Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue Welcomes Two New Firefighters
Port Angeles, WA – Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue would like to welcome two new full-time firefighters to our Fire District. Firefighter/paramedic Erik Sundin and Firefighter/EMT Elizabeth Hagaman started work on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021. Both Erik and Elizabeth competed in an extensive testing and evaluation process in December 2020 and were selected from a pool of very qualified candidates.
In August 2020, the voters of Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue approved a levy lid lift of $0.50/per thousand on their regular fire levy. This levy lid lift had two primary purposes. One was to establish a vehicle and equipment replacement fund, and the second was to hire additional full-time firefighters to begin limited staffing on the west side of the Fire District at Fire Station 22, located on Power Plant Road. The hiring of Erik and Elizabeth is the first step in honoring the District’s commitment to the voters who graciously approved the levy increase.
The two new firefighters will staff Fire Station 22 during normal business hours, Monday-Friday 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM. These hours represent the peak demand times for our services, both emergency and non-emergency request for assistance. While the ultimate goal will be to achieve a 24/7 staffing level, right now the Fire Station does not support the ability to have firefighters there on a 24-hour basis. This is due to the fact the Fire Station was originally build in the 1960s and does not have living quarters.
This new staffing on the west side of the Fire District will increase the on-duty full-time firefighters to four during the normal business hours each week. After 5:00 PM and on weekends and holidays, the Fire District will still have two firefighters on-duty at Fire Station 21 in Gales Additions 24 hours a day. A very dedicated group of volunteer firefighters will still continue to provide emergency responses on a daily basis when needed.
Firefighter/paramedic Erik Sundin is originally from Bothell and has lived in Sequim since 2003 with his wife Caitlin and their three daughters. He has 25 years of fire service experience, the majority being in Clallam County. Erik is rope rescue technician, confined space rescue technician, and holds International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) certification as a Fire Officer 1, Fire Instructor 2, and Inspector 1. He also has worked as a set medic for the motion picture industry as well as technical rescue standby at industrial sites. He has worked with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue as a part-time firefighter/paramedic since 2019.
Firefighter/EMT Elizabeth Hagaman is originally from the Sequim area and she currently lives with her husband Nathan in Port Angeles. She has been a volunteer firefighter/EMT with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue since 2017 and has recently been studying nursing at Peninsula College. She holds IFSAC certification as a Firefighter 1 and is a rope rescue technician. She was named Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue’s EMT of the year for 2019 and has worked at Olympic Ambulance locally as an EMT.
With Erik and Elizabeth beginning work at Fire Station 22, response times will be decreased for the western portion of the Fire District when they are on-duty. This will also allow the crew at Station 21 in Gales Addition to stay in their primary response area more and reduce the amount of time they spend traveling from one side of the Fire District to the other.
Planning has also begun for vehicle and equipment replacement. This is the second component of the levy lid lift approved last year. It is anticipated that once revenue has been received in 2021 from the lid lift, the Fire District will acquire a new ambulance to replace one that is 21 years old and was purchased used. It is also anticipated the Fire District will replace a 29-year-old fire engine in 2022, and a 27-year-old water tender will be replaced in 2023. This will increase the reliability of our fleet of vehicles and help with the Fire Districts insurance rating, which can influence what residents pay for their fire insurance.
We are proud to welcome Erik and Elizabeth to our full-time staff and we look forward to their impact on Fire District operations and the safety of our community.
