2018 Annual Report
Our Mission: “To provide the highest quality service to our community through the protection and preservation of life
and property.”
Camas-Washougal Fire Department
our entire self contained breathing apparatus
(SCBA) equipment. All of our SCBAs were expir-
ing in early 2019 and this necessitated an exten-
sive investigation in to what type of air pack
would best fit our needs. Captain Silva’s report
on his SCBA replacement project is contained lat-
er in this document.
As 2018 came to a close, CWFD saw the end of its
two-year fire chief sharing arrangement with East
County Fire and Rescue (ECFR). This was primari-
ly a cost saving measure by the District and will
not impact services or administrative supervision
to either agency. We will continue our
longstanding partnership with the District in are-
as of automatic aid, training, and ambulance
transport, as we have since 1978.
It has been my distinct pleasure to continue to
serve the citizens of Camas, Washougal, and
Clark County. Our agency’s continued success
would not be possible without the dedication
and support of our staff, our elected officials, and
our community.
Nick Swinhart, EFO, CFO, MIFireE
Fire Chief
Camas-Washougal Fire Department
Mayors, Councils, and Citizens of Camas & Washougal:
I am very pleased to submit to you the Camas-
Washougal Fire Department’s annual report for
2018. The activities and accomplishments con-
tained in this report reflect the quality and ded-
ication of the employees of CWFD.
Although our most well-known functions in-
clude responding to medical emergencies and
fires, this report demonstrates the wide array of
other comprehensive services and programs we
provide for our citizens. Employees and volun-
teers of CWFD are dedicated professionals who
take tremendous pride in the mission of the
agency. This report is a summary of our mis-
sion to improve public safety thru emergency
response, prevention, and public education.
CWFD undertook many projects in 2018, but
perhaps the biggest was our participation in the
citywide “level of service” presentation to the
city council. The goal of this presentation was
to inform council members of what we felt was
our short-term staffing needs for the depart-
ment. The feedback we received from this in-
ternal study was excellent and culminated with
a decision from council to hire an outside firm
to conduct the department’s first master plan-
ning process. This study will begin in April of
2019 and will help demonstrate the depart-
ment’s growth needs for the next 10-20 years.
As an extension of this planning process, finan-
cial consultant Paul Lewis was retained in late
2018 to conduct a study looking in to the pos-
sibility of CWFD forming a Regional Fire Au-
thority (RFA). The results of his efforts will be
presented to a committee in February of 2019.
Another very important 2018 project undertak-
en by Captain Ben Silva was the replacement of
2018
Annual Report
Ambulance Revenue
Billed Collected Percentage
2014 $1,873,619 $993,911 53%
2015 $1,982,009 $1,037,886 52%
2016 $2,308,062 $1,169,438 51%
2017 $2,426,058 $1,275,360 53%
2018 $2,378,513 $1,113,626 47%
Ambulance Billing
Ambulance billing is handled in-house at the city’s finance department by Amee Rasmussen. Nationally, am-
bulance revenues have varied drastically over the years due to changes in federal Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursements. When call volume and transports go up, the reasonable inference is that revenues should
go up as well. While revenues will often trend upwards with increasing call volumes, write-offs increase at
an even more substantial rate. One question we get frequently is, “why not just be more aggressive with
collections?” Unfortunately we are forbidden by federal law, as are all ambulance providers, to bill a pa-
tient above and beyond what Medicare or Medicaid determine is their allowable rate. As a result, over
90% of our write-offs signify money that can never be recovered. One of the recommendations from a
2017 ESCI study was for CWFD to investigate whether ambulance billing rates should be increased. While
we are committed to looking into this recommendation further, CWFD is hampered by its location in the
Portland metropolitan area. This can significantly limit the amount of federal funds that can be collected,
regardless of the approved transport billing rate. 2018 saw a significant downward trend in our ambu-
lance collection rate. We anticipate this will recover to more historical norms in 2019 after updated billing
practices are implemented.
Ambulance billing is getting more complex every year, and we appreciate the continued work by staff in
our finance department to keep up with the latest changes. After several years of discussion, 2018 finally
saw full implementation of the state “GEMT” program. This program may allow CWFD to collect more fed-
eral funds for ambulance transport than have been previously allowable. CWFD’s participation in this pro-
gram has been spearheaded by Division Chief Cliff Free and it will be some time before we see how much
we may benefit. Our staff will continue to stay on top of such opportunities and researching other tools with
which we can improve our billing efficiency.
2018
Annual Report
2018 Budget Summary
2018
Annual Report
2018 Emergency Medical Services Report
2018 Total Call Composition:
Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) receives, processes and dispatches all 911 calls originating
in Clark County. For CWFD, these requests for services fall into one of two categories as characterized by their
nature: EMS calls or Fire calls. EMS calls are medical in nature. Fire calls are an amalgam of non-EMS calls.
Examples of fire calls could be active structure fires, wildland fires, fire alarms, smoke in an area requiring inves-
tigation, hazardous conditions (ex. Down power lines) etc. Less intuitive are motor vehicle accidents (MVA’s).
MVA’s are split between Fire and EMS call types depending on whether there was an EMS component or wheth-
er the services required could be handled by the responding engines alone. MVA’s without injury are tabulated
as Fire calls, MVA’s with injury are tabulated as EMS calls.
The majority of requests for service of the CWFD are EMS in nature. This is not exclusive to CWFD, it mirrors Fire
Department statistics nationally. In 2018, 86% of our requests for service were EMS in nature, 14% were Fire.
This ratio is relatively stable year to year, deviating by only a few percentage points.
2018
Annual Report
In the face of steadily rising EMS call demand, concurrent EMS calls are monitored to assess adequate ambulance
availability and distribution for our service area. CWFD maintains four in-service ambulances housed within three
stations in Camas and Washougal. (Additionally, CWFD has a fifth, reserve ambulance, that is too old to be em-
ployed continuously, but is put into service intermittently to accommodate loss of time for the in-service ambulances
due to mechanical repairs, etc. This ambulance does not contain a full compliment of required equipment without
migrating such from the ambulance leaving the system for repairs). In 2018, 56% of our call volume required
more than one ambulance to respond concurrently to separate calls. This is a 7% higher than 2017. The 56%
concurrency rate is comprised of doubles, where two ambulances are on calls simultaneously; triples, where three
ambulances are on calls simultaneously; and quads, where all four ambulances are on calls simultaneously. Two
ambulances (doubles) ran concurrent calls on an average of 27% of our call volume. Three ambulances (triples)
ran concurrent calls on an average of 21% of our call volume. Four ambulances (not depicted in chart) ran concur-
rent calls on an average of 8% of our call volume.
It should be noted that sometimes multiple ambulances are required at a single event, for example, a motor vehicle
accident with multiple patients requiring transport. In this case, one call is generated but more than one ambulance
is deployed. These calls are not represented in the graph below due to the difficulty in parsing them from the da-
tabase, and because only one call was generated by the event. However, the incidence of these calls is low
enough to be not statistically relevant when looking at the total annual EMS call volume.
2018 Calls by District:
CWFD provides ambulance transport primarily for the cities of Camas and Washougal and the fire district of East
County Fire and Rescue. This is facilitated through written agreement between the stated entities. EMS services
are also provided to the City of Vancouver, EMS District 2, NCEMS and Skamania County through mutual aid
agreements. 94% of EMS calls originated within the boundaries of Camas, Washougal and ECFR, while 6% of
calls were mutual aid calls outside of this service area.
2018 EMS Total Call Volume:
2018
Annual Report
2018
Annual Report
The City of Camas is primarily served by the two stations found within its city limits: Station 41 and Station 42.
Station 41 houses M41, which maintains constant, dedicated ambulance staffing; and M44 which is cross-staffed
with E41. Station 42 houses M42 which at minimum staffing is cross-staffed with E42, and at full staffing, has
dedicated staffing for both M42 and E42. In 2018, Station 42 was fully staffed (meaning no cross-staffing of
the engine and ambulance) 12 days out of the 365 day calendar year.
For EMS calls that originated in the City of Camas, 88% were responded to by ambulances residing in the City of
Camas.
The City of Washougal is primarily served by Station 43 which resides in the Washougal City limits. Station 43
houses M43, which maintains constant, dedicated ambulance staffing. For EMS calls that originated in the City of
Washougal, 69% were responded to by an ambulance stationed within the City of Washougal. 98% of the calls
originating in the City of Washougal were served by ambulances from either downtown Washougal or downtown
Camas.
2018 saw in increase in EMS call volume of 4% over that of 2017. Though we have seen some years of plateau
(2011-2013), call volume has been steadily increasing. Over the span of 10 years we have experienced about a
2018
Annual Report
In terms of call outcome, 69% of EMS calls terminated in ambulance transport to a hospital. 28% were patient
refusals. Patient refusals are patients who have a bona fide injury or illness, but refuse the option of being
transported to the hospital by ambulance. Some of these patients refuse transport against the advice of the
medical providers, others are low enough acuity that after initial assessment and treatment, an alternative form
of transportation is more appropriate. 1% were non-emergency scheduled transports either to a hospital, clinic
or hospice facility. The remaining 4% (other) were treat and releases, no medical necessity, public assists, or
transport through private means.
2018 in Review:
Kacie Jones began her first year as the CWFD administrative assistant. Kacie is a quick study who had
adapted well and will be a huge asset to the department moving forward.
In 2016, medical equipment supply costs rose by an average of 8%, pharmaceutical supplies rose by an aver-
age of 15%. These cost increases were mitigated through constant vigilance in inventory control, management
and waste minimization. Another significant challenge has been navigating an escalating national issue of phar-
maceutical drug shortages. This has resulted in market forces driving up the cost of drugs, while requiring a con-
siderable amount of additional effort toward expanding our network of suppliers in order to keep our EMS sys-
tem properly outfitted. There seems to be no immediate solution to this national issue. As a department, we
have weathered this storm better than most other county agencies, in that we are not beholden to exclusive sup-
ply contracts; however, the downstream consequence is that it takes a substantial amount of administrative hours
to maintain a competent compliment of EMS supplies and interventional drugs.
CWFD has fully implemented the conclusions and recommendations of an international cardiac arrest study of
which Camas was an integral part. The research study was funded through the Resuscitation Outcome Consorti-
um (ROC) and the National Institute of Health. The goal of the study was to correlate pre-hospital cardiac ar-
rest management, strategies and protocols with hospital survival outcome data. The results of the study were
released in April of 2016; however, CWFD had seen a rise in the percentage of patients surviving cardiac ar-
rest in our response area every year since the onset of the study. Since 2015, 35% of the cardiac arrest pa-
tients where resuscitation was initiated in the field were resuscitated prior to arriving at the hospital. 26% of
cardiac arrest patients where resuscitation was initiated in the field survived to discharge from the hospital.
30% increase in EMS call volume.
2018
Annual Report
Participation in pre-hospital EMS studies is an ongoing priority for CWFD. It is through these studies that we are
able to determine which medical interventions are the most advantageous to our patients and keeps CWFD on
the forefront of medical innovation and ‘best practices’.
2017 introduced some significant changes and evolution of our EMS protocols and interventions. A continual ef-
fort is made to keep pace with current trends in pre-hospital care management and incorporate constantly
evolving best practices into our patient care. An advantage of our size and structure, being fire station based, is
that we can retool and modify our patient care practices very quickly in terms of inventory, training, and imple-
mentation. Change is the bane of larger agencies and agencies where personnel and equipment never share a
fixed location, as in system status systems.
Goals for 2019:
• Find funding for and begin replacement of fagued gurneys.
• Begin transion to a more cost eecve, user friendly, engine/medic MDC system.
• Expand, upgrade or replace Fire/RMS to a WEMSIS compliant MIR system.
• Evolve paramedic eld training program to more eciently accommodate inux of new employees.
• Expand EMS role in assisng law enforcement with processing of DUI’s.
In 2019, we will receive and outfit a new ambulance to replace our most unreliable and aged ambulance. The
four wheel drive is essential to navigating the snow and ice conditions often encountered with our proximity to
the gorge, and our response into the upper elevations of East County. Steep roadways within the city of Camas
and Washougal also contribute to the value of our 4WD ambulances. By the end of 2018, all four of our sys-
tem ambulances will be 4WD. For the first time in the history of the Camas (now Camas-Washougal) Fire De-
partment, we will have a fleet of like ambulances. The continuity of like ambulances makes transitioning from
one ambulance to another easier on personnel and eliminates ‘relearning’ of the internal workspace of each ap-
paratus each day.
Submitted by,
Cliff Free
Division Chief of Emergency Medical Service
2018
Annual Report
2018
Annual Report
Fire Marshal’s Office
It’s a pleasure to submit the Camas-Washougal Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) Annual Report for 2018. It was
a busy year in our office that included many pre-application conferences, plans reviews, and inspections of
large projects including two new schools, an events center, a large warehouse, two new medical offices and
two apartment complexes just to name a few. In addition to construction projects, other notable events the
FMO was involved with in 2018 included:
1) Mandatory Residential Sprinkler Ordinance Passed in Washougal
Fire sprinklers have a proven record in reducing injuries and deaths from fire. It has been a goal of
the FMO to have them required in all residential buildings within Camas and Washougal. The Cam-
as City Council passed a mandatory residential sprinkler ordinance in 2016 for all new dwellings.
At that time, the city of Washougal only required them in apartments and condos and not town-
homes nor one and two family dwellings. Working with the City of
Washougal’s Planning Commission and City Council for the last year I’m
proud to say that in December the Washougal City Council passed an ordi-
nance requiring fire sprinklers to include all residential dwellings. Washougal
becomes the eighth city with Camas being the seventh on a growing list of
cities in Washington state to pass such an ordinance. With the passage of
these ordinances all newly constructed homes within the two cities now have
the utmost in fire protection.
2) Confidence Testing Tracking Improved with TCE
The International Fire Code (IFC) requires building owners to maintain their building’s fire protection
systems in good working condition at all times and to ensure that these systems are tested regularly.
This periodic testing of fire protection is called confidence testing. Semi-annual, annual and five-year
confidence tests are to be conducted by certified technicians and the confidence test reports they
generate, including problems found and any corrections made, are required to be submitted to our
office.
According to one national survey, between 30% and 50% of all fire and life safety systems go with-
out mandatory inspection, testing and maintenance as required by the building and fire codes.
2018
Annual Report
It is imperative that Camas and Washougal building owners stay current with testing, but our task of
tracking that compliance, contacting business owners monthly etc., presents a challenge, due in part to
sheer volume. To date there are over 240 buildings with over 430 systems in our database and that
number continues to grow.
In March of 2018 the FMO contracted with a third party (Brycer) to use The Compliance Engine (TCE) to
streamline our process of collecting the tests. TCE provides a secure cloud-based environment where re-
ports are submitted via a web portal, eliminating paper copies (and filing) and facilitating a more effi-
cient review, tracking, and follow-up process. TCE notifies all businesses in our database when they have
a fire protection system due for testing, are past due for testing or in correcting deficiencies on a system
in need of repair. To date they have sent a combined 754 letters and emails on our behalf saving us
immeasurable time that can now be focused elsewhere.
3) WSRB Audit – Improved Insurance Rating
The Washington Survey Rating Bureau (WSRB) evaluates all Washington communities for their fire pro-
tection/suppression capability using a Protection Class Schedule of 1 through 10. The Protection Class
evaluation process recognizes the efforts of communities to provide fire-protection services for citizens
and property owners. This is why insurance companies use Protection Classes to help establish fair pre-
miums for fire insurance — generally offering lower premiums in communities with better protection. The
rating a fire department receives effects how much the premium a home owner or building owner pays
in fire insurance. The lower the number the more efficient the fire department. In 2018 the (WSRB) con-
ducted an audit of the CWFD and I’m proud to say that in the communities of Camas and Washougal
our rating improved from a 5 to a 4.
4) Open House Success in 2018
The FMO headed up the team effort in the successful CWFD 2018 Open House.
The event focused on health, safety and emergency preparedness and included
fire prevention, car extrication and K9 dog demonstrations along with numerous
informational exhibits from local health, safety and emergency response agencies.
One of the highlights for our office is building the side-by-side live fire demo with
two similarly furnished rooms; one protected with a fire sprinkler and the other
without. This educational tool is very effective in showing how quickly a fire can
spread and the power and effectiveness of a fire sprinkler system to save lives and property.
This year’s open house (sponsored in part by Northwest Natural Gas as part of their “Get Ready” cam-
paign) was highly attended and we are looking forward to providing this important community event
again in 2019.
2018
Annual Report
The 3 E’s of Fire Prevention
Education, Enforcement and Engineering
2018 in Review
The primary goal of the FMO is to save lives and property by reducing the occurrence of fires within our jurisdic-
tion through what we call the three E’s of Fire Prevention; Education, Enforcement and Engineering.
EDUCATION
The Camas – Washougal Fire Department (CWFD) is committed to ensuring that we have the safest possible
community through public education and prevention programs. In 2018 the FMO staff, along with on-duty and
volunteer firefighters, enjoyed many opportunities to provide fire and life safety education to our citizens of all
ages. It was our privilege to connect with our citizens in meaningful ways including our many classroom visits and
station tours and our participation in numerous community events.
The FMO not only participates in these scheduled events, but we also have the opportunity to connect with and
educate the public every day. Many citizens stop in or call with questions regarding permits, code violations,
outdoor burning, life safety issues, hazard conditions, code development and legislation, residential fire sprin-
klers, fireworks, tall grass hazards, fire department access, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon mon-
oxide detectors, to name a few.
We enjoy engaging with the community through the public education facet of our work. In 2019 as in every
year, we will continue to place a high priority on connecting with the citizens we serve as we share the important
message of fire safety and injury prevention.
ENFORCEMENT
The FMO enforces the fire code through plans review, and also through routine fire and life safety inspections,
hazardous materials inspections, and fire investigations as follows:
• Fire and Life Safety Inspections
The FMO conducts annual and bi-annual fire and life safety inspections at local businesses with no charge to
the occupants. Serious fire code violations are required to be corrected on the spot, but in most other cases
building owners are allowed thirty days to make corrections. Rather than assessing penalties and fines for
violations, our philosophy is to focus on fire prevention through the education of our local building owners/
businesses.
• Hazardous Material Inspections
The communities of Camas and Washougal have many diverse industries; some of these industries have pro-
cesses that are considered hazardous by definition. We issue permits and conduct inspections for the
2018
Annual Report
maintenance, storage, use or handling of hazardous materials, and for the installation and use of equipment
used in connection with such activities. These types of businesses must meet stricter standards and it is the re-
sponsibility of the FMO to enforce these standards.
• Fire Investigations
One of the primary functions of the FMO is the investigation of the origin and cause of the fires within our
jurisdictions. In conjunction with this task, we also provide assistance to fire victims by helping them connect
with other emergency agencies such as the Red Cross, and we help with facilitating the rehabilitation process
with insurance companies and building security companies.
Below are summaries of the total number of total fire loss by month, total number of fires by type, and the
more significant fires in our jurisdiction in 2018.
2018
Annual Report
2018
Annual Report
Significant Fires in Camas and Washougal in 2018
Date City Street Type Cause Prop. Loss
01/14/18 Camas 258 SW Whitney Ac Fire Electrical $45,000
08/22/18 Camas 4530 NW Dahlia Garage Fire Tobacco Smoker $130,000
08/26/18 Washougal 4501 Addy St #25 House Fire Electrical $25,000
11/24/18 Camas 465 SW Park House Fire Electrical $45,000
12/13/18 Washougal 4016 C St. Garage Fire Space Heater (too close to
combusbles)
$100,000
2018
Annual Report
ENGINEERING 2018
The FMO works with the Planning and Building Departments of both Camas and Washougal along with archi-
tects, builders, and civil engineers to provide fire and life safety code comments on new developments and
building permits as follows:
• We attend the Planning Department’s pre-application meetings with developers to ensure that potential
new projects allow for plenty of available water to fight fires and that all new developments include fire
apparatus access roads.
• We conduct plans reviews (and issue permits) to ensure requirements for compliance with the IFC are
identified for all new construction, building alterations/change in use, and for the installation, or alteration
of fire and life safety systems.
• Plans reviews are followed by inspections, which are done during and at the completion of each project.
• The final inspections confirm that public safety components are installed and working as designed.
2018 Commercial Project Reviews of Note
Numerous commercial projects were approved, started, and/or completed in 2018 including:
Camas
• Lacamas Lake Elementary - Located North of Lacamas Lake this 83,000 square foot school is occupied and
active with hundreds of our Camas Children. All FMO construction permits including those for several fire
and life safety systems to protect our kids, teachers and visitors have been finalized.
• Discovery High School - This Project Based Learning school is over 95,000 sq.ft. and is located off of Nan
Henriksen Way (named after a former Camas Mayor next door to Odyssey Middle School on property pur-
chased from the Sharp Company Campus. The school will ramp up to full capacity over the next couple of
years and all FMO permits are close to be closed out/ finalized.
2018
Annual Report
• The Terrace at River Oaks 55+ Apartments - This is a 4 story 47,000 sq. ft. fully fire sprinklered residential
building located on 3rd Avenue. Leasing has begun and there are 120 units including ADA compliant op-
tions available on each floor.
• Camas Medical Building - This two story 16,000 square foot building is currently occupied on the first floor
with a dental office and a dental surgery office. The second story is in rough-in status available for future
tenants. The FMO permits are close to being closed out.
• Grains of Wrath - A major demolition and remodel of the old Les Schwab and more recently Lemon Aide
Auto building occurred turning it into a 7,500 sq.ft. brew pub. This project was completed in early 2018.
• Dutch Brothers Coffee - This facility is now up and running in part of the old IQ Credit union building in the
Shell Gas Station Complex on Sixth Avenue.
• Wafertech and Analog Systems - Had several permits with projects that help improve and stream line pro-
cesses for production and for their employees.
Washougal
• Building #18 at the Industrial Park - This 50,000 sq. ft. industrial building in the Port of Camas-Washougal
was completed in 2018 and by the end of year had been completely leased.
• Black Pearl Event Center – A 2-story building constructed at Port of Camas-Washougal, this venue offers a
place to hold events for over 200 people.
• Harmony Dental and the Crossing – This new dental office neared completion at the end of 2018.
• Rig-A-Hut – A mixed-use retail and 9-unit apartment complex was constructed on Main St.
• Main St. Village – This apartment complex with over 90 units obtained occupancy on six of their 13 build-
ings at the end of 2018.
As we look ahead to 2019, our work related to construction looks to be even busier than last year. There are
numerous commercial projects in the initial review phases in both cities.
We are excited about the new projects and look forward to the many challenges that lie ahead.
2018
Annual Report
Fire Permits, Inspections and Fees 2018
2018 was an extremely busy year in terms of new construction in both Camas and Washougal. Many of the
new construction and tenant improvement projects required the installation of fire alarms and fire sprinklers. In
total the FMO processed 421 fire permits (259 of those for residential sprinklers) and performed over 1,190
inspections (including construction/permit inspections and fire and life safety code related inspections). One of
the goals of the FMO is to conduct on site permit inspections in a timely manner. Nearly 95% of the time permit
inspections are completed on the same day they are requested and as close as possible to the hour requested.
This level of performance is extremely rare in our industry.
· Fees for FMO Permits Issued in 2018 $ 70,105
Fire Impact Fees
New growth and development in our cities creates additional demand for public fire safety facilities. Fire im-
pact fees are collected to help recover a portion of the costs incurred for these new facilities. In 2018 fees col-
lected were:
· Fire Impact Fees/Camas 2018 $131,634
· Fire Impact Fees/Washougal 2018 $48,446
Looking Ahead
In closing, it has been a privilege to serve as Fire Marshal for the Camas-Washougal Fire Department. Our
team is currently comprised of a Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal and an Administrative Assistant. In 2019 we
will be adding another Deputy Fire Marshal to our team whose primary responsibility will be conducting fire and
life safety inspections. With over 500 occupancies to inspect the new deputy will be quite busy.
Our office looks forward to the many challenges that lie ahead in 2019. We have and will continue to strive to
provide excellent service to the customers we serve.
Submitted by,
Ron Schumacher
Division Chief/Fire Marshal
Camas-Washougal Fire Department
2018
Annual Report
CWFD operations are all inclusive of our personnel, apparatus and fire stations used in our day to day opera-
tions to respond to all hazard emergencies throughout Camas and Washougal, as well as mutual aid to our
neighboring fire departments. The day to day operations at CWFD are the nuts and bolts of what we do and
how we do it. The following report details the number of calls that we responded to both in Camas and
Washougal, as well as mutual aid responses. This report breaks down the type of responses along with compari-
sons to prior years.
In 2018 we added 2 new employees (Chris Ruddell and Darr Soli) that replaced employees that left the de-
partment for various reasons. The department has requested adding 4 new employees over the next 2 years in
addition to replacing several of our senior members who are retiring. This past year we did not add any new
apparatus to our fleet, nor did we make any significant changes/upgrades to our stations.
CWFD personnel responded to 4391 in 2018 compared to 4462 calls in 2017, this was the first decline in call
volume (-1.6%) in a decade. The chart below is a breakdown of our incident responses by type of incident. As
you can see the majority of our call volume is EMS (emergency medical service). This is typical throughout the
county and accounted for 74% of our call volume. Also, as represented by the chart, the call volume for the oth-
er categories has remained fairly constant. One category in particular to look at is the dark blue bar that repre-
sents ‘good intent’ calls. These are calls typically generated by citizens who are passing by something of concern
or that see or smell something from their home or business. Frequently these calls are phoned in by cell phone
users who have not or cannot investigate on their own. These are generally things like steam mistaken for smoke,
cars, etc., smoke from BBQ’s or approved fire pits, various smells that are not a natural gas odor, or someone
sleeping in their car. While we do respond to all 911 calls, these are typically calls that could be avoided by
citizens taking the time to check out the source before calling 911, as long as they feel safe doing so. This step
would avoid taking a fire engine or ambulance out of service to follow up on these innocuous incidents.
Operations Report
2018
Annual Report
In 2018 we provided mutual aid on 784 calls and received mutual aid 240 times. Mutual aid is an agreement
between all fire agencies in Clark County to provide assistance to one another during high call volume or events
that require more resources than any one department has available. As an ambulance provider, we also have a
mutual aid agreement with American Medical Response (AMR), the private ambulance company that provides
EMS transport service for most of Clark County. As you can see by the graph below we generally provide more
mutual aid than we receive. The mutual aid to ECFR is higher because we have an EMS levy pass-through in
place to provide ambulance service in their jurisdiction.
Submitted by,
Mark Ervin
Battalion Chief
CWFD
2018
Annual Report
The Camas-Washougal Fire Department separately manages fire and medical (EMS) training. The EMS Division
Chief oversees EMS training while the Administrative Battalion Chief is responsible for fire training. CWFD’s fire
training program is designed to comply with the requirements set forth by the State of Washington Administra-
tive Code, the Washington State Survey and Ratings Bureau, as well as specific guidelines instituted by our de-
partment to best serve our community’s needs.
Washington State WAC 305-296 Training Requirements (WAC)
The State of Washington requires that firefighters receive comprehensive training in many elements. These topics
include but are not limited to:
• Ongoing Officer Development
• Hazardous Materials Operations Training
• Fire Apparatus / Driver Training
• Fire Suppression Training
• Safety Training
• Technical Rescue Training
Washington State Surveying and Ratings Bureau Training Requirements (WSRB)
In addition to the WAC required training, we also strive to meet the rigorous training guidelines that the WSRB
uses to determine the Fire Department’s insurance rating. These areas of training include:
• Firefighter Training
• Driver / Operator Training
• Officer Training
• Recruit Training
• Multi-Company Training
• Hazardous Materials Training
• Drill Ground Training
• Night Training
Training Report
2018
Annual Report
Training Summary
On November 2
nd
, our two newest hires graduated from the Washington State fire academy. This is a twelve
week academy that provides graduating members with IFSAC Hazardous Materials Operations, Firefighter 1 &
2 certifications. Following the academy, new hires receive a two week long in-house orientation that focuses on
department specific operations. Upon completion, they are assigned to one of three shifts and have a skills-
based task book to complete with their assigned Captain over the remainder of their probation.
Annual extrication multi-company drills were held in May. Crews practiced different techniques for stabilizing
vehicles and extricating victims. Donated cars were staged on their sides and upside down as crews removed
tops and doors using the latest techniques to safely remove victims.
In mid-June, crews completed the annual rope rescue drill at the “pot holes” on Lacamas Creek. This is a common
area for real emergencies, and crews practice setting up rope systems to haul injured patients up steep terrain
to an awaiting medic unit.
On June 25
th
, CWFD officers participated in an active shooter tabletop session with local responders. Some of
the participants included CCSO, SWAT, WSP, Camas School District, Washougal PD, Camas PD, CRESA, and
Cowlitz 911.
A tabletop drill at GP mill was attended on September 4
th
simulating a natural gas leak.
On October 18
th
, the on duty crews participated in a mock earthquake drill. This included practicing exiting the
stations, how to evaluate if it is safe to return, and following written procedures on earthquake emergency oper-
ations.
Administrative Battalion Chief Villines attended Blue Card Incident Command Instructor class in October. He is
now the second instructor (BC Payne was the first). Both can now run simulation labs to certify new Incident Com-
manders to the Blue Card standard.
On November 14
th
, the Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC) staged a tabletop exercise with Cowlitz
911, CRESA, WSP, Clark County Fire Rescue, Vancouver Fire HAZMAT team, and Cowlitz County Public Works.
CWFD attended as an observer, learning about coordinating resources, developing communication plans, using
the Unified Command Structure, and what a HAZMAT spill response would look like on an Interstate Freeway.
The department also conducted quarterly multi-company evolutions with neighboring fire district ECFR. This train-
ing usually takes place at Station 42’s drill ground and training tower. Three engine companies and a Battalion
Chief conduct multiple training scenarios and evolutions including; motor vehicle crashes, house fires, apartment
fires, etc.
2018
Annual Report
The Camas Washougal Fire Department has an active volunteer program that recruits new members annually.
Prospective volunteers participate in a selection process that is quite similar to the department’s hiring process,
including an oral board interview. Subsequent to this selection process, new volunteers attend a twelve-week
training academy. Volunteers are required to be trained commensurate with full time employees’ training. Our
active members currently respond with full time crews to emergencies. Last year, volunteers logged 379 hours of
hands on and computer based training. Combined, they volunteered 1,730 hours of ride-along time to the com-
munity.
Overall, 2018 was a great year for training. Our crews amassed over 3,420 hours of training. CWFD members
broadened their knowledge base and expanded their rescue skills greatly. We enthusiastically look toward
2019 for new learning opportunities!
Submitted by,
Battalion Chief Greg Payne
Administrative Battalion Chief Kevin Villines
2018
Annual Report
SCBA Selection and Purchase Process
In 2016, the Clark County Fire Chiefs requested participating fire departments to evaluate which Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) would be preferred for our agencies, which were collectively seeking a regional
grant. The SCBA Selection Committee began meeting in August of 2016 and consisted of members from Clark
County Fire Districts: #3, #6, #10, #13, Vancouver Fire, Camas-Washougal Fire, East County Fire Rescue and
Clark County Fire Rescue. Assistant Chief Maurer of Clark County Fire District #6 facilitated the committee. The
committee ultimately selected 2 manufacturers to participate in the evaluation, MSA and SCOTT Safety. The
manufacturers had the opportunity to present their SCBA in a classroom environment, answer questions and have
a technical presentation for the fire department personnel that serve as SCBA technicians, managing repair and
maintenance of the packs. Additionally, the fire department representatives contacted and interviewed other
fire departments of similar size to our region that had already purchased and used the SCBA that we were
evaluating, in order to get more information from a longer term end user perspective and to see if there were
concerns about usability or reliability. The final element of the selection process was a firefighter evaluation
which included line firefighters of varying size, age, experience, and gender. The firefighters completed a se-
ries of skills at Fire District #3 training ground and tower using both manufacturers SCBA, and completed evalu-
ation forms. At the end of October 2016, after gathering the results from all of the elements and discussion
among the committee members, the SCOTT X3 SCBA was recommended unanimously by the committee, to the
Clark County Fire Chiefs.
The regional grant was not awarded to Clark County regional departments, so after multiple attempts to obtain
grant funding, the Camas Washougal Fire Department was at a point where a decision needed to made. The
choice was to either spend significant monies on overhauling and maintaining current SCBA and purchasing new
SCBA bottles to replace expired bottles, or to purchase new SCBA and bottles, which offered numerous and sig-
nificant safety improvements, reduced maintenance, better durability and a 10-15 year warranty. The recom-
mendation was easy, as the overhaul process was estimated to exceed 70% of the cost of new SCBA, but would
net no safety improvements and require frequent repair and maintenance as they continued aging. The recom-
mendation was to purchase new SCBA. The SCOTT X3 SCBA was chosen based on the thorough research and
recommendation of the aforementioned Clark County SCBA Selection Committee. At the end of 2018, CWFD
placed an order for the new SCOTT X3 Pro SCBA, with integrated firefighter escape belt and descender, as
well as in-mask thermal imagers for fire officers. The thermal imagers improve firefighter safety while making it
easier to find fire victims. The packs are expected to have a service life of at least 15 years. The cost of the
new packs, associated equipment, and tax, is $332,000 and was purchased from Municipal Emergency Services.
The SCOTT X3 Pro SCBA are scheduled to be delivered and in service in the first half of 2019.
Submitted by,
Captain/Paramedic Ben Silva
2018
Annual Report
Employee Milestones in 2018
Wade Faircloth Career Fire Captain/Paramedic 15 years of service
Mark Widlund Career Firefighter/Paramedic 15 years of service
Chris Richardson Career Fire Captain/Paramedic 10 years of service
Andrew Nichols Career Firefighter/Paramedic 10 years of service
Stephen Carter Career Firefighter/Paramedic 10 years of service
Josh Proctor Career Firefighter/Paramedic 5 years of service
Larry Larimer Career Battalion Chief Retired – 17 years of service
Ron Nickles Career Firefighter/EMT Retired – 13 years of service
Kevin Villines Career Fire Captain/Paramedic Promoted to Battalion Chief
Brad Delano Career Firefighter/EMT Promoted to Captain
Hired
Darr Soli Career Firefighter/Paramedic
Christian Ruddell Career Firefighter/Paramedic
2018
Annual Report
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
