Chief's Monthly Report

West Valley Fire Department

Yakima County Fire District 12

For the Meeting July 8, 2025

Agenda Topic:             Department Monthly Progress Report

Prepared By:              Chief Nathan Craig

Date Prepared:           July 1, 2025

The purpose of this report is to update the Board of Fire Commissioners, Officers Management Team, and fire personnel on recent department activities and progress on strategic objectives.

Personnel

• Current Staffing: Total personnel stand at 90, with 79 on-call members (56 operations, 15 support, 1 Light Duty and 7 on leave). 
• One EMT from Support Services is also participating as EMS only response.
• Hayden Duthie was hired as temporary summer help with a list of projects to complete over the next couple months.

Operations 

In June there were a total of 89 alarms in the district, 24 were ambulance calls.

Incidents:                                                               YTD                   Incidents by Zone       YTD Zone               

Station 51                   7                     45                                13                    84 (24%)

Station 52                   15                   72                                24                    134 (37%)

Station 53                   9                    53                                19                    104 (29%)

Station 54                   5                    27                                7                      36 (10%)

Station 50                   27 (1 Duty)    161                                                       358

Yakima                        2                     3                                 

Ambulance Only         24 (8 Lift)   161                             

Total                                                                522

Incident Type:                     Month                        Type                                                                               YTD

            Fire                              13                    3 bldg (MA, 2AA), 8 veg (4MA, 1AA), 2 car       40

            EMS                             55                    46 EMS, 6 MVC, 3 AMA                                  343

            Hazardous Condition 0                                                                                              5

            Service Call                 10                    7 lift, 3 unauthorized burning                        50

            Good Intent                2                      2 Smoke                                                          34

            False Alarm                 8                      8 AFA                                                              36

Action Taken:                         Month            Type                                                                                          YTD

            Canceled enroute       5          2 AA, 2 AFA, 1 EMS                                                      48

            Extinguishment          14        4 MA, 1 AA, 2 car building, 4 vegetation, 3 burn   38

            Provide BLS                 45                                                                                            279

            Assist Invalid               10                                                                                              42

            Investigate                  14        2MVC, 3 EMS, 2 smoke, 4 AFA, 3 AMA                                       106

            Other                          1          Traffic                                                                             4

Automatic Aid Received (both agencies respond)    Automatic Aid Given                                    

From Highland             0                                  To Highland                0

From Yakima               4                                  To Yakima                   3

From Gleed                 0                                  To BIA                         0

YTD                 13                                            YTD                 6         

Mutual Aid Received 0                                  Mutual Aid Given       2 (YAK)

            YTD                             1                                              YTD                 3         

There were $50,000 in losses from two vehicle fires.  Additionally, 2 acres of wildland were burned.

We responded with a brush truck and strike team leader to Walla Walla last month for a state mobilization request. 

Beginning July 1 dispatch started using the PROQA determinant codes for EMS calls, this allows finer detail for response plans.

Last month I met with the Valley Fire Supervisor Joey Weedin to review our response plans and zones.  We were able to combine some previous zones created for auto aid and refine our response plan geographically.  We eliminated four zones that were specific to auto aid and split zone 1 and 2 into east and west to properly capture auto aid and ambulance response calls.

Response Times:(Target= within 1 mile of station 8 minutes or less, add 2 minutes every mile after) Qualifying Alarms: 45mo, 216yr, Target met: mo. 29 (65%) yr. 146 (68%), Target not met: mo. 16 (35%) yr. 70 (32%).

NFPA 1720 Responses for rural areas (6 FFs on scene within 14 minutes, 80% of the time).             Incidents: 0mo, 11yr, target met mo. 0 (0%), yr 6 (55%), target not met: mo. 0 (0%) yr. 5 (45%).

Recruitment/Retention Preparedby DC Johnston

On June 14th we conducted the Physical Ability testing for the upcoming Fall Recruit academy.  In total there will be Five Firefighters, Three Cadets, and Two Support with the possibility of one Firefighter from Gleed.  Orientation is set for August 4^th. Lt Justin Nickolaus will take the lead on this year’s academy, with myself supporting him as needed.

Department Training and Safety Preparedby DC Johnston

June Drills included: Equipment Check / Station Drill, EVIP Rodeo / Fit Testing, EVIP Road Course, and Officers Choice.

Developed the July Drill Schedule: Equipment Check / Station Drill, OTEP Module 3 (OB / GYN & Childbirth), Highland and Gilbert Fruit Walk-thru, SCBA Quarterly / FF Skills, and Safety Stand Down (Break the Stigma: Behavioral Health Reset”).

On June 3rd we hosted Yakima Fire Department with their Recruit Academy Live Fire training.

On June 28th we hosted Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue with IFSAC Live Fire Testing for 19 of their most recent recruits.  Lt Justin Nickolaus assisted me with the evolution.

On June 30th five of our Members assisted District 5 and the Yakama Indian Nation with controlled burns around firework stands along the north side of Ahtanum Ridge.  Three of the five have open task books (Strike Team Leader, Engine Boss, and Firefighter Type 1) by participating, they were able to acquire some of the required tasks in their respective task books.  

Fire Prevention/Public Education Prepared by Officer Boisselle

We were granted twenty-five night lights from the Department of Health.  These are to be distributed to our elderly community members, as trip and falls at night are an increasing hazard.

We participated in Ahtanum Valley’s, Mt View’s and Cottonwood Elementary schools field day with spray downs.

We hosted a 2-day Safe Sitter course on June 26^th & 27^th.  We certified 15 new Safe Sitters.

Interlocal Coordination

• OIC Wildfire Mitigation:Meetings every Tuesday this month with the OIC and a large stakeholder group working with the insurance industry to properly assess risks for structures in the wildland urban interface.
• BOCC Outdoor Burning:Provided public comment to the BOCC regarding establishing a commonsense ordinance related to residential outdoor brush burning during the wildland fire season.  Developing a workgroup with Fire Marshal, Commissioners, Chiefs, Yakima County, BOCC, and Clean Air with a timeline of developing an ordinance before next June.

Logistics Updates

• Apparatus Updates:
• Tenders 51 & 53 Nozzles: Remote nozzles plumbed and installed on both.
• Brush 51: Bed and boxes being fabricated, on time for August delivery.
• Tender 52: Still at General Fire, the project is behind schedule, GF advises year end, looking for alternatives currently.
• Engines: Ordered two Pierce commercial chassis 4x4 1000-gallon pumpers to replace Engine 54 and 251, 14-month build with potential to be 12 months.

·       Misc: All hose tested by third-party vendor, bar coded and tracked.  Mobile fuel tanks were purchased and installed on old DNR chassis.  Purchased another used CAFS from Selah Fire Department to install in the duty truck.

·        Purchasing Schedule:

o   This month we are finishing the security cameras and displaying our hose cart as well as ordering a new fire rescue manikin for training.

Strategic Plan –

• Action Plan: July starts 3^rd quarter which includes retention data, LOSAP/incentives, update capital improvement plan, review facility needs, budgeting, EVT, fleet review, comparison with other districts, and third quarter newsletter.
• Operational Assessment: Team is working on recommendations section. 

Grants

• Newly Submitted: SAFER Recruitment and Retention grant for hiring an R&R Training Coordinator.  L&I for particulate structural PPE hoods.
• Awarded: DNR Operations grant $100k toward the Brush 51 build.
• Outstanding Requests: Ecology grant for EV fire blankets, IAFC fuel reduction for dump trailer, BLM slip tank. 

Community Engagement and Events

• Online:
• Our updated website is live online, ADA compliant.
• Went over 6000 followers on Facebook end of June.

·        Wildfire Ready Events:

o   The Chip it Don’t Burn it yard waste event held at Station 53 June 28^th 0900-1300 took in 25 yards of chipped material and another 30 yards of debris

o   Next event is Station 54 July 12^th.

Good of the Order

·        NVFC Training Summit:

o   Stipend to attend, Salt Lake City June 20^th and 21^st courses attended: Digitized fire department, generational differences, AI, training on a budget, diversified approach to R&R development, onboarding volunteers assembly line, mentor/mentees.

Respectfully,

Nathan Craig

Fire Chief