Lost Mountain station seems likely to be sold

Second recruitment meeting renders no volunteers so far

By Matthew Nash • March 27, 2024 1:30 am
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ As of March 25, no volunteers have signed up to become volunteer firefighters at Lost Mountain Station 36. Clallam County Fire District 3 fire commissioners said they’d like a minimum of at least six to consider keeping it open, otherwise they’d sell it to offset construction costs for a new Carlsborg fire station.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ As of March 25, no volunteers have signed up to become volunteer firefighters at Lost Mountain Station 36. Clallam County Fire District 3 fire commissioners said they’d like a minimum of at least six to consider keeping it open, otherwise they’d sell it to offset construction costs for a new Carlsborg fire station.

Update 4/28/24 — Clallam County Fire District 3 staff report that one resident has verbally volunteered to be an EMT volunteer but has not turned in needed paperwork as of March 27.

After two public recruitment meetings, hundreds of mailers sent out, yard signs posted and about six months awaiting potential volunteers, Lost Mountain Fire Station 36 could go up for sale to help Clallam County Fire District 3 offset construction costs for a new Carlsborg Station 33.

A dozen people, including two fire district staffers and a fire commissioner, attended the latest volunteer recruitment meeting on March 19 that district officials described in a postcard as “the final phase of the District’s recruitment efforts” for Station 36 before selling it.

The crowd was about a third of the size of an October recruitment meeting. As of Monday, March 25, no volunteers had signed up, according to District 3 volunteer coordinator John McKenzie.

Resident Norm Nelson said the demographics on Lost Mountain may have aged out of being able to volunteer at the needed level.

“When they discussed the requirements for combat firefighters, that seemed to temper everyone’s expectations,” he said.

District officials have said they’d need at least six volunteers living within five miles of the station that must train two nights a week, and all day on Saturday for four months initially, pass a physical, and complete drills once a month.

As another option, residents asked if pursuing emergency medical technician (EMT) training would qualify since it requires less physicality.

Commissioner Mike Mingee said that it poses a different type of question, and if six people volunteered to become EMTs, he’d consider revisiting the sale discussion with fellow commissioners. However, he told residents the station isn’t a good fiscal decision for the district as it requires maintenance and is currently unused.

The fire station has been without an active volunteer since 2021 and it’s been used as storage for about a decade without any vehicles.

According to retired Fire Chief Steve Vogel, 10 acres of land was sold to the fire district by Mort Whittaker, and the district sold all but one acre to construct the fire station at 40 Texas Valley Road. The station opened with 12 volunteers on June 4, 1980, Vogel reports.

Before another discussion by commissioners on the fire station sale sometime in April, those interested in volunteering can contact volunteer coordinator John McKenzie at volunteer@ccfd3.org.

Fires

Residents shared concerns about fire response for potential wildfires nearby in times of drought, especially since the October recruitment meeting was held a few weeks after ash was found on vehicles and in yards from wildfires in Olympic National Park.

Mingee said the best thing homeowners can do in rural areas is have defensible space in their yards, referring to available programs through the Department of Natural Resources.

McKenzie said staff are working on providing information for residents to better prep their yards/homes to prevent fires.

“The work we put in on preparation and neighbors’ properties buys us the time to get there,” Fire Chief Justin Grider said.

Jim Emett with Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 3 said in a major disaster they anticipate being on their own on Lost Mountain potentially due to landslides. He is one of six members in a Lost Mountain subset of CERT 3 that started a year ago with hopes of expanding and making its own squad.

Those interested in joining that team or another Sequim-area team can contact Cindy Zechenelly at czechenelly@ccfd3.org.

Carlsborg

Currently, Carlsborg Station 33 has three firefighters/medics who would respond to Lost Mountain’s calls, and have about an 8 minute response time to the area, Grider said.

Lost Mountain Station 36 is about six miles south of U.S. Highway 101.

Mingee said the “level of service we have here is pretty much unheard of in rural areas.”

Staff continue to develop plans for a new Carlsborg Station at the current Training and Operation Center property on Carlsborg Road that would accommodate up to six firefighters.

Station 33 was last remodeled in 2001 to accommodate 24/7 staffing, according to Vogel.

If the fire commissioners do decide to sell Lost Mountain Station 36, Mingee said they’d first commission a market analysis to see what it could sell for.

Fire commissioners approved the sale of the district’s 1.96-acre East Anderson Road property, formerly slated for a new volunteer Dungeness Station 31, for $160,000 last year. A sale is pending as of March 25 for the district’s 5.2 acres of land on the 100 block of Sieberts Creek Road. It was listed through Mark McHugh Real Estate for $175,000.

For more about Clallam County Fire District 3, visit ccfd3.org.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Twelve people — including two Clallam County Fire District 3 staffers and a fire commissioner — met on March 19 inside Lost Mountain Station 36 to discuss further options for keeping it open as it’s been without an active volunteer since 2021. The building was constructed in 1980 and had 12 active volunteers when it first opened.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Twelve people — including two Clallam County Fire District 3 staffers and a fire commissioner — met on March 19 inside Lost Mountain Station 36 to discuss further options for keeping it open as it’s been without an active volunteer since 2021. The building was constructed in 1980 and had 12 active volunteers when it first opened.