PORT ANGELES – Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue is taking another step towards dealing with two of its aging fire stations.
The Fire District Commission this month agree to hire a consultant to evaluate the two primary fire stations.
Fire Chief Jake Patterson says the two primary stations are Fire Station 21 at Gale’s Addition and Fire Station 22 at Dry Creek. Full-time firefighters are now stationed at the Gales Addition Station seven days a week. But there are no living quarters in the station. Instead, they’re living in a single-wide module next door. Both stations are 60 years old, and were constructed for volunteer purposes only with no living facilities.
“If we eventually ask the public for funding, we need to prove to them that we’ve looked at all the options. We need to look at our current facilities whether they can be repaired modified, retrofitted, or if it’s just going to be a cheaper option to move forward with new buildings. And then more importantly, where those new buildings should be and what proper size property we need for them,” said Patterson.
Patterson says in the last 10 years, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue has seen a 96% increase in call volume, 75% of those calls are medical emergencies. 2021 saw 1,914 calls compared to 979 calls in 2011.
By the end of 2022, the fire district plans to publish a facilities master plan.