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Two firefighters retire from FD3 after decades of service

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 7, 2026

By Sequim Gazette staff

Photos courtesy Clallam County Fire District 3 Clallam County Fire District 3 Captain Kevin Van De Wege, pictured with Fire Chief Justin Grider and Deputy Chief Tony Hudson, officially retired from the fire service on April 30. He was honored at a ceremony on April 22.
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Photos courtesy Clallam County Fire District 3

Clallam County Fire District 3 Captain Kevin Van De Wege, pictured with Fire Chief Justin Grider and Deputy Chief Tony Hudson, officially retired from the fire service on April 30. He was honored at a ceremony on April 22.

Photos courtesy Clallam County Fire District 3 Clallam County Fire District 3 Captain Kevin Van De Wege, pictured with Fire Chief Justin Grider and Deputy Chief Tony Hudson, officially retired from the fire service on April 30. He was honored at a ceremony on April 22.
Firefighter/EMT John McIntyre with Clallam County Fire District 3 was honored for his service by Fire Chief Justin Grider in late March prior to his retirement. He started as a volunteer in 1992 before joining the fire district’s Maintenance Department in 2001 and becoming a career firefighter on June 1, 2017.

In recent months, two firefighters have retired from Clallam County Fire District 3.

Firefighter/EMT John McIntyre retired on March 28, and Captain Kevin Van De Wege on April 30.

District officials honored them with ceremonies on March 27 for McIntyre and April 22 for Van De Wege, who also served as a state representative (2007-2016) and a senator (2017-Oct. 1, 2024) for the 24th district while in the fire service.

According to district documents, McIntyre began as a volunteer for the district on Feb. 3, 1992 and joined the district’s maintenance division on Jan. 1, 2001. He transferred to become a career firefighter/EMT on June 1, 2017 working on A shift.

Van De Wege started working for the fire district as a firefighter/paramedic on April 9, 2001.

He was promoted to lieutenant on July 1, 2008 and then to captain on Oct. 1, 2021. He retired serving on the district’s B shift.

Both men were honored with proclamations from the district’s fire commissioners commending their years of service and saying they’ll be considered lifetime brothers of the fire service and the fire district.

The fire district currently has 55 career firefighters working three shifts. For more information about the fire district, visit ccfd3.org.

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