Hornets buzz thieves at Summit Park fire station

After an earlier burglary, a sting was in order at Skagit County Fire District 13 Station 1 in Summit Park.

Which is exactly what transpired last month – only it happened by chance.

Thieves trying to break into the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trailer were thwarted by a hornet’s nest, assistant chief Jamie Jurdi told fire commissioners during their monthly meeting last Friday.

“They tried to break in,” said Jurdi, “but there was a hornet’s nest that deterred them.”

Jurdi and district fire chief Wood Weiss said no entry was gained into the trailer, which houses critical gear and equipment.

Jurdi said the repeated burglary attempts means investing in additional security cameras.

Weiss, though, offered a perhaps more cost-efficient solution.

“I think we should probably put our money into the hornets,” he said.

The bad guys, had better luck swiping catalytic converters off two non-roadworthy parked vehicles used for extrication training. Catalytic converters contain marketable metals like platinum, palladium or rhodium.

The primary buzz around the 45-minute hybrid meeting, with commission chairman Bruce Shellhamer logged in from Gresham Oregon – where temperatures reached triple digits – focused on Fire District 13 roster shuffling.

Weiss said the district is recruiting additional volunteer firefighters to replace those lost to paid positions elsewhere. The 24/7 station on Snee Oosh Road, requires a corps of volunteer firefighters and trainees.

“We’ve had people go to career jobs,” said Weiss, “and we’ve had 10 new people come in over the last month and a half or so. That means a lot of training. Personnel will be one of our biggest challenges going forward.”

Shellhamer said the rotating personnel issue reflects positively on the fire district.

“It’s tough,” he said, “but it’s also a testament to our training. Departments are looking to hire people who are well trained and capable. I think it’s a great pat on the back to all of you.”

Weiss stressed the huge demand for firefighters.

“It’s an unprecedented time, an unusual time,” he said. “Commissioner (John) Doyle remembers when this was a volunteer department. It still is a

volunteer department. We just need to bring our volunteer base back.”

In related notes:

• Weiss noted the increase in COVID-19 cases. “We’ve had six cases over the last week on Swinomish Reservation,” he said.

• Service calls and transports are up this year. The district responded to 6.2% more calls since January, with transports up 10%. July alone had 21 transports.

• Total transports have surpassed 1,000.

• Their five-year plan will be complete once a digital version is finished, said Capt. Ted Taylor. Hard copies of the draft are being submitted to Shellhamer, Doyle and commissioner J.J. Wilbur for review.