Good and Bad News for Chelan Fire and Rescue

Chelan Fire and Rescue announced this week that they are working on reconfiguring staffing for 2019 when they will lose six positions when funding from the SAFER Grant program runs out. The staffing model will rely heavily on volunteer firefighters which will allow them to continue meeting firefighter safety standards for interior rescuing and fire fighting. In 2016 CFR ran 885 calls, in 2017 it was 938 calls, a 5.7% increase over 2016. So far in 2018 they are at 712 calls and anticipate ending the year around 1,012 calls, a 12.5% increase over 2016 call volume. The initial on-duty response will continue to be backed up by home volunteer firefighters and off duty firefighters called back to work.

They did announce that the agency has received funding from FEMA of $829,011 to replace their self-contained breathing apparatus. That is expected to improve safety and decrease maintenance costs. Firefighters in Entiat and Orondo also received funding for new breathing equipment.