South County Fire restores paramedic to Mill Creek station

EVERETT — South County Fire will add another paramedic to Mill Creek’s fire station following public outcry over recent deployment changes.

The board of commissioners voted 4-2 on Tuesday to restore staffing at Station 76 from three to five personnel, including one paramedic. Commission Chair Jim Kenny and commissioner Mark Laurence voted against the motion. Commissioner Chris Teofilak was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

On Aug. 1, South County Fire announced a department-wide redeployment plan that removed two paramedics from Mill Creek Station 76. In the announcement, South County Fire spokesperson Christie Veley said the change would increase the number of paramedics in Mill Creek’s surrounding area from five to seven.

Mill Creek city officials have raised concerns about a lack of transparency from South County Fire. In an Aug. 15 statement, Veley said the fire authority informed the city of the change July 22. The model went into effect in mid-July.

When Mill Creek annexed into South County Fire in 2022, Station 76 had five personnel with one paramedic. During the annexation campaign, communications to voters said staffing at Station 76 would remain the same after annexation. The recent redeployment plan changed the station’s staffing to three personnel, with no paramedics. Mill Creek city officials and community members said they saw the staffing reduction as South County Fire breaking a promise it made to voters.

“I am glad and appreciate the SCF Board voting to restore the staffing at FS 76 to what was promised to the voters when the annexation was placed on the ballot in 2022,” Mill Creek Mayor Brian Holtzclaw said in a statement Wednesday. “I hope our organizations can look forward, not back, and work towards a productive relationship with open lines of communication as we both work to serve the residents of Mill Creek.”

Commissioner Ed Widdis made the motion to restore staffing Tuesday. He had made the same motion at the board’s last meeting, but it failed by a 3-3 vote. Commissioner Micah Rowland abstained from last meeting’s vote because of concerns that the board violated the Open Public Meetings Act.

On Tuesday, Rowland voted to restore the paramedic, but with hesitation, he said. Shortly after Mill Creek annexed, South County Fire added another paramedic to Station 76. Rowland said he didn’t know the reason for not restoring both paramedics to the station.

“I hope that what we’re able to accomplish tonight will at least show that we care,” Rowland said. “I think it’s going to be an uphill battle, both with Mill Creek and our other cities that have just annexed in very skeptically, to repair the damage that was done.”

Laurence said he voted against the motion because he saw the move as “political.”

“I understand why people are going to vote for this change, but it’s embarrassing,” Laurence said. “In years, if you actually understand the issues, you’ll be embarrassed for your public the way you assaulted us.”

Kenny said the board should trust the original redeployment recommendation from Chief Bob Eastman and other senior staff.

“We need to stay focused on the life safety aspects, follow the data and follow the recommendation of our experts and not follow political pressure,” Kenny said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Connor Holttum, the firefighter union’s political director, said South County Fire leadership did not consult with the union about the deployment changes. He said the union supports restoring full staffing to Station 76.

“It can be a little frustrating, but we do look forward to working together with the board, our administration, as well as the residents of Mill Creek in continuing to address this issue,” Holttum said.

During public comment, several Mill Creek residents urged the board to restore staffing, including Audrey Johnson, who said she voted to annex into South County Fire in 2022.

“I was proud that you would be our fire department to serve, to lead and to protect our community,” she said. “But what has happened over the past few months has been deeply disappointing.”

Eastman said the fire authority will likely be able to move the paramedic to Station 76 by Thursday. Members of the board said they plan to look at response data moving forward and work with Mill Creek on any future changes.

“My support is in the spirit of let’s reset, let’s have a discussion, let’s talk about the best approaches going forward,” Commissioner Michael Fearnehough said, “and we’ll share that data, share the model, share the mindset before a change is made. At least that’s my promise to you.”

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.