We hope you’ll join us in congratulating three of our firefighters whose promotion to the rank of lieutenant was officially recognized during brief ceremonies on Feb. 17.
Ryan Buchanan, 31, graduated from North Kitsap High School and entered NKF&R’s volunteer-intern firefighter program shortly thereafter in June 2001. He became a paid firefighter in 2004. Ryan serves with C-Shift and lives with his wife, Jenny, in Eglon.
Kris Osera is a graduate of Lakewood’s Clover Park High School. The 32-year-old started with our volunteer-intern program in March 2002 and was hired as a paid firefighter in 2005. He is a member of B-Shift. Kris lives in Gig Harbor with his wife, Eileen, and his two preschool-age children.
Dan Upton spent his youth in Southern California and headed north nearly 20 years ago. He joined our volunteer-intern program in 1998 and landed his paid firefighter position here in 2000. Dan, 41, lives with his wife, Laura, and his two elementary school-aged children in Kingston.
District passes audit with no findings
NKF&R learned earlier this month that the district has passed its regular examination by the Washington State Auditor’s office. Every two years, personnel from the state agency visit taxing districts such as ours to examine records and ensure sound financial practices; once again, NKF&R received a clear audit report.
Climbing for a cause
Once again, NKF&R firefighters will run up the 69-story Columbia Tower in Seattle in full firefighting gear for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, on March 9.
In addition to conquering the fitness challenge, the NKF&R team is also fundraising to help conquer leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers. The toll of these diseases really hit home for NKF&R when the district lost one of its own firefighter-paramedics to leukemia in 1997.
Support this year’s team by visiting their fundraising event at Kingston Albertsons on March 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or donate online at www.llswa.org.
Volunteers do more than firefighting
Would you like to help your neighborhood as a volunteer for NKF&R? Not interested in fighting fires or driving big trucks? We do so much more than that, and we might have a need for your special skills. Contact us at 360-297-3619 and tell us how you’d like to contribute to our team.
Car Seat Checks are held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month at the Paul T. Nichol Headquarters Station, 26642 Miller Bay Road NE near Kingston.
— Michele Laboda is spokeswoman for North Kitsap Fire & Rescue. Contact her at laboda@nkfr.org
