Volunteer Roster

Volunteers

 

 

Response Station 1

 

 

Leah (Phyllis) Speser

PIO/EMT

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 2

 

 

Emily Stewart

EMT

Volunteer

Matt Stewart

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Ted Krysinski

Admin

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 3

 

 

John Anderson

EMT/Support

Volunteer

Dahti Blanchard

EMT

Volunteer

Robert Nathan

Support

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 4

 

 

Bob Coulter

Support

Volunteer

Paul Fleischman

Support

Volunteer

Mike Harte

EMT/Support

Volunteer

Elijah Avery

EMT

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 5

 

 

Pat McNerthney

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Al Smith

Support

Volunteer

John Gonnella

EMT

Volunteer

Chris Moore

EMT/Support

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 6

 

 

Sandy Short

EMT

Volunteer

Devon Buckham

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Jeff Michelson

Support

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 7

 

 

Brian Thomas

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Keppie Keplinger

PIO

Volunteer

Ron Dawson

PIO/Special Projects

Volunteer

John Bethel

Support

Volunteer

Mike Force

Support

Volunteer

Brandon Backus Jackson

Support

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Response Station 8

 

 

Sergio Matachacon

Support

Volunteer

Mary Flanaganmata

Support

Volunteer

Halie Corey

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Dominick Montone

EMT

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Out of Area Responder

 

 

Elliot Stone

FF/EMT

Volunteer

Elliot Nokes

FF/EMT

Volunteer

 

_______________

 

Admin Volunteers

 

 

Marilyn Berry

 

 

Cynthia Doolin

 

 

Pattie Horvath

 

 

Kathryn Chapman

 

 

 

_______________

 

FIT’s

 

 

Brice Barton

EMT

Station 5

Blake Bentzen

EMT

OOA

Cash Holmes

 

Station 2

Andrew Harvey

EMT

OOA

Sophia Loverich

EMT

OOA

Daniela Sanchez

EMT

Station 6

 

Insurance Rating Info

Kala Point Area Fire Protection Class Modification

East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) is pleased to announce a Fire Protection Class (FPC) Modification in and around the Kala Point geographic area.  In March 2019, EJFR proposed a FPC modification to the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau (WSRB) based on recent adjustments utilizing response volunteers and off-duty career firefighters that also reside within five road miles of Fire Station 1-3 (50 Airport Road). Approval and the subsequent FPC modification was effective April 1, 2019.

Inaccuracies in WSRB Ratings for Some Area Homes

Fire Chief Walkowski stressed that in order to obtain a corrected rating, area residents must take the initiative to contact the WSRB and if in error, their insurance provider. “This correction will not be initiated by the WSRB,” he said. “Residents are encouraged to contact them directly at their customer service telephone line at 206-217-0101. Specifically request you want to confirm the Fire Protection Classification of your insured structure and ask them to calculate the driving distance from your home to the nearest fire station.”  Here is the News Release.

Washington State is one of a handful of states which utilize the services of an independent rating service to evaluate communities for their fire protection and suppression capabilities. Using a schedule approved by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, they assign each community a Protection Class of 1 (exemplary) through 10 (insufficient for insurance credit). This Rating may be utilized by an insurance company to assist in determining fire insurance premiums for properties. However, not all insurance companies use the WSRB rating to set insurance rates. Communities are evaluated on a five-year frequency and evaluations include four major areas:

Fire Department: WSRB reviews such items as engine companies, ladder companies, distribution of fire stations and fire companies, automatic aid received, response to alarms, equipment carried on apparatus, apparatus maintenance, pumping capacity, reserve apparatus, department personnel levels and training.

Water Supply: Water supplies used are reviewed to determine their adequacy for fire-suppression purposes. Major tasks include calculating required fire flows (gallons per minute) for buildings and conducting flow tests to measure water pressures (psi) and volume (gpm). WSRB considers hydrant size, type, and installation, as well as the inspection frequency and condition of fire hydrants.

Emergency Communications Systems:  The community’s 911 system is evaluated including facilities, handling and dispatching fire alarms, dispatch personnel levels and training.

Fire Safety Control: Fire prevention activities such as fire code enforcement, public education and building code enforcement are reviewed.

After completing the field survey, WSRB analyzes the data and calculates the Protection Class for the community. The community receives a notification letter identifying the Protection Class along with a summarizing report. Buildings and property located within the rated community are eligible for the Protection Class Rating of the community if they meet the distance to fire station and distance to fire hydrant requirements. If these requirements are not met the building will receive a different Protection Class Rating than the community.

After investing in apparatus, equipment and personnel training and enhancing our Fire Safety Control, Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 1’s rating improved from a 6 to a 5 as a result of a 2013 evaluation. 

However, changes resulted from our most recent evaluation, which took place in 2017 and became effective in early 2018.  While our overall District-wide rating remained unchanged at a 5, deficiencies in two areas impacted improved properties (structures) within a five road-mile radius of our three volunteer fire stations.

As an overview, District 1 has a total of six fire stations, three of which are staffed 24/7:

Station 1-1 – The Wally Westergaard Station located at 9193 Rhody Drive, Chimacum

Station 1-5 – The Henry Miller Station located at 35 Critter Lane, Port Townsend

Station 1-6 – The Uptown station located at 701 Harrison St., Port Townsend

Our three volunteer response stations are:

Station 1-2 – The Marrowstone Island station located at 6633 Flagler Rd., Nordland

Station 1-3 – The Jefferson County International Airport station located at 50 Airport Rd.

Station 1-4 – The Cape George station located at 3850 Cape George Rd., Port Townsend

In the 2018 evaluation, District 1 received demerits for the age of our emergency response vehicles (apparatus), many of which we still owned after the prior evaluation five years earlier.

For the first time, we also received demerits for having an insufficient number of volunteer firefighters who regularly train and respond from our three volunteer stations.  In order to receive credit for these stations, District 1 would need six volunteer firefighters to regularly train and respond from each station. 

Currently, we have an insufficient number of volunteer firefighters, contributing to a rate reduction in some areas.

The District is focusing efforts on returning to our previous rate for all customers, but this will take time. As the District continues to modernize our apparatus fleet, this is only possible as our budget allows. In addition, the District is conducting numerous volunteer recruiting efforts, offering at least three times annually the ability for members of the community to join the volunteer ranks. 

How can you help? Consider volunteering with the District. While we need a number of trained and active volunteer firefighters to improve our WSRB rating, we’re also looking for volunteers to assist us in a variety of capacities, including tender drivers, EMS responders and various support roles.

2017 WSRB Rating Letter

2018 WSRB Protection Class Report for JCFD #1

Fire District Operations

Standards of Response – Fire Service Performance Measures

The Washington State Legislature adopted House Bill 1756 that was further codified into RCW 52.33.030, which requires fire departments across Washington State to measure a fire departments capability to respond to an emergency 911 call for service.  A fire departments ability to respond to an emergency call within a certain identified time is commonly referred to as a “performance measure”.  It requires the evaluation of Board of Fire Commissioner adopted levels of service, deployment (emergency response) delivery methods, and response time objectives on an annual basis.  The evaluations are based on data relating to the levels of service, deployment, and the achievement of each response time objective.

In 2021/2022 EJFR contracted with Citygate and Berk to complete a Strategic Plan and Standards of Cover analysis. The findings and recommendations were accepted as of 11/10/22. 

EJFR Strategic Plan 2022 – Accepted 11-10-22

Vol 1 – Technical Report – East Jefferson Fire-Rescue SOC and Strategic Plan (10-31-22)

Vol 2 – Map Atlas – East Jefferson Fire-Rescue SOC and Strategic Plan (10-31-22)

The annual compliance report will compare the actual response times or performance measures to nationally recognized standards.  When the standards are not met, the fire department is required to explain the predictable consequences of failing to meet the adopted performance measure, and address the steps necessary to correct deficiencies in order to achieve compliance. 

Performance measurement in the fire service is important for several reasons. Historically, the fire service has only been able to give citizens an average response time to all emergencies which is not an accurate depiction of service levels received. Specifically for East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR), the arrival of personnel with advanced life support (paramedic) capability before the onset of brain death, and the arrival of adequate fire suppression resources before flash-over is a critical event during the mitigation of an emergency. For these reasons, performance measures, comparable to that of industry standards, relate to the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations.  

The evaluation is intended to provide elected officials and the community with a true picture of how well EJFR is doing in achieving the adopted response objectives. In the future, the EJFR Board of Fire Commissioners will consider a Resolution with the intent and purpose of complying with the law. If approved, the Resolution would include each Performance Measure element, including the establishment of service delivery and response time objectives. The objectives would be developed using recognized standards from the National Fire Protection Association. However, meeting the performance measures will likely require several years to achieve the delivery and response time objectives. For this reason, success will be measured by the successful reduction of response times, and progress towards achieving these objectives.

Mutual Aid Agreements

EJFR maintains mutual aid agreements with a number of neighboring fire districts. Mutual aid agreements facilitate access to additional resources in the event of a larger scale incident. In short, the agreements stipulate that EJFR will provide resources to a partner agency in their time of need. In return, those districts will provide resources (i.e. engine company or ambulance) to us when we need assistance.

Clallam County Fire District 3 Mutual Aid Agreement

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Agreement

EJFR Annual Report and Budget

 

Annual Reports

EJFR Budgets

Public budget hearings are held in mid-November of each year. The budget is approved and submitted to the county in late November. Please call 360-385-2626 if you would like to know more about our budget or the approval process.

Other Reports