Index to start search for a new fire chief

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, September 21, 2011

INDEX — Snohomish County Fire District 28 in Index will look for a new fire chief this fall. The district also is buying a house near the fire station.

Fire Chief Michael Fitzgerald put in his six-month resignation notice in July, he said. Fitzgerald also works full-time as a fire captain and fire marshal in Monroe.

Fitzgerald has been chief for 11 years, he said. His son is starting college, and he and his wife are ready for a change and more free time. He is proud of what the district accomplished during his time there, he said.

The district’s board of commissioners expects to meet next week to discuss the future of the chief’s position, Fitzgerald said. They have a few more details to figure out before they can advertise for applicants.

Replacing Fitzgerald will be hard, if not impossible, board chair Pat Sample said.

“Mike’s been a fantastic chief, and we’re sorry to see him leave,” he said.

Fitzgerald helped the district get a new ambulance because the old one could barely make it to the hospital, Sample said. He also spearheaded grant requests, one of which yielded a new fire engine.

“He’s done a wonderful job for us,” Sample said.

Fire District 28 serves about 800 people in 170 square miles, including most of the Wild Sky Wilderness area. The district employs a full-time paid assistant fire chief, a part-time paid chief and secretary, plus about a dozen volunteer firefighters. The 2011 budget was $153,000.

The district also is buying a house near Fire Station 55 at 512 Avenue A. Voters in this year’s primary election passed a $230,000 bond measure by 60.87 percent. The measure needed 60 percent to pass.

“It just squeaked by,” Fitzgerald said.

The district has a hard time finding enough volunteer firefighters in the Index area, Fitzgerald said. They don’t always have enough people to answer calls.

District leaders plan to renovate the house so volunteers from out of town have a place to sleep while on duty. They now stay at the fire station.

The house’s owner wanted to sell the property this spring, but she agreed to wait until the district could take the bond to a vote, Fitzgerald said. The district is working with real estate attorneys to buy the house.

Afterward, the renovation could take a few months.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.