Council honors fallen firefighter, salutes first responders

The La Conner Town Council joined Mayor Ramon Hayes and fire chief and code enforcement officer Aaron Reinstra in accepting a plaque honoring fallen La Conner firefighter and Town Marshal John Hilsinger during their Aug. 9 meeting.

Hilsinger died by electrocution while fighting a blaze at the old La Conner Shingle Mill north of town in July 1945. He was just 41 years old.

Sgt. Beau Montgomery, Skagit County Sheriff's Office La Conner detachment administrator, made the presentation.

Montgomery said the plaque is part of a project undertaken by Sheriff Don McDermott to honor those who have heroically served the county.

"It turns out," said Montgomery, "that we have a local hero who died here in the line of duty."

Hilsinger, the Town's chief lawman at the time, doubled as a volunteer firefighter and was on scene at the fire.

"Marshal Hilsinger had just taken the nozzle and stepped in a pool of water when a wire fell to the ground electrifying the pool of water he was standing in," Montgomery said.

Efforts to revive Hilsinger using a pullmotor, an early resuscitation device, were unsuccessful, the Puget Sound Mail reported.

Hilsinger, an employee at the La Conner Cooperative Fish Company, left behind a wife, daughter, mother, three brothers and two sisters.

The Puget Sound Mail reported that Hilsinger was killed instantly when he and three other firefighters stepped into the pool of water. The other men were knocked down by the impact of the electric shock.

Don Maloy, then the fire chief, provided the details of the tragedy to the Puget Sound Mail.

"It was first believed that water from the hose had connected with an electric current in some manner," the story read, "causing the hose nozzle to become electrified.

"The fire occurred," the article continued, "when a blaze from the boiler kicked back out into the sawdust. Damage was estimated at about $5,000, with the complete loss of the mill proper. The dry kiln and shingles were saved."

After accepting the plaque commemorating Hilsinger's service and sacrifice, the council approved a resolution honoring first responders in Skagit County and formally recognizing Oct. 28 as "First Responders Day."

The resolution cites the commitment to public health and safety provided by first responders, including in that group firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers and paramedics.

"First responders deserve recognition today and every day," the resolution states. "They put their lives on the line and sacrifice for the greater good. They commit themselves, heart and soul, to protecting others."