Fire Chief Glen Albright (and valued Kiwanis member), gave the club an update on the fire department. It was an eye opening presentation, with a behind the scenes feel to it.

A “day in the life” of our fire fighters may surprise the public. When they are not actively fighting fires, they are not sitting around the station playing darts or watching tv. There are a myriad of tasks to complete and training to be implemented to ensure that for each call that is received, staff handle the emergency with efficiency and effectiveness.

There are day-to-day operations that must be completed such as updating and developing pre-fire plans. As an example, it is critical to know where exits and stairwells are in larger structures and buildings within the city. If called to a fire, having that pre-knowledge, being able to share that information through a shared database with other agencies, means firefighters can immediately plan for what needs to happen when they arrive on site.

Every day staff are training, training, training. It’s important to have that muscle memory which enables them to go in and automatically know what needs to be done, who needs to be in place, and how they can dovetail their skills to provide a seamless course of action.

Keeping station and vehicle equipment ready for any situation is challenging. With aging equipment, decades old structures, and an ongoing tightening of the budget, the department has to be creative with how to provide services to our community. Keeping buildings and equipment repaired and “ready to go” is an ongoing task.

Our fire department does partner with other area wide departments and agencies, but that has its own issues. Shared training opportunities are on the plus side. As one of only three training towers in the county, we can offer our partners a place to practice structural rescues. The flip side, is how to manage services to city residents with a minimum of increased fees. (There are pluses and minuses to being a city department or being part of a larger service provider).

EMS is always a critical piece in the service plan. Keeping trained and qualified staff, offering ongoing education, and enhancing the medical care we currently give is always a challenge to our chief. But Chief Albright is an experienced, well versed leader who has the background and decades of experience to draw upon. He has been with the Mukilteo Department since 2021, serving as chief starting in 2022.

As part of their community outreach, the department continues to visit students in the Mukilteo School District. They teach a fire safety program to all 2nd graders. Additionally, they have high school DUI simulation training, and also collaborate with the police department for a Public Safety Day. They participate in training exercises for emergency management and update the city’s EOC (Emergency Operation Center).

Last but not least, they have the sweetest mascot, their very fine doggo, Amani. Amani is seen quite often about town, and the whole community loves that pup!

Thanks Chief for sharing “a day in the life…”

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