PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Fire District No. 2 has hired former Port Angeles Fire Department Lt. Jake Patterson as deputy fire chief for the rural fire district that surrounds Port Angeles.
Patterson, 45, will begin in the new position Tuesday and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the district including oversight of emergency operations, staffing, fleet and facilities.
Chief Sam Phillips cited the increasing demands and growth of the fire district as a primary reason to select Patterson.
“Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded to a record number of emergencies in 2016,” he said. “With 1,549 emergency calls for service in 2016, we need to be able to meet the needs of the community, and having one more full-time chief officer brings us back up to full strength like we were in 2010.”
Patterson brings with him 26 years of increasingly responsible fire service experience, according to Phillips.
This brings the number of full-time firefighters within the fire district to eight. Six of those are on the line responding to emergencies every day.
Patterson began his fire service career 27 years ago as an aircraft firefighter and rescue specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps. After his Marine Corps service ended, he became a wildland firefighter at Olympic National Park.
In 1992, Patterson joined the Port Angeles Fire Department (PAFD) as a volunteer. In 1994, he relocated to Richland, where he became a full-time structural firefighter and earned his paramedic certification. By 2000, Patterson returned to the PAFD, where he was promoted to lieutenant in 2007.
He has experience in wildland firefighting operations, instructing recruits in fire academy, has authored several successful grant requests and managed live fire training exercises.
One of Patterson’s greatest passions is working with young adults in the Fire Explorer Post and the Civil Air Patrol, Phillips said.
“We are very fortunate to have a chief officer of Jake’s caliber working with us,” Phillips said.
Previously, Patterson had served with Fire District No. 2 as the part-time battalion chief of training and safety while he also held a full-time position at the PAFD as a lieutenant.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
