FIRE DANGER
High, recreational fires and charcoal BBQ's allowed. Please have water on site and use common sense when burning.
BURN PERMITS
EMERGENCY UPDATES
NONE.
Wildfire Mitigation and Risk
There has been a lot of concern about wildfire here on Lopez since the recent, tragic events in Maui. The County Fire Chiefs, County Emergency Management, and our partnering agencies met August 22nd to put together messaging to answer some common questions we have all been getting, that document is posted below. I invite you to click the link below to sign up for the County Dept of Emergency Management reverse 911 emergency alert system. You don't need to be signed up to get alerts but this will allow alerts to be sent to you via the phone numbers and email addresses of your choice. Click on San Juan County Emergency Management below to access their full site. As Always, Lopez Fire and EMS is available for Fire Wise visits to your home, call or use the contact link in the menu above to request a visit.
August 22nd Beverly Lane Incident
Press Release
August 23rd, 2023
SAN JUAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT 4
Lopez Island Fire and EMS Department
2228 Fisherman Bay Road
Lopez Island, WA 98261
On Tuesday August 22nd at 4:49 pm, Lopez Fire and EMS responded to a structure fire in the 200 block of Beverly Lane. The fire was called in to 911 by a neighbor who saw flames outside in front of the structure. The first arriving officers found heavy flames to 75% of the structure and in the yard directly in front of the structure. This incident was originally reported as a wildland fire and our first arriving attack unit, a wildland engine, pulled a small hose line, to begin suppressing the heat and flames. This unit was quickly followed by a structure engine that pulled larger attack lines and suppressed the fire. A water tender arrived and ran a supply line from the hydrant at the intersection of Beverly Lane and Ferry Road. The fire was extinguished at approximately 5:30 pm and firefighters spent the next few hours extinguishing hot spots. Fire personnel cleared the scene at 8:30 pm with one person remaining to watch for flare ups until 10:00 pm. Lopez Fire and EMS was assisted by San Juan County Sheriff’s Deputies and a Washington State DNR helicopter crew, who saw the plume of smoke while leaving a fire on Lummi Island and came to assist in any way they could. They were utilized to mop up hot spots in the surrounding trees and salal, which had minimal spread due to moisture content.
The San Juan County Fire Marshall was at the site at 8:30 am Wednesday morning to begin an investigation, which is ongoing. No cause has been determined at this time, but it appears to have originated outside the structure on a deck.
The structure and its belongings are a total loss. There were no residents home, and nobody was physically hurt because of this fire.
Lopez Island Fire and EMS
is currently accepting applications for Volunteer Firefighter and EMT positions!
We are recruiting for an EMT class sponsored by San Juan EMS and a fire academy sponsored by San Juan County Fire District 3 on San Juan island. Both classes are hybrid with some on line course work and some in person skills session and they both start in January of 2024. For more information contact Lopez Island Fire and EMS or fill out and turn in a volunteer application.
ABOUT
San Juan County Fire District No. 4 is a rural fire district that serves Lopez Island in the San Juan archipelago in Washington state. Lopez Fire and EMS operates from 4 stations providing emergency services to a 29 Square mile first due response area with a year-round population of approximately 2700 that more than doubles with vacationing visitors. The community is a mixture of residential, agriculture, forest land, and commercial with some industrial manufacturing facilities and a wide variety of recreational areas. The community is heavily impacted by tourism, with visitors coming to utilize the area for outdoor activities. This includes fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, and boating. Population increases can fluctuate up to 7,000 visitors at any given time, depending on the season.
The fire district is governed by a 3-member elected board of Fire Commissioners and is operationally overseen by the Fire Chief who works with very capable administrative and field personnel. Currently Lopez Fire and EMS has 3 career Captains on rotating 48-hour shifts and 1 career Firefighter EMT who works 10-hour days. The majority of emergency personnel respond from home to our 4 fire stations strategically located throughout the island. Lopez Fire and EMS provides the community a wide range of services utilizing career and volunteer personnel, including structural and wildland firefighting, ALS/BLS ambulance transport services, rescue services, and operations Level HAZMAT.
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San Juan County Fire District 4 is funded through both a general tax levy and an EMS levy. Together these levies generate approximately 94% of our operating revenue. The second source is fee-for-service Advanced Life Support services, which generates 3% of our operating revenue, Lopez Fire and EMS never bills Lopez Island residents for services not covered under insurance.
Partner Agencies
