We have had many instances over the last couple years where we have seen how important community is to the fire service. The Oso landslide was the largest-scale event that showed us how important it is to have good relationships within fire departments. It proved that even though geographically we may be far apart we are still a close-knit community.
Recently we had a brush fire that for larger departments wouldn’t have been a large-scale event but in a small fire district it quickly overwhelmed the resources available to us. It was very evident to me that our relationships and partnerships with our neighbors are extremely important. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the willingness of our neighboring departments to help and assist us in our times of need. From Oso, Darrington, Silvana, Getchell and Arlington all the way to Monroe we saw units and firefighters working together. DNR had their crews on scene for two weeks sleeping and eating on the fire ground.
In a time where there are political divisions and other social divides it is nice to know that when an emergency happens there are still men and women who come together regardless of race, sex or political affiliation to serve and help those in need. These firefighters spent the better part of a day doing work that isn’t fun or glorious but that needed to be done to save others homes and property. Some were career, some part-time and some volunteer but all were on the same team. So thank you from Snohomish County Fire District 21 and from me personally, you truly are the best of our community.
Chad Schmidt, Fire Chief
Snohomish County Fire District 21
Arlington
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