Mason 5, Fire Protection District

Mason County, Washington, USA 98524

360.275.2880 or 360.426.8959

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Board of Fire Commissioners

District 5 has a Board of Fire Commissioners comprised of three Commissioners who serve without salary. They receive a stipend of $70 per meeting.

Commissioners:

Chuck Huff (Commissioner Position 1 -- Current term ends:2011) - Charles (Chuck) Huff II started his volunteer firefighter career in April 1996. Chuck worked as a volunteer Firefighter out of the Allyn area. He was active in many training classes around the Fire District. Upon being elected as Fire Commissioner, Chuck temporarily hung up his fire gear to start his Commissioner career January 1, 2006. Chuck and his family run a business in the Bremerton area.

Tommy Taylor (Commissioner Position 2 -- Current term ends:2009) - was appointed to fill the remaining term of Commissioner Dennis Fournier who resigned in August of 2000. Tom was subsequently elected at the 2001 election to fill out that term through 2003. At the November 2003 Election, Tom was elected for a six (6) year term, starting January 2004 to run through 2009. Tom retired from the fire service, King County Fire Protection District 16, the Northshore Fire Department. He started his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter in 1970 and became full time in King County in 1971. He eventually rose to number two in command in the Fire Department before retiring.

Pat McGanny (Commissioner Position 3 -- Current term ends:2012) - Pat was elected as a Fire District Commissioner in November 2007. Pat has been with the Bremerton Fire Dept. for the last 17 years, he currently holds the position of Lieutenant. Pat started his career in the fire service in 1986 with the USAF and the was a volunteer with Steilacoom dept. of public safety.

PAID PERSONNEL

Chief:

Richard A. Knight - an Allyn resident since 1943, is a charter member of District 5, which he helped form as the Allyn-Victor Fire Department in 1953. He became the District's Chief in 1957, was certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 1971 and as a Paramedic in 1979. He served District 5 and Mason County as a volunteer responder outside his office hours and later as part paid, from 1979 until he relinquished his paramedic certification 1998. He has attended numerous classes and seminars on every aspect of emergency care and firefighting and is well known and respected throughout the fire service community. Chief Knight was honored by Airlift NW of Seattle, as being a leader in providing emergency medical service in his community, with a picture and article in the Airlift NW 2002 calendar.

Assistant Chief:

Tim McKern – Started with Fire District 5 January 2001. He has 30 years of experience in the Fire and Emergency Medical Service. His fire service experience includes 11 years in Pierce County at the Bonney Lake Fire Department and 16 years at Thurston County Fire District 3 in Lacey. For the past 8 years, Tim has been the Battalion Chief at Thurston 3. As an Emergency Medical Technician and a Senior EMT Instructor Tim has provided EMS services including while serving as The Director of Mason County Medic One, the commercial ambulance provider in Mason County and based in Shelton, and more recently as the Director of the Skamania County EMS System, a hospital district based system, and continues to serve his seventh term as Chairman of the Northwest Regional EMS and Trauma Care Council.

Executive Secretary:

Donna Clark - has been with the District since August 1983, when she was hired as a Clerk/Dispatcher. Since 1988 she has been the Executive Secretary to the Chief, and performs duties for staff and volunteers. In 1995, Donna was appointed as the Recording Secretary for the Board of Commissioners. Donna has attended several courses at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD and received an Associate of Arts Degree from Olympic College.

EMT/Firefighters:

Dan Eldridge - was raised in Belfair and graduated from North Mason High School. He joined the District in 1987 and became an EMT in 1989 and an I.V. Technician in 1994. He also completed the Washington State Fire Academy in 1990 to prepare for career firefighting. He became a regular full time employee of the District in May of 1992 as an EMT/Firefighter.

Debbie Gau - grew up in Allyn and graduated from North Mason High School. Debbie has worked in several areas of patient care, including long term care in a nursing home, acute care in a hospital setting and emergency care as an EMT. She has been with the District since 1984, where she started her career as a volunteer. Debbie became a regular full time employee in May of 1992 as an EMT/Firefighter.

Daniel Griffey - graduated from the Washington State Fire Academy the same year he became certified as an EMT. Since this time, he has continued his education in the Fire Service by becoming certified as a breathing apparatus repair technician as well as enhancing this EMT skills with defibrillation and I.V. certifications. He began regular full time employment with the District as an EMT/Firefighter in May of 1992.

Strider Klusman - Strider joined the District in 1988 and became an EMT in 1990. He completed the Washington State Fire Academy in early 1990. In past summers, he spent several months with the Department of Natural Resources fighting wildfires and coordinating fire crews as an Engine Leader on a DNR wildland engine. He began regular full time employment with the District as an EMT/Firefighter in May of 1992.

Eric Moore - was raised in Maine. After high school graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy for four years. During his naval career, Eric was a Hull Technician, a Welder and a Firefighter. After completing his tour of duty, Eric became a District volunteer in 1991, and became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), in 1992. He began regular full time employment with the District as an EMT/Firefighter in September of 1992.

Jeff Snyder - joined Fire District 5 in 1987 while still in Shelton High School. He became a career Firefighter/EMT with Mason 5 in May1992, after five years as an active volunteer. Jeff brings instructing skills to the District including instructing at the District activities, including recruit training and emergency vehicle accident prevention. He also teaches live fire, search, and rescue training at the State Fire Training Academy in North Bend, WA.

Paramedics:

Steve Anderson - first became a volunteer District firefighter in 1983, and an EMT in 1988. He completed his Paramedic training in 1991 and has worked as a Paramedic in Bellingham, Longview-Kelso and Portland. Steve rejoined the District as a Paramedic in October of 1997, his second tour of duty here. He previously worked as a District Paramedic from 1994 to 1996. Steve has an Associate Degree in Arts from Olympic College.

Garry Davies – began his fire service career as a volunteer / and resident firefighter in DesMonies Washington in 1988. Then became a paramedic in 1993. After working as a paramedic in Wenatchee, Garry came to Mason 5 in 1994. This is Garry’s second tour of duty with Mason 5. Garry spent 5 years pursuing additional training and working as a Paramedic in Eastern Washington.

Victor Feist - began his emergency medical service career in 1980 as an EMT in the Seattle/Burien area. He became certified as a Paramedic in 1983 and worked for various private ambulance companies during the next eight years. Victor began work at the District in October 1991 and completed Firefighter Recruit training shortly afterwards.

Michael White - started his career as a volunteer firefighter with the Milton, Washington Fire Department in 1967, became an EMT in 1972, and received basic Firefighter Training at Bates Vocational Technical Institute in 1977. He became certified as a paramedic in 1979. Mike worked in Cowlitz Co during and after the Mt. St. Helens incident. After working as a Paramedic in Tacoma for five years, Mike moved to the Allyn area and has been employed by the District since 1986. Soon after employment, Mike completed District 5 recruit training and approximately 200 additional hours of firefighting training.

Rob Williams - began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter at North Kitsap Fire & Rescue in Kingston WA in 1985. He was first certified as an EMT in 1987. In 1995 Rob went to work for Shepard Ambulance in Seattle working full-time as an EMT. He was accepted into the Paramedic training program in Beaverton Oregon in 1997 and completed his internship in Denver CO. He became a nationally certified Paramedic in 1998. Prior to coming to work for Mason 5 he worked as a civilian paramedic for the Department of the Army at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Greg Yates – has lived in Shelton area his whole life graduating from Shelton High School in 1985. He has always has an interest in firefighting and EMS and in 1993 joined the Shelton Fire Department as a volunteer. He took hundreds of hours of fire and EMS training becoming an EMT in 1995. In 1995 he went to work for Mason County Medic One, and attended Grays Harbor Paramedic Program and graduated as a nationally registered Paramedic and obtained his Washington State Paramedic Certification at the same time. Greg enjoys teaching EMS and fire training classes and presenting CPR classes to the public. He started work for Mason 5 in May 1999.

Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance:

Duane Stormo - performs vehicle and equipment maintenance for the District. He has been employed in this capacity since 1981. In addition to responsibility for maintenance of the District's forty vehicles, he assists to provide maintenance for the eleven stations. Duane, an active District Volunteer, has completed training in emergency medical care, firefighting and vehicle maintenance.

Senior Information Technologist:

Ray Beaudoin - joined Mason 5 Fire District in May 1991 and has served as a firefighter, first responder, fire instructor, and station lieutenant. In 1992 Ray became the District's Senior Information Technologist and continues to serve in that part-time capacity today.

Volunteer Personnel:

Every District 5 station is staffed by volunteers who provide a public service to the citizens of Mason 5 at a significantly reduced cost when compared to full time firefighters. These volunteers drill every Tuesday night for two hours with their career firefighter partners. They spend many more hours in the field providing, either emergency medical care, fire suppression duties or other activities on behalf of the citizens of Fire District 5. Without their contribution District 5 could not provide the level of service it provides to its citizens today. About 85 volunteers were active with the District in 2006. District staff continue to study ways to improve the recruiting, training and maintaining of volunteers to keep the cost of providing fire protection down