Lacey Fire District 3

1/6/2012 – Lacey Fire District was the grateful and honored recipient of a $303,275 grant from the Nisqually Tribe during their annual charitable giving banquet in December 2011.

Board of Fire Commissioners’ Chair Eugene Dobry shares the news of the Nisqually charitable giving program grant award at the December 15, 2011 Commissioner meeting.

The funds are earmarked for service improvements in the Station 32 area (Lake St Clair) on Yelm Highway. The grant specifically requested funding for the purchase of a water tender (a fire engine with a large capacity for holding water) to help provide an immediate water supply for firefighting, and for the purchase of a modular home to house emergency responders. Currently, the station is not staffed. In 2010, the District received a four-year $650,000 federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to help in recruiting and retaining volunteers. The District plans on improving service delivery in the Station 32 area through a combination of these two generous grants. The District has five volunteers already recruited through the grant, and the potential of ten more beginning in early 2012.

With the receipt of the Nisqually grant, additional experienced volunteer firefighters will be recruited for the Station 32 area. If you have experience and are interested in helping serve the community, or you have no experience but are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter, please send an email to info@laceyfire.com. We’d like to hear from you.

November 18, 2011 — After an extensive search and detailed interviews with the top five candidates, the Lacey Fire District 3 Board of Commissioners selected Division Chief Steven Brooks as the District’s new Fire Chief. Chief Brooks was the only internal candidate and is highly regarded by the staff at the Fire District. He has been with the District since 2005 serving in a variety of roles but specifically involving Advanced Life Support transport. When Chief Broman retired, Chief Brooks took on more management duties assisting the interim Fire Chief Gary Pearson.

The two will now switch roles. Chief Pearson is pleased with the Board’s selection. “ I have a great deal of respect for Steve” stated Chief Pearson, “ he has shown tremendous leadership growth since coming here. I think he will be really good for the organization and I look forward to supporting him”.

“Chief Brooks was always in my top three”, said District 3 Fire Commission Chairman Gene Dobry. “I had some reservations about him not having been a Chief. Other candidates had that experience. As we weighted the candidates against each other it was clear Chief Brooks has as much ability as they presented.”

Other Board members expressed similar thoughts. Commissioner John Christiansen was ready to hire Steve prior to search process. “I’ve always thought Steve would be a good choice. However, I’m glad I was encouraged to follow through with the search process. I learned a lot during the process and from the candidates we interviewed. It was good to see how well Chief Brooks measured up.”

There are other changes at the District with the addition of two new Fire Commissioners, Tom T. Nelson, not the former Lacey Mayor, who begins his role in December, and Frank Kirkbride who won his election bid. Mr. Kirkbride previously held a Fire Commission position. Both participated in the Fire Chief selection process. Skip Houser is retiring from the Board after nearly 25 years of service.

There are challenges ahead for the new Chief and Board members. The disappointing loss of Proposition 1 which would have added much needed revenue to the Fire District will require rethinking how the District provides response. While it is not yet clear if staff cuts will occur in 2012; the future is less certain.

|November 17, 2011 — The Board of Fire Commissioners will take public comment on the District’s 2012 proposed budget on November 17, 2011. The budget hearing is in conjunction with the regular Board of Fire Commissioners meeting that will be held at the District Headquarters at 1231 Franz St SE in Lacey, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Copies of the proposed budget will be available at the door.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call Chief Gary Pearson at 528-2333,visit the department’s website at www.laceyfire.com or find us on Facebook at Lacey Fire District Three.

November 16, 2011 — Lacey Firefighters responded to a fire at the Firs Apartments this evening in the 900 block of Neil Street NE, in Lacey. The fire, which was reported by a neighbor, was extinguished within ten minutes of the firefighters’ arrival. There were no occupants home at the time of the fire. Lacey Fire District Three responded with three Engine companies, a Medic Unit, and two Battalion units. Olympia Fire Department also responded with an Engine company.

The fire was first reported by neighbors who smelled smoke from the apartment just before 5:30 p.m.. There were no working smoke detectors present at the time of the fire. The fire was contained to one apartment unit, and initial damages to the unit and its contents are estimated at $30,000. Investigators believe that a mattress placed too closely to a baseboard heater caused the blaze.

Lacey Fire District wants to remind our citizens that a properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the one item in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day. Whether you are awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is always on alert. Firefighters also remind citizens to keep combustibles away from heating sources, such as baseboard heaters.

Lacey Fire District residents that do not have a working smoke alarm and can’t afford to buy one can pick one up for free at our headquarters station, located at 1231 Franz St SE, in Lacey.

August 24, 2011 – Lacey Fire District Three is currently accepting applications for volunteer firefighter positions. Minimum qualifications include:• At least 18 years of age
• Current WA state drivers license w/an insurable driving record
• High school diploma or GED
• IFSAC Firefighter I certification
• Current WA State or National Registry EMT certification

Testing requirements include a general knowledge test, the nationally recognized Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), and oral board interview. If selected to join, the candidate must pass a complete fit-for-duty medical examination.
In addition to the qualifications and testing requirements listed above, successful candidates must be able to meet training and participation requirements. Our volunteer firefighters are expected to work a minimum of one 12-hour shift every 9 days plus attend one pre-scheduled weekend training session per month.
If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, please contact the Human Resources Officer at (360)528-2313 or email wsternshein@laceyfire.com to schedule an informal intake interview.
August 23, 2011 — Just a reminder that each month we post a newsletter to our community highlighting activities and news that we hope will be of interest to you. Be sure to click on the Community Dispatch link in the column to the right to view current and past issues. If you have questions about the newsletter or story suggestions for us, please feel free to email info@laceyfire.com. We really like to hear from you.

We would like to share with you the top ten questions asked most often about LFD3. If you have more questions, we would welcome them to info@laceyfire.com. We will find the answers and add them to these frequently asked questions (FAQs). Then it can become the Top Twenty, or Top Fifty, or Top . . . After all, inquiring minds want to know! Click here to read the Top Ten FAQs.

Lacey Fire District 3 paramedics and firefighters delivered the American Heart Association’s “Hands Only” CPR program at several local businesses. Hundreds of citizens received instruction from LFD #3 EMT’s and Paramedics on how to properly deliver CPR using mannequins.

Several recent changes in the American Heart Association’s recommendations for bystander CPR have made it easier for citizens to remember when and how to perform this life saving skill. Look for this to happen more frequently as public feedback was overwhelmingly positive about not only “hands on” CPR but also the interaction between the citizens and their fire department. For more information on “hands only” CPR go to www.handsonlycpr.com.