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Vashon Island Fire And Rescue
History
European sailors first explored the Puget Sound region in 1792.
Of special interest to Captain George Vancouver was a large island he named after a close friend, James Vashon. Once the secret was out settlers gradually arrived. Following a survey in 1853, settlements grew rapidly along the full length and width of the island. Fields were cleared, forests cut, and cabins were built. Commercial districts developed to serve the needs of these hearty early residents. With people and dwellings came the inevitable threat and reality of fire.
The first recorded incident was a forest fire in 1893 that burned for two days. With valiant effort it was stopped just short of the Presbyterian Church and Mrs. Fuller's Grocery Store south of Vashon Center. Through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries fire ravaged businesses and communities. 1912 saw Vashon College burn to the ground and out of existence. In September 1917 fire destroyed the entire community of Glen Acres, three blocks of Burton were destroyed in 1920, and the one room school at Lisabuela was destroyed in 1925. On April 17, 1933 a fire started in the Martin Building and by daybreak
half of downtown Vashon was leveled. Lost were a hotel, Met-Cro
Garage, England & Peterson Feed along with lumber, farm supplies and a grocery store. In desperation dynamite was used to no avail in an attempt to block its spread.
The incident awoke the community to the need for firefighting equipment. Brothers, Johnny and Fergy Beall acquired a used Tacoma fire engine and parked it at their greenhouses. When fire broke out the brothers would drive to the fire with siren blaring hoping to pick up informal volunteers along the way. In 1941 community members placed the question of formal fire district formation with taxing authority on the ballot. The proposal
passed by a substantial margin, 426 to 4, thus creating King County Fire Protection District 13.
As years passed additional equipment was added, fire stations were built, and volunteer members were recruited to train and respond. John Beall served as the District's first fire chief. George McCormick, Chuck Kimmel, Wilbur Spencer, Bob Harmeling, and son Craig Harmeling succeeded him.
Craig served the District for over 30 years and became its first paid chief. He retired in 1999 and was succeeded by Randy Coggan.
In the mid-1950s less than 50% of the homes had telephones so a large siren was erected on a pole next to George McCormick's hardware store. During business hours a store employee would activate the loud and obnoxious siren and at night a neighbor would be the designated button pusher. As more homes received telephones an elaborate phone tree was devised to notify members of a fire. In the early days of a formal dispatch system directions to the fire were given primarily by using landmarks such as barns, mailboxes, corners, and dependable pets who slept in the same locations day in and day out. Today the regional grid addressing system has eliminated the need
for landmark navigation.
With clearly defined building and safety codes, modern construction techniques, and effective fire prevention and education programs, catastrophic fire is now far less frequent. While still providing fire suppression service the emphasis has shifted to a full service emergency response organization. The majority of calls-for-service are now emergency medical response to acute illness or trauma. In addition, Vashon Island Fire & Rescue maintains special operations teams to conduct marine, rope, confined space, and trench rescues in addition to hazardous materials first response.
Early Vashon settlers understood the need for fire protection and, under difficult circumstances, did a great job of creating the foundation for a modern, well-trained combination emergency service organization.
European sailors first explored the Puget Sound region in 1792.
Of special interest to Captain George Vancouver was a large island he named after a close friend, James Vashon. Once the secret was out settlers gradually arrived. Following a survey in 1853, settlements grew rapidly along the full length and width of the island. Fields were cleared, forests cut, and cabins were built. Commercial districts developed to serve the needs of these hearty early residents. With people and dwellings came the inevitable threat and reality of fire.
The first recorded incident was a forest fire in 1893 that burned for two days. With valiant effort it was stopped just short of the Presbyterian Church and Mrs. Fuller's Grocery Store south of Vashon Center. Through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries fire ravaged businesses and communities. 1912 saw Vashon College burn to the ground and out of existence. In September 1917 fire destroyed the entire community of Glen Acres, three blocks of Burton were destroyed in 1920, and the one room school at Lisabuela was destroyed in 1925. On April 17, 1933 a fire started in the Martin Building and by daybreak
half of downtown Vashon was leveled. Lost were a hotel, Met-Cro
Garage, England & Peterson Feed along with lumber, farm supplies and a grocery store. In desperation dynamite was used to no avail in an attempt to block its spread.
The incident awoke the community to the need for firefighting equipment. Brothers, Johnny and Fergy Beall acquired a used Tacoma fire engine and parked it at their greenhouses. When fire broke out the brothers would drive to the fire with siren blaring hoping to pick up informal volunteers along the way. In 1941 community members placed the question of formal fire district formation with taxing authority on the ballot. The proposal
passed by a substantial margin, 426 to 4, thus creating King County Fire Protection District 13.
As years passed additional equipment was added, fire stations were built, and volunteer members were recruited to train and respond. John Beall served as the District's first fire chief. George McCormick, Chuck Kimmel, Wilbur Spencer, Bob Harmeling, and son Craig Harmeling succeeded him.
Craig served the District for over 30 years and became its first paid chief. He retired in 1999 and was succeeded by Randy Coggan.
In the mid-1950s less than 50% of the homes had telephones so a large siren was erected on a pole next to George McCormick's hardware store. During business hours a store employee would activate the loud and obnoxious siren and at night a neighbor would be the designated button pusher. As more homes received telephones an elaborate phone tree was devised to notify members of a fire. In the early days of a formal dispatch system directions to the fire were given primarily by using landmarks such as barns, mailboxes, corners, and dependable pets who slept in the same locations day in and day out. Today the regional grid addressing system has eliminated the need
for landmark navigation.
With clearly defined building and safety codes, modern construction techniques, and effective fire prevention and education programs, catastrophic fire is now far less frequent. While still providing fire suppression service the emphasis has shifted to a full service emergency response organization. The majority of calls-for-service are now emergency medical response to acute illness or trauma. In addition, Vashon Island Fire & Rescue maintains special operations teams to conduct marine, rope, confined space, and trench rescues in addition to hazardous materials first response.
Early Vashon settlers understood the need for fire protection and, under difficult circumstances, did a great job of creating the foundation for a modern, well-trained combination emergency service organization.