24/7 Emergency Services
Orcas Island Fire & Rescue is an all hazards department. We have a combination department, meaning we have career staff and volunteers. We respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 2022 our staffing model included a Paramedic/Firefighter and a Firefighter/EMT (two people) on duty at the station at Station 21 in Eastsound. Volunteers then respond from work/home or from the same station with the duty crew if they have put themselves on duty or happen to be around.
Some of the types of emergencies that we respond to are:
- Structure Fire
- Medical Emergencies (EMS)
- Wildland Fire Suppression
- Search and Rescue
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Marine Rescue and Transportation
2024 Administrative Staff:
Fire Chief & Paramedic - Holly vanSchaick
Assistant Chief & Paramedic - Don Swain
Financial Manager - Kim Kimple
District Secretary - Keith Light
Administrative Assistant - Kathryn Barnard
Volunteer Coordinator - Kathryn Barnard
2024 Career & Volunteer Responders:
Safety Officer = 1
Full-time Firefighter/Paramedics = 6 (includes Chief and Assistant Chief)
Full-time Firefighter/EMTs = 3 out of 4 positions
Part-time Firefighter/EMT/Paramedic = 1 per diem
Volunteer EMTs and/or Firefighters = 48
Volunteer Support Personnel = 10
Due to the topography and shape of Orcas Island, we have seven fire stations dotted throughout the island. It can take almost an hour to respond from past Doe Bay to Spring Point, from one point of the horseshoe-shaped island to the other. Volunteers who are at home or working in the area will respond to a 911 call and may go to a station for needed apparatus.
Station 21 is centrally located in Eastsound. The station was constructed in 2001 and is our district headquarters. There are two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, a Wildland and Structural Protection (WASP) engine, a structural engine, a rescue vehicle, a brush vehicle, a Chief Command SUV, a Paramedic Response SUV, and a response SUV for designated volunteers.
Station 22 is in the community of Westsound and has a WASP engine and a 2600-gallon vacuum tender.
Station 23 is on the way to Rosario Resort near Moran State Park. There is a structural engine and a 2600-gallon vacuum tender located there.
Station 24 was constructed in 2014 in the Deer Harbor community. It houses a BLS-equipped ambulance and a WASP engine. This is the only station with a Resident Firefighter/EMT on duty for 120 hours per month minimum.
Station 25 is between Olga and Obstruction Pass. There is a structural engine and a wildland brush truck at the station.
Station 26 is in the Orcas area east of the ferry landing. There is a structural engine at the station.
Station 27 is in the community of Doe Bay. It shares space in the Doe Bay Community Club and houses a WASP engine.