Fire District 3 extends COVID-19 leave for staff

Strategic Plan approved through 2024

By Matthew Nash • December 29, 2021 1:30 am
Clallam County District 3 fire commissioner Mike Gawley, second from left, finishes his term the end of this year. Here he sits with fellow commissioners, Bill Miano, left, and Steve Chinn, on his right, and Fire Chief Ben Andrews in January 2020 prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash
Clallam County District 3 fire commissioner Mike Gawley, second from left, finishes his term the end of this year. Here he sits with fellow commissioners, Bill Miano, left, and Steve Chinn, on his right, and Fire Chief Ben Andrews in January 2020 prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash

In one of their final acts of 2021, Clallam County Fire District 3 commissioners unanimously approved expanding COVID-19 supplemental leave for fire district staff.

Their allowable COVID-19 leave expands from 80 to 120 hours to use if personnel are exposed to the virus or if they test positive.

Fire Chief Ben Andrews said at the commissioners’ Dec. 21 meeting that the district originally offered 80 hours of temporary leave to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 exposure without any state or federal reimbursement.

“If there is an exposure they can stay home and reduce the likelihood of impacting the workforce,” he said in an interview.

While firefighters weren’t testing positive from work exposures, they still had to quarantine for 10 days, with one tour equaling 72 hours. Fire District staff report that on average, 22 hours of COVID-19 leave was used per firefighter with only a few of the 41 firefighters actually using it.

With only some staff using the leave, and significant precautions to prevent exposures, Andrews said the district was able to bump up the leave to 120 hours.

“They were burning their own personal leave, and I don’t think that’s particularly fair when it’s a workplace exposure keeping them at home,” Andrews said.

“He told commissioners the only time firefighters need to isolate after exposure is when the patient doesn’t tell them they are positive with COVID-19 or symptomatic and they wear a lower level of protection.”

The fire district has worked with Dr. Allison Berry, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, to determine if firefighters can return to work sooner on a case-by-base basis.

“There’s been no coworker-to-coworker transmission; it’s all been outside of work ,” Andrews said. “They’re not getting it from a patient or getting it from us.”

For each patient, firefighters and paramedics/EMTs wear gloves, a surgical mask and eye protection, and if a patient is COVID-19 positive the first responders wear an N95 mask, and coveralls or a gown. An aerosol procedure and N100 MASK are used in those instances, too, Andrews said.

There have been no staffing issues, he said.

“This (procedure) isn’t new; what we’re doing is working,” Andrews said. “I’m not panicked.”

Staff are encouraged to stay home if sick, and he hopes the trend continues once the pandemic is over.

Strategic Plan approved

Commissioners also unanimously approved the districts’ 2021-2024 Strategic Plan on Dec. 21. Its final version will be available on the district’s website (ccfd3.org) in the coming weeks with paper copies available by request by calling 360-683-4242.

Previously, Assistant Fire Chief Dan Orr said the plan breaks down into four areas: service delivery, communication, planning and professional development.

“It’s important for everyone to see where we’re heading,” Orr said.

For the first part of 2022, district staff will look to perform an internal study of data, define and evaluate culture of accountability, review maintenance apparatus plan, and track maintenance costs, identify and pursue additional revenue sources, and establish current, accurate position descriptions and tasks for each district position.

Gawley ends term

Outgoing fire commissioner Mike Gawley was honored on Dec. 21 for his service as a volunteer firefighter and commissioner with a certificate and plaque that’s on order.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to be up here,” he said.

“Not all my decisions have been particularly popular but I felt all the decisions were right. I look forward to coming back occasionally and checking in.”

Volunteer firefighter Jeff Nicholas, a retired naval submarine officer/captain, and later from working in advanced electro-optic camera systems, was elected in the General Election to fill Commissioner Position 1 for six years.

Gawley, a retired Federal Aviation Administration support specialist and computer programmer, said last summer his plan was to focus more on his family and hobbies.

He retired to Sequim in 2005 and became a volunteer firefighter and EMT before being appointed as a fire commissioner in February of 2014, and later elected to serve the position through the end of this year.

Last summer, he said the board’s accomplishments included hiring a new chief, assistant chiefs and additional firefighters and paramedics, upgrading equipment, increasing training, and continuing “prudent fiscal management.”