FD13 Summit Park trial shifts working

A month ago, Skagit County Fire District 13 Chief Wood Weiss assigned crews to cover two 12-hour shifts per week at the Summit Park station on a trial basis.

Initial reviews are in. So far, so good.

“We’ve had some really busy days,” Capt. Chris Olbu told fire commissioners during their July 18 public meeting. “There’s also an increased probability of getting more transports.”

Weiss said early returns on the trial program merit its continuation.

“The rapid response to the north end of the district has been of benefit to our citizens,” he said. “It’s definitely a big positive. I think we should continue the program and in time we should think about adding more (Summit Park shifts).”

With its new Community Assistance Referral & Education Services program, the district has increased its call load, said Weiss. CARES, a proactive citizen service program, has logged 82 calls thus far in 2024. The district hopes to get a five-year grant to expand the program.

“We’re climbing right now,” Weiss said of the district’s total service calls this year. “We’re heading for 1,500.”

He said the district responded to 89 service calls at the Swinomish Casino & Lodge alone in 2023. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community pays the district a fee for each response. In 2023, the total was $106,000.

In other news, Weiss said the Swinomish Tribe secured a grant for the district to upgrade its solar system at the SneeOosh station, where a lightning strike earlier this year damaged some rooftop panels.

Commissioners agreed to buy new firefighter bunker gear and an electric vehicle fire extinguisher blanket. The district budgeted $25,000 but the gear will cost closer to $40,000, Weiss said.

Commission chair Bruce Shellhamer said the district has spent only 10% of its capital budget more than halfway through 2024, making the purchase an easy call.

“It makes us more compliant with state law,” Olbu said.

The EV blanket will cost between $2,500 and $5,000.

“With the prevalence of EVs, I think we should definitely have an EV blanket,” Shellhamer said.

He and commissioner John Doyle approved the purchase. Commissioner J.J. Wilbur was attending another meeting and did not vote.

Shellhamer and Doyle welcomed firefighter Taylor Peterson, who completed his probationary training and was administered the oath of office.

“He’s a hard worker,” Weiss said of Peterson. “He completed (the training course) in five shifts. Some take up to three months.”

Olbu reported on recent multi-agency trainings at La Conner Marina and Swinomish Reservation. The latter exercise involved a wildfire scenario.

“The marina drill went well,” Olbu said. “We were at La Conner this year. The previous three years we were in Shelter Bay. It’s good to get acquainted with different environments. They have a standpipe system on their docks at La Conner. It’s a different configuration. It’s a situation where we can learn from one another.”

“The wildland fire drill went well,” Capt. Gary Ladd said. “We were depicting a red-flag warning for the exercise.”

Capt. Ted Taylor said work is underway on developing a template for an emergency evacuation from Swinomish Village and Shelter Bay should disaster strike.