We’re sorry we weren’t able to follow through with our holiday plans as winter weather prevented us from escorting Santa around the fire district. Although our fire engines can be equipped with chains to overcome ice and snow on the roads during emergency responses, we felt that we should follow the advice we offer to the public during such precarious driving conditions – and we stayed off the slick roads except when it was necessary.

New battalion chiefs

ushered in

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the retirement of long-time Fire Chief Paul Nichol, we’ve nearly finished implementation of our reorganization plan. One of the goals of this plan has been to minimize administrative overhead and focus as many resources as possible on service delivery.

Prior to Chief Nichol’s retirement, our organization had three administrative chief officers. Instead of hiring another administrative chief, our leadership decided to redistribute administrative workload among line chiefs – chief officers who manage a shift of firefighters, respond to incidents with their crews and oversee administrative projects between calls. No additional chiefs were hired; instead, we held an exhaustive testing process that resulted in the promotion of three existing company officers to the rank of battalion chief.

Rick LaGrandeur, 35, was hired from NKF&R’s well-respected resident program in 1994 and promoted to lieutenant in 2001. LaGrandeur has also held leadership positions in the firefighters’ union and, in 1999, achieved his associate’s degree in fire command administration from Olympic College. He’ll be in charge of A Shift.

Leading B Shift will be Ken LeMay. LeMay, 43, started with NKF&R as a paramedic/firefighter in 1988. In 1995, he earned the rank of lieutenant and became a captain in 2001. He’s especially experienced in large incident command, having been deployed to Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Sean Moran will head up C Shift. An 18-year veteran of NKF&R who also began his career in the department’s resident program, Moran was promoted to lieutenant in year and received the rank of captain in year. The 44 year old served in the firefighters’ union leadership, and also brings significant private sector management experience to his fire department role.

The three assumed their new duties on Jan. 1. As an additional benefit, these new chief officers rotate administrative duties every two years and, eventually, gain a broad understanding of the organization to prepare them for greater leadership roles in the future.

Prepare for medical emergencies

Prepare for medical emergencies by maintaining an up-to-date list of medications. Keep the list somewhere readily accessible in your home – on the refrigerator or by the telephone – and make a copy to carry in your purse or wallet. Such a list will be invaluable to our crews in the event that you need our medical assistance.

Ice-cream parties awarded

Congratulations to the classrooms that won ice-cream parties after most of their students turned in accurate fire escape plans. Not only did these children enjoy made-to-order sundaes, they have taken the most critical steps toward ensuring survival in the event of a home fire. We know how important these steps can be, and that’s why our firefighters purchased and served the treats to the winning classrooms: Mrs. Lyons’ all-day kindergarten and Mrs. Bruschetto’s third grade at Suquamish Elementary; Mrs. Stone’s third grade at Wolfle Elementary; Mrs. Mullins/Mrs. Rosenbach/Mrs. LaHaie’s third grade and Mrs. Cowen’s fifth grade at Gordon Elementary; and Mr. Jez’ sixth grade advisory group at Kingston Middle School. For help in planning your family’s safe escape, contact us at (360) 297-3619.

Michèle Laboda is Community Services Specialist for North Kitsap Fire & Rescue. Contact her at (360) 297-3619 ext. 14.