PORT ANGELES — The chiefs of the Port Angeles Fire Department and Fire District No. 2 on Monday will present a proposal to consolidate volunteer programs with the Port Angeles Civil Service Commission.
The proposal is still in its beginning stages, and has yet to be presented to the Port Angeles City Council or the district’s board of commissioners, but Port Angeles Fire Chief Dan McKeen and District No. 2 Chief Jon Bugher say, if approved, the idea could result in savings and improved service for people in the Port Angeles area.
“We’re exploring the idea, but we haven’t worked out all the details,” McKeen said.
The idea follows a trend of cooperation between the two firefighting agencies dating back almost six years.
In 2000 the two agencies started an automatic mutual aid agreement, where equipment and resources are dispatched immediately to border areas.
That agreement was updated in 2005.
Also in 2005, the two agencies streamlined their standards and began combining volunteer training to save money and to also build familiarity between the two agencies.
The two departments also began a program where volunteers could belong to both departments.
