Snoqualmie fire chief reports steady incidents, rising EMS calls and staffing progress in Q3 accreditation report

Chief Bailey presented the Snoqualmie Fire Department's third-quarter accreditation report at the Nov. 3 meeting, reporting generally steadiness in incident volume with a modest increase in emergency medical calls and ongoing staffing and inspection priorities.

The chief said overall incident volume for the year is likely to track close to 2024 levels and that EMS calls have increased by about 5 percent. "We're gonna be right about the same, maybe a little bit under," Bailey said of total incident counts. He added that mutual aid received has increased (about 6 percent) while Snoqualmie-only calls have declined, a shift driven in part by the department's practice of initially dispatching multiple units to alarms and other higher-risk incidents.

On apparatus and readiness, Bailey said a newly acquired engine is fully outfitted and expected to enter service within about two weeks once driver and engineer training is completed. He told the committee crews are finishing the required checks and sign-offs before placing the unit in service.

Performance metrics: The department reported that most turnout times are within 1 minute, 30 seconds and that officers must provide a written explanation for any turnout exceeding that standard. Most in-city travel times were reported within about seven minutes, with a small number of longer responses to outlying areas. Bailey emphasized that accreditation standards and the department's risk assessment require two engines to respond to every fire alarm (residential and commercial) in Snoqualmie, which raises dispatched unit counts relative to neighboring jurisdictions that apply that standard only to commercial alarms.

Inspections and property loss: The department moved from inspecting every business annually to a three-year cycle for lower-risk occupancies; high-risk occupancies (schools, large businesses) remain on an annual schedule. Bailey said the department is behind on the inspection schedule and expects some inspections to be completed in the first quarter of next year, attributing the backlog in part to staffing impacts and probationary-member training requirements. Property- and content-loss figures remain low; the chief reported no property loss from fire in the last two quarters and only a small room-and-contents fire earlier in the year.

Staffing and probation: Bailey announced recent probation completions (firefighters Owens and Ramos), said Lieutenant Peter O'Donnell recently received his first shift as lieutenant and will appear before council on Nov. 10, and reported three firefighters remain on probation (Lowendorf, Duttles and Osaguedes). The department has selected a candidate who is undergoing background checks and a physical with a targeted start date of Jan. 1, which the chief said would reduce the number of probationary members through the first quarter.

Council response: Council member Cotton commended the department's response times and prevention work and asked clarifying questions about mutual-aid unit counts versus calls; Bailey explained the statistical distinction between dispatched calls and the number of units responding. The committee agreed to place the accreditation report on the consent/information part of the agenda rather than as a separate regular agenda presentation.

What to watch: inspection catch-up plans in Q1 and the onboarding schedule for the selected hire (background and physical pending) that will affect probationary staffing levels.