GCFD 7 sees improvements in equipment, volunteerism
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 7 months AGO
Grant County Fire District 7 was busy in 2023 and did a great deal of work to improve its readiness by upgrading equipment. At the beginning of the year, the average age of its equipment was 43 years, but by the end of the year, that number had reduced to 23 years - making the department's equipment generally more dependable.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCFD 7
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | January 29, 2024 1:49 AM
SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7 responded to more incidents in less time in 2023 compared to the year before, according to the district’s annual report. GCFD 7 also made strides in equipment and volunteer staffing, according to the district’s annual report, released this month. GCFD 7 covers Soap Lake, Coulee City, the area along SR 17 between the two towns and the High Hill area east of the coulee, according to county records.
2023 saw about a 25% increase in calls to GCFD 7 compared to 2022, according to the report, answering 611 calls versus 2022’s 488. The vast majority of those calls, 416 of them, were non-vehicle accident-related emergency medical service calls. Responders also handled 15 vehicle accidents with injuries and 21 brush or grass fires.
Despite the increased workload, GCFD 7 responded 24% more quickly in 2023 than 2022, the report said, speeding up from an average time of 10.29 minutes to 7.84 minutes. The National Fire Protection Association’s response time minimum for urban areas, defined as areas with a population density of more than 1,000 people per square mile, is nine minutes. This includes the city of Soap Lake, which has a density of 1,043 people per square mile, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. For suburban and rural areas, the NFPA minimum is 10 and 14 minutes respectively.
The district’s equipment had an average age of 43 years at the beginning of 2023, according to the report. Through the Department of Natural Resources’ federal excess property program and some grants and low-interest loans, the district added three fire engines, two brush engines, an ambulance, a tactical tender and a 4X4 command unit. By the end of 2023, the equipment’s average age was 23.
The district was also active in local communities, according to the report. GCFD 7 performed fire and EMS standby at many community events such as Fourth of July activities, fall festivals, and car shows. District EMS personnel performed stand-by at the Soap Lake High School football games free of charge to ensure medical personnel were available for competitive youth sports. District staff attended senior center events and luncheons, and Chief Christopher Baker hosted several events such as Tea with the Chief and meet-and-greets in the community to answer questions about Fire District 7 and to gain valuable relationships.
GCFD 7 started 2023 with 13 volunteers, according to the report, and ended the year with 24. This is significant, Baker wrote in the report, because 65% of firefighters are volunteers.
“We have set a goal of 36 dedicated volunteers in the future and with the continued support of the community we will reach that goal,” he wrote.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.