Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue

EMS Levy Information

Why does Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue need an EMS Levy?

There are several reasons why Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue is in need of a EMS Levy. The primary reason is the increasing number of emergency calls the fire district continues to face each year. In order to meet those demands, we need to ensure that we have an adequately equipped and staffed fire district so we are there when you need us.

In this post we want to focus on one of the reasons we need an EMS Levy…MORE PEOPLE!!

The fire commissioners, staff, and personnel at the fire district take great pride in making sure we are properly trained, outfitted, and supplied to handle a wide variety of emergencies. While we can have all the proper equipment, vehicles, training, and tools to perform the job, the critical component is the people who serve every day (aka your firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics).

Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue is considered a “combination” fire district. This simply means we use a combination of full-time career, part-time, and volunteer emergency responders. Almost all of our personnel are qualified as firefighter/EMTs or firefighter/paramedics.

The fire district currently has 9 full-time career responders, 12 part-time responders, and about 30-35 volunteer members. There is also a full-time fire chief, deputy fire chief, office manager, and volunteer training coordinator. Combined, we all respond to over 2,000 emergency incidents per year.

As call volumes increase, this puts a strain on the personnel of the fire district, especially the volunteers. Our volunteer members are sometimes not available because of work or family related circumstances. Volunteers are critical members of our organization, however social and economic factors can sometimes restrict their availability.

The increasing call volume also places demand on our small full-time staff as they are stretched thin on a regular basis. 32% of the time we have overlapping incidents. This means that we receive a 911 call when a previous emergency call is in progress. With a large fire district, this spreads the on-duty crew thin as we only have a minimum of 4 personnel on-duty each day (combination of full-time and part-time firefighters).

This EMS Levy will provide funding to hire an additional 6 full-time firefighters to ensure our daily staffing is stable and has a chance to increase. This will allow for better coverage of emergency incidents and reduce the burden on our volunteer firefighters.

Please stay tuned for more breakdown of why the fire district is presenting the EMS Levy for voter consideration.

Thank you!

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue units were dispatched to the hiking trails off of Little River Road south of Port Angeles for a patient with an injured ankle. The call came in shortly after 9:00 AM and it was reported that the patient could not continue to walk. Another person with the injured hiker who reported their location was approximately 1.5 miles up the trail.

Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue units began responding to locate the patient and determine the best access. Through familiarization with the area, crews knew they may require additional equipment and resources if the patient needed to be packaged on a litter and carried out. A callout was made to all career and volunteer staff to provide additional personnel.

This incident also saw the first use of the fire district’s new UTV. This Polaris XP1000 vehicle was recently purchased using funding from a Federal Title III grant administered by Clallam County. The fire district submitted a grant request through Clallam County which was approved last year. The vehicle was purchased and placed into service in April. Normally this patient extraction would have required crews either to hand carry the patient, or place them on a wheeled litter and manually pull them out to the awaiting ambulance.

The new UTV was able to drive down the narrow access trail and transport the packaged patient out to an awaiting ambulance on the dirt access road. This saved time and personnel, as well as provided a safer, more efficient way to move the patient for transport to Olympic Medical Center.

Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with the UTV, a rescue vehicle, and an ambulance with four personnel. Olympic Ambulance responded with an ambulance and three personnel.

The purchase of this UTV was accomplished using grant funding and provides enhanced capabilities for our crews to respond in remote, difficult to access locations.