Chelan County Fire District 1 Chief Brian Brett got his start washing trucks working for his father’s Wenatchee Valley business Brett and Sons.  It seems that his career choice kept him in the truck-washing business.

CCFD1 merged in 2015 with Wenatchee Fire Department.  The merger has gone very well and made perfect sense to combine the two entities since they had a significant geographic overlap.

The district received an updated rating in mid-May by the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau.  On a scale of one thru ten the district rating was lowered from five to four.  There are no communities in Washington that are rated one at this time.  This should allow homeowners to reduce their insurance costs beginning September 1, 2020.

A brief summary of district locations.  Our main fire station is in Sunnyslope with aviation facilities.  A new station being constructed on Wenatchee Ave. near Joe’s Log Cabin to be open this October.  A previously dormant facility at 5^th and Western was remodeled and opened in 2019.  A new facility at the base of Squilchuck canyon, currently staffed with volunteers only.  A station at the foot of Wenatchee Heights road in Squilchuck canyon, and a location in Malaga that will also have aviation facilities.  Future locations will be on Stemilt Hill near the Four-Corners area and the Colockum area.

District equipment consists of ten, Type 1 fire engines, six were purchased used.  Two new engines are now being lease/purchased.  This new equipment as partially responsible for lowering our rating since equipment has a 25-year useful lifespan with 15 of those years as “first out” with the follow ten years as reserve.  The district has two ladder trucks plus a new “tillered” ladder truck that has been ordered to serve the growing urbanized environment.

Current careered staff at CCFD1 is 42.  One staff is tasked with promoting safe wildland fire strategy throughout the district.  Recently, goats have been utilized to reduce brush cover and help with this strategy in the Broadview area and are planned to be used again in the Quale Hollow area the week of the 15th.  We have seen a significant change in the landscape in the last 40 years with orchards buffering between wildlands and homes.  Now the orchards are mostly gone, and this produces more significant issues with wildland fires requiring the district to respond in a different manner to protect homes.

Aviation assets are coordinated with the Department of Natural Resources.  Plans to locate a larger helicopter at the Malaga facility along with a streamlined response plan will help to quicken response time throughout the district.

CCFD1 is following along a national trend where in the urban areas where there are few volunteers.  Fortunately, in the rural areas there is a significant base of volunteer fire fighters that are willing to donate their time to the district.  Wenatchee Heights, Stemilt Hill, Malaga and the Colockum all have high volunteerism. 

The modern fire service was started by Benjamin Franklin in 1776.  Since that time up until about 30 years ago, the strategy of fire fighting had remained mostly the same.  Beginning about three decades ago when consumer began buying home furnishings and belongings that are being made from plastics versus wood, fire fighters are now facing fires consisting of very toxic fumes and a much more quickly propagating fire.  The typical fire 30 years ago used to take approximately 30 minutes to become fully involved, now that time is closer to four minutes.  Here is a link to a video that illustrates that change.  Additionally, these toxic fumes contaminate fire fighting gear and have been traced to extremely high rates of cancer in fire fighters.  Fire districts now perform on-site decontamination as well as equipment cleaning and separating that equipment away from the fire station living quarters.

Fortunately, technology is always improving.  The district is using updated techniques and equipment to address these situations that can combat new challenges while improving the protection of the fire fighters.