Horst retires, honored for service with Fire District 3

Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 23, 2026

Leonard “Len” Horst, a firefighter/paramedic, was honored for his 29 years of fire service both as a volunteer and career firefighter on July 1 following his retirement on June 30 from Clallam County Fire District 3.

He joined the department as a volunteer firefighter/EMT in May 1997 and was hired full-time as a firefighter/EMT in July 2001.

Four years later, Horst was promoted to firefighter/paramedic after receiving his paramedic certification and attending Paramedic School at Tacoma Community College from 2003-2004 while working for FD3.

Horst said he started volunteering with FD3 when he was a junior at Sequim High School.

He had to obtain his General Education Development (GED) to receive his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification, and sign a statement he wouldn’t drop out of high school after receiving his GED.

Horst started with FD3’s Explorer Program in the fall of 1994 and was an advisor from 1997-2020.

He also started in 2008 helping Santa’s Toy and Food Fire Brigade, an event where fire district staff and families go around Sequim seeking toy donations for Sequim Community Aid’s Toys for Sequim Kids and food for Sequim Food Bank.

At the board of commissioners meeting on June 16, Horst was honored with a proclamation about his service where it stated that he “has selflessly served the Fire Service for twenty-nine years.” It continued to state that he “will be considered a lifetime brother of the Fire Service and Clallam County Fire Protection District No. 3.”

As is tradition, the FD3 staffers retired Horst’s district number, 836, and presented him with a flag flown over Station 34 for one minute for each year of his service and a retirement plaque on July 1.

“While Firefighter Paramedic Horst has responded to his last call, the legacy he created will live on for a very long time,” said Fire Chief Justin Grider.