sat in his Chevrolet Tahoe in the 500 block of North Prior Avenue, between University Avenue and Interstate 94. Ali, who was 16, also gave an account of his actions after the murder, including spraying a fire extinguisher inside in a stolen getaway car in an attempt to conceal evidence.

In July, Speed was sentenced to 16 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder while committing an armed robbery. Speed said at his plea hearing that he went to the location to buy marijuana from Elder and that the plan changed to taking it.

Mekhi Camden Speed (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Speed lived in the apartment building in downtown Minneapolis where police served search warrants on Feb. 2, 2022. Locke, 22, was not named in the search warrants and was staying on a couch in Speed’s brother’s girlfriend’s apartment when police carried out a no-knock warrant and a Minneapolis officer shot him.

Speed lived in a different unit with his mother, but had access to the other apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

Minneapolis police requested a no-knock warrant to apprehend Speed for the officers’ safety and preservation of evidence. The request for the warrant demonstrated that Speed had a history of violence and that Elder was killed with a .223-caliber firearm, which could pierce body armor.

Police body camera video showed that when police entered the apartment, announcing their presence, Locke, who was not a suspect, was stirred from the couch and emerged from under a blanket with a handgun that his family said he legally owned.

Prosecutors did not charge the officer, saying body camera video showed Locke pointing a gun, but his family has said the footage suggests he was startled awake.

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