PORT ANGELES — The departure of Horizon Air on Jan. 7 means that federal law will no longer require firefighting services at William R. Fairchild International Airport.
But officials from the Port and Rite Bros. Aviation, which provides firefighting service now, are negotiating to maintain some kind of service, especially given a task force’s efforts to recruit another airline.
“Technically, the contract ends when HorizonAir leaves. But I think we’ll come up with a compromise that we’ll still provide a level of firefighting service,” said Rite Bros. Aviation owner Jeff Well.
“Everybody recognizes it is something we want to maintain. So we’ll work out something that will make it feasible to maintain service.
“We’re on the same page regarding what we want to do. It’s just a matter of how we can do it,” Well said.
Rite Bros. Aviation provides firefighting service from 5 a.m. until midnight. The company’s employees serve as “first responders” to a fire until the Port Angeles Fire Department arrives, if necessary.
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The rest of the story appears in Thursday’s Peninsula Daily News.