PORT ANGELES — Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue Commissioner Thomas Martin has resigned from the three-member board.
Martin, 76, told the department he was resigning for personal reasons on Oct. 18, according to Chief Jake Patterson in a press release.
Martin, who started as a volunteer firefighter with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue in 1968 and who became its first emergency medical technician, spent most of the next 54 years working either as a firefighter or an elected commissioner, Patterson said.
Martin was first elected to the commission in 2005 and his third six-year term was due to expire at the end of 2023.
Martin didn’t state any particular plans, Patterson said, but he is expected to stay in the area. Martin works at Home Depot, the chief said.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue is seeking candidates for fill Martin’s unexpired term of 14 months.
The appointed individual may choose to run as a candidate for the next term if desired, according to state election laws.
To qualify, an applicant must be a registered voter residing within the boundaries of fire district. Candidates will be required to successfully pass a criminal background check if selected for the appointment.
Letters of interest are to be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday to the Board of Commissioners, Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue, PO Box 1391, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
Candidates will then be interviewed by the commissioners at a special meeting at 10 a.m. Nov. 28 at the Fire District Administrative office at 1212 E. First St., Port Angeles.
Upon announcing his retirement, Martin said he was full of pride to have been part of the district, Patterson said.
“He was honored to serve the residents of Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue for many years and feels it was one of the most rewarding things he has ever done,” Patterson said.
“While we are sad at the announcement here at the Fire District, we were truly lucky to have had such an outstanding public servant help guide and mentor the Fire District into the future.”
Martin counts as highlights the development of the fire district’s emergency medical service (EMS) program. He and former commissioner Bill Doran were pivotal in getting the EMS program started in the fire district in the 1980s, Patterson said.
Martin lobbied in Olympia for state funding for local EMT training and equipment and became the district’s first EMT.
He was also instrumental in getting the first set of hydraulic extrication tools, commonly known as the Jaws of Life, in the area, Patterson said.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue provides fire suppression and advanced life support emergency medical service to 9,500 people over 85 square miles outside the city of Port Angeles. It serves the communities of Deer Park, Gales Addition, Mt. Pleasant, Black Diamond, Dry Creek and Lake Sutherland. Forty-five volunteers and eight full-time Firefighter/Paramedics/EMTs respond to an average of 1,900 emergency calls annually, Patterson said.
