Hello, Sequim, we want to hear from you.
There is growing recognition across the fire service, including here in Sequim, that firefighter staffing is no longer keeping pace with demand. Many departments, including our own, are already experiencing the consequences: not having enough firefighters available to respond quickly to every call all of the time.
It's a dangerous trend. We want to be there when you need us most—when lives are on the line.
The number of calls compared to available staffing has become increasingly unsustainable. The result is burnout, declining freighter mental/physical health, resignations, early retirements, and the loss of decades of fire service experience through attrition. It also means longer response times and fewer available units when multiple emergencies happen at once.
About 88% of the calls we respond to are for medical incidents.
When the fire service assumed emergency medical responsibilities decades ago, medical calls were generally more straightforward than they are today. As our population grows and overall health declines across all age groups, EMS call volume will continue to rise. Many of these calls may not meet the definition of an emergency, but firefighters respond to the calls we are dispatched to.
🚨Washington State defines an emergency as a situation with a high probability of death, serious injury, or significant property loss, and where the actions of firefighters may reduce the severity of the incident.🚨
Our firefighters are also EMTs and paramedics, trained to respond to emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, choking, severe bleeding, strokes, seizures, major trauma, allergic reactions, burns, and many other life-threatening situations. We love helping people and taking care of our community.
Here are the realities in Sequim:
-Firefighter staffing is limited by what the Fire District can collect in property taxes under Washington law.
-911 calls continue to increase, and we routinely exhaust available response units when several medical calls occur at the same time. (See our previous "Level Zero" post.)
-The fire service exists to protect life and property. That means remaining available for fires, rescues, vehicle collisions, hazardous materials incidents, alarms, and other true emergencies at any moment.
-A working structure fire requires every available firefighter and apparatus. Every firefighter and every piece of equipment matters.
Here's a real-world scenario to weigh in on:
Fire District 3 is dispatched to two separate 911 calls, just minutes apart, at the same 24-hour assisted living facility:
➡️"Resident with recent chemotherapy, feeling ill."
➡️"Resident needs blood pressure evaluated; it's been running high."
At the same time, another call comes in across town:
➡️"99-year-old feeling weak."
These are actual recent dispatches.
Responding to these three calls requires three separate fire department units, tying up 75% of the staffed units and personnel on duty.
For perspective, Fire District 3 currently staffs four response units most of the time—the same number we staffed in 2008—even though call volume has continued to grow.
We'd like to hear your thoughts.
Is this the best use of firefighter resources?
Should firefighters be dispatched to every request for medical assistance, regardless of severity?
Or should firefighters primarily respond to true emergencies, while other systems handle lower-acuity medical calls?
Understanding our community's expectations can help us improve how emergency services are delivered. This is the beginning of a much larger conversation.
What are some possible solutions?
➡️Modernize dispatch protocols so non-emergency medical calls can be routed to a nurse advice line when appropriate.
➡️Expand Community Paramedicine and CARES-style programs to connect patients with the right level of care while keeping emergency resources available.
➡️Increase public education and community risk-reduction efforts.
➡️Improve dispatch criteria so private ambulance services can respond independently to appropriate low-acuity medical calls.
➡️Charge skilled living facilities if calls from their staff do not meet defined emergency criteria.
Always call 911 for emergencies. This post is for discussion purposes only and to help advance the future of EMS care on the olympic peninsula. Do not hesitate to call for help if you do not know if you're having an emergency. The system in place today and into the near future is designed to send someone to assist you no matter what.
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Last week Station 34 crews reported receiving 11 out of 13 overnight calls for all of the fire district. Our firefighters really need a modern and heart healthy station alerting system installed immediately. Every night that goes by at Station 34 is another night adding damage to the cardio vascular and neurological systems of Sequim firefighters. A better system has been promised since 2023 after the on duty overnight death of Captain Cate. We implore our leadership team to take action now.One of the best ways our community can support its firefighters is by understanding how today’s fire service operates—and the unique challenges responders face here in the Sequim region.
Many people assume that fires are the greatest danger firefighters face. While that may have been true decades ago, today actively fighting fires accounts for only about 7 out of every 100 line-of-duty deaths.
The real threats are chronic stress and overexertion causing occupational cancer, and sudden cardiac arrest—risks driven largely by the fact that most of our calls today are EMS related.
For years, firefighters in Fire District 3 have been exposed to avoidable, chronic stress due to an outdated station alerting system. Our current system is loud, jarring, and lacks modern features—such as the ability to alert only the unit being dispatched. Instead, the entire station is awakened for every call, regardless of assignment.
That means firefighters can be jolted awake 10 times overnight on their 48 hour shifts, even when only 4 calls were for their unit—each alert accompanied by loud clunks, static, and piercing beeps. This isn’t about comfort. It’s about health and safety.
Every alert triggers a fight-or-flight response. Heart rate spikes. Blood pressure rises. Stress hormones surge. When this happens repeatedly—especially night after night—the cardiovascular system never fully recovers. Over time, this significantly increases the risk of cardiac events and long-term health damage.
⏳ Progress!‼️
A modern station alerting system was approved in 2023. While implementation has taken longer than anyone would prefer, we are encouraged to share that funding for the system has now been allocated.
Why This Matters to the Public
Protecting firefighter health directly protects public safety.
Healthier firefighters:
• Think more clearly under pressure
• Make fewer errors
• Recover faster between calls
• Are better prepared when the community needs help
We appreciate the Chiefs and Commissioners for acknowledging this long-recognized health and safety issue and moving towards action.
1 CommentsComment on Facebook
Falls at assisted living facilities often result in a 911 call—even when there are no apparent injuries. In many cases, fire crews are dispatched primarily to assess the resident and help them back into bed or a chair.
As demand for emergency services continues to grow, these non-emergency responses can tie up firefighters and paramedics who may be needed for life-threatening emergencies elsewhere. At the same time, firefighter burnout is increasing, and departments are being asked to do more with the same—or fewer—resources than ever compared to increasing call volume rates.
Many assisted living facilities employ trained caregivers, and residents and their families pay significant fees for the services these facilities provide. This raises an important question:
Should assisted living facilities be charged a fee for non-emergency lift assists and similar calls that meet clearly defined, non-emergency criteria?
Facilities also have licensed nurses (LPNs or RNs) on staff or on call. Those clinicians often have assessment skills that may equal—or exceed—the training of many firefighters in evaluating non-critical medical conditions. Whether they are available 24/7 varies by facility.
This is an important topic for a city of roughly 8,000–9,000 residents with half a dozen care facilities. Combined with Sequim's large retiree population, these facilities can generate a significant share of fire department call volume, making them a meaningful part of the discussion about resource utilization.
We'd like to hear your thoughts. Share your perspective in the comments below.When patients at assisted living facilities or nursing homes fall down without injury, staff are often forbidden from helping the residents up due to liability concerns, according to officials. Instead the local fire department is called. www.firerescue1.com/legislation-funding/mass-city-considers-500-fee-for-nursing-home-lift-assist-...
12 CommentsComment on Facebook
Leonard “Len” Horst, a firefighter/paramedic, was honored for his 29 years of fire service both as a volunteer and career firefighter on July 1 following his retirement on June 30 from Clallam County Fire District 3.
He joined the department as a volunteer firefighter/EMT in May 1997 and was hired full-time as a firefighter/EMT in July 2001.
Four years later, Horst was promoted to firefighter/paramedic after receiving his paramedic certification and attending Paramedic School at Tacoma Community College from 2003-2004 while working for FD3.
More about Horst: www.sequimgazette.com/2026/07/23/horst-retires-honored-for-service-with-fire-district-3/
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
A Fire Weather Warning has been issued for the Olympic region⚠️ The red flag warning (fire weather warning) has been extended to encompass most of the Washington Coast, and the Olympic Mountains. Looks like the last time there was a red flag warning out there was 2022. Details about the warning are in the comments. #wawx #weather #wafire #fire #washingtonstate 07-22-26
-Benjamin J
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