FIRE CHIEF
Whatcom County Fire District 7 - Ferndale, WA

First Review: August 26, 2024

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Job Description
Candidate Supplemental Questions

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Whatcom County Fire District 7 is seeking a Fire Chief for this scenic community of 28,000 in and around the City of Ferndale, about 15 minutes north of Bellingham, WA. This corner of the Pacific Northwest is perfectly situated due to its proximity to Seattle, the Canadian border, Cascade Mountains, the beautiful Puget Sound, and the world renown San Juan Islands.   
 

WHATCOM COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT 7 

Whatcom County Fire District No. 7 is a combination department with 56 career employees and 48 volunteer firefighters/interns, tender/support members, and cadets. The District protect 72 square miles in and around the City of Ferndale as well as the Cherry Point Industrial area of Whatcom County.  The District operates out of 6 fire stations with 29 pieces of apparatus and has career 24-hour staffing at four of these stations, supplemented by the dedicated volunteers who are assigned to five stations. The District provides fire suppression services, hazardous materials response, as well as both Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support units, including one Paramedic unit and one Paramedic Supervisor unit to the Whatcom Medic One system. In 2023, the District answered 5,666 calls for service.    

WHY APPLY

This is an opportunity to lead a well-established Fire District deeply rooted in the City of Ferndale and its surrounding community. Whatcom County Fire District 7 is a combination department with a long tradition of family and community involvement. Most career personnel started with the department in volunteer and intern roles. With only six fire chiefs in their history, the District is looking for a strong working Fire Chief who is family-oriented and progressive and will take them to the next level in fire and EMS service delivery. The department maintains a strong regional presence in both the county and county-wide EMS system with the staffing and deployment of a paramedic ambulance as part of the Whatcom County Medic One system. 

For questions on this position, please contact:

Gordie Olson
GMP Consultants
golson@gmphr.com
720) 518-7420