Here are Inside Bainbridge recommendations for the weekend of January 23-25, 2015:

1. 12th Dog Pet Food Drive for Kitsap Humane Society
When: Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Self Storage, 9300 Sportsman Club Rd. NE
Why: Everything including pet food drives is now pop up. When you drop off a donation of pet food at this pop up, you get your name entered to win one of three cool Seahawks prizes. And let me tell you fair weather fans out there: There is very little swag still to be had so this might be your only chance. The ladies at Bainbridge Self Storage are singing the 12 days of Seahawks: 12 cans of cat food, 12 cans of dog food, 12 pounds of dry food, 12 pounds of kitty litter, and 12 doggie treats. Double up your donation and get two entries. The first prize is a handmade Seahawks fleece throw. Second prize is a custom Seahawks mug filled with—of course—Skittles. Third prize is a handmade Seahawks toque, which you can sport around town and feel sooooooo fine. Prizes will be drawn on January 30.

Tree houses by Elizabeth VanDuine

2. Art Workshop: Cut Paper with Elizabeth VanDuine
When: Friday, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Arts & Crafts, 151 Winslow Way E
Why: We just had a utility knife mishap yesterday, so I’m in awe of anyone known as a utility knife master, but that’s what Elizabeth VanDuine is. Her specialty is Kirie, a Japanese form of paper cutting in which the artist sketches an image and then cuts it out of a single piece of paper. Who knew that had a name?

$85. Discounts are available for students and Bainbridge Arts & Crafts members.

3. Family Fun Night
When: Friday, 5 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Island Aquatic Center, 8521 Madison Avenue N.
Why: Open swim with games for the bathing-suited family.

Natural Ice by Karen Hackenberg

4. Art Talk with Gary Faigin: The Art of Karen Hackenberg
When: Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (Auditorium), 550 Winslow Way East
Why: Gary Faigin hosts a an exploration of the influences and inspirations of Olympic Peninsula artist Karen Hackenberg, which include her unique sense of humor: “In her ongoing series Watershed Moments, Karen presents a light-hearted yet subversive approach to the serious subject of ocean degradation.” I’m laughing already. They explain further: “Painting traditionally with oil and gouache, she lovingly and meticulously crafts beautiful images of conventionally ugly beach cast-offs, creating a provocative juxtaposition of form and idea. There’s a reception following the talk.

Pre-register here.

5. Django’s Birthday Party
When: Friday, 8-11 p.m.
Where: Treehouse Cafe, 4569 Lynwood Center Rd. NE
Why: Didn’t Django just celebrate a birthday party? It’s like he has one every year, and he’s getting really old for a dead guy. Gypsy jazz musicians from around Puget Sound will gather to celebrate the master’s 105th birthday. Hosts are Ranger and the ‘Re-Arrangers,’ and guests include Molly Knell on vocals, Chris Laughbon on trombone, Ann Parker on vocals, and Michael Gurule on alto saxophone.

No cover charge, but donations will be accepted.

6. Great Decisions at the Library: Russia and Its Neighbors
When: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 7968 Finch Road NE
Why: Moderator Laurance Kerr leads an exploration of Russian policy toward its neighbors. Get you reading materials here.

7. Sakai Property Tour (Park in the Heart of the Island)
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Where: 1560 Madison Avenue North
Why: Before you vote, take a tour of the proposed “Park in the Heart of the Island.” Read more here.

Contact John DeMeyer, demeyer@biparks.org, (206) 842-2306.

8. Fire Station Tours
When: Saturday, 12-2 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.
Where: Stations 21 (Madison and 305) and 22 (Bucklin Hill)
Why: Before you fill out your ballot, pay a visit to the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and get a tour of their home and ask your questions. Station 21 is 12-1, and 22 is 2-4. Read more here.

9. Heyday Farm Whole Hog Butchery and Curing Workshop
When: Saturday, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Heyday Farmhouse and Kitchen, 4370 Old Mill Road NE
Why: When you put it that way, it sounds so sweet. Brandon Sheard of Farmstead Meatsmith “honors the whole hog” by slicing and dicing a small Heyday Farm pig, explaining each cut in detail, the appropriate cooking methods, and nitrate-free curing methods. Participants will get “unfamiliar cut” snacks and take home about 3-5 pounds of pig. Run, Wilbur, run!

Register here. $225.

10. Eleven Winery Features Larry Dewey
When: Saturday, 1-4 p.m.
Where: 7671 NE Day Road
Why: “Aging Hippy Folksinger” Dewey returns to accompany your wine tasting.

Free admission.

11. 2nd Annual Arms Around Bainbridge Bingo Night Fundraiser 
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Where: Grace Church, 8595 Northeast Day Road
Why: You get a Moroccan feast including a Chickpea, Spinach, and Harissa stew or a Beef Stew with Kalamata Olives and Golden Raisins and three salads. Plus, there’s a dessert auction. And improv comedy from The Edge. The piece de résistance is Bingo.

Individual tickets are $50 each. Ten-seat tables are $50 per seat. Or you can buy a table for $500 and bring 10 guests. Wait a minute: That all comes out to be exactly the same thing: $50 per person. E-mail armsaroundbainbridge@gmail.com.

12. Student Mountain Bike Ride
When: Sunday, 10 a.m.
Where: Grand Forest
Why: Gear Grinders lead high school students on a “Meet The League” ride. You don’t need skills. Heck, you don’t even need a bike. Get some coaching and use a loaner. After the ride everyone will meet in Pru’s House for power bars and a hot drink.

13. Sensory Sunday
When: Sunday, 10-11:30 a.m.
Where: KiDiMu, 301 Ravine Lane
Why: It’s mild museum time for kids with autism or similar sensory processing challenges.

Register at (206) 855-4650 as space is limited. Last-minute registration is welcome if space is available. Cost per person is $6 for nonmembers and free for members and children under 12 months.

14. Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake at Bainbridge Cinemas
When: Sunday, 12:55 p.m.
Where: Bainbridge Cinemas, 403 Madison Ave.
Why: You can claim to have seen Bolshoi Ballet, tovarisch. True, although live they’re going to be projected on a screen and not actually in the same room with you, but you don’t need to go into the fine details. March 8 you can see a previously recorded performance of Romeo and Juliet. (In Russia do they start things at 5 minutes before the hour?)

Snow January 2012, Strawberry Cannery Park, by Kathryn Keve

15. Beautiful Bainbridge Island
When: Sunday, 3-4 p.m.
Where: Eagle Harbor Book Co., 157 Winslow Way E
Why: Bainbridge photographer Kathryn Keve talks about her book Beautiful Bainbridge Island.

[Updated 1/29/15 at 2:26 p.m.]

Herman Vroom, the head coach for the Bainbridge Island Gear Grinders high school mountain biking team, was able to share more information about the biking accident of middle school coach Jay Abbott on Sunday, January 25. He clarified that the accident happened in Grand Forest East, not at Gazzam Lake as initially reported by Abbott’s wife Darlene Kordonowy.

He explained how the confusion happened. The Gear Grinders had all been at Gazzam the day before, Saturday, with the Cross-Country Team, helping build a new Park District trail, a volunteer activity they frequently engage in—they built a new trail at Fort Ward and helped out with Hilltop. Vroom said, “It’s a great way for students to give back to the Parks Department.”

The new Gazzaam trail will go from the water tower down to Crystal Springs. It will be a bikeable ride but “a challenging one,” unlike the one Abbott fell on.

Vroom is scratching his head, trying to figure out how Abbott, an experienced biker and member of the Geezers of Fury cycling team, could have fallen on the Grand Forest little side trail about 100 yards from Mandus Olson. He said the trail is narrow and with a slight downgrade, but “on that trail it would be almost impossible to hit your head.”

And yet Abbott did, losing consciousness. He also stopped breathing. That’s when one of his middle school riders took charge of the situation, yelling for someone to call 911 and supporting his dad, a teacher who was also riding that day, as he began CPR.

Vroom said the CPR kept Abbott alive during the 9 minutes it took the Bainbridge Island Fire Department to get to the scene. Vroom said that the response time was “surprisingly fast,” especially since the BIFD initially responded to the south end of Mandus Olson and then had to go around to the north end to reach the scene.

[Assistant Fire Chief Luke Carpenter said that the response time was actually 7 minutes and they did not at first respond to the south end. They did, however, send a second unit to the south end as a precaution.]

Abbott is at Harborview and still unconscious.

Abbott is “the most careful rider” Vroom knows. He said Abbott always “harps on student riders to be safe, have fun, and be respectful of other trail users.” Anyone who doesn’t listen, Vroom, said has to face “Captain No Fun,” the persona Abbott sometimes has to adopt.

The team only races four times a year and during their on-Island rides they never race. “It’s really about fun and exploring trails and being courteous to other users,” Vroom said. “We’re never racing unless it’s an official race. No one on the trails appreciates that kind of encounter, and we’re very much aware of that.”

He said Abbott probably drives the students crazy with his emphasis on respect and safety. Whenever they encounter a hiker on the trails, Abbott makes all the riders stop as he chats with the person about Gear Grinders or gives the person’s dog a treat, as a way to reassure canine trail users that the biking team is friendly.

Because of Abbott’s influence, both the high school and middle school teams now always follow the give-a-dog-a-treat tradition.

Another tradition started by Abbott, who joined the team as coach two years ago when middle schoolers were first invited to participate, is the writing of extensive ride reports following each ride. The writer records the route, the conditions of the trail, the weather, and other details to inform further rides. Vroom said that tradition too “has now become our procedure.”

Abbott working on a trail.

Vroom is concluding that on Sunday Abbott must have suffered a dizzy spell or some other precipitating health crisis before the crash. “This is what I have to believe,” he said, “because Jay was a firm believer that despite the little inconveniences life has thrown at him that pursuing these activities was the right thing to do.”

This afternoon, January 28, the mountain biking team and coaches are meeting at Fire Station 21 with counselor Ted Rosenbaum to process Sunday’s event, which was very traumatic for all who were there, Vroom said. Then on Thursday, he said, “We’re having our spinning class as usual. We’ll all be spinning for Jay.”

Assistant Coach John Benjes will be taking over as head coach for the middle school team. Vroom said, “We all know Jay wants the team to continue. We know it’s not the right thing to cut the team. It’s Jay’s passion.”

It’s so much his passion that, according to Vroom, Abbott seems to respond, despite being unconscious, when people at the hospital share something with him about the team. Vroom said it happened when the executive director of the Washington mountain biking league was there and when a teacher visited with cards from members of the biking team.

Kordonowy is asking people to send messages of support to her husband at his Caring Bridge page.

Related Stories

• Gear Grinders Middle School Coach Paralyzed After Biking Accident
• Bainbridge Cyclist Who Collided with Bus Still in Coma; State Patrol Seeks Accident Witnesses
• Accident on 305 on National Bike to School Day Leaves BI Cyclist in Critical Condition
• Emergency Response to Winslow Biking Crash Slowed by Multiple Medic Calls
• Citizens Who Gave Life-Saving CPR to Chilly Hilly Rider Honored at Fire Dept Ceremony
• Chilly Hilly Cyclist Experiences Cardiac Arrest, Is Transported to Seattle
• Fast CPR by Three Chilly Hilliers Saves Fallen Rider in Cardiac Arrest
• Cyclist Injured at Bottom of Wyatt Way, Transported to Seattle
• Bainbridge Teen on Bike Hit by Car: We Need Bike Lanes!
• Letter to the Editor Bike Safety on Bainbridge Island
• Car/Bicyclist Accident at Bucklin Hill and Blakely

Photos by Herman Vroom.

This afternoon, February 16, at approximately 2:40 the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD) received an emergency call for rescue of an injured hiker who had fallen down a steep slope.

The 25-year-old woman had walked down the Close Trail at Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve and on her way back up attempted as a short cut to climb a rope that been left in a mudslide area. The young woman lost her balance and toppled down the slope about 15 feet. She suffered an ankle fracture and other minor injuries and could not walk out. Her parents, who were with her on the hike, alerted the BIFD, which sent out EMTs to hike in to assist.

After assessing the situation, emergency responders called the Bainbridge Island Police Department for assistance with their boat, Marine 8. Officer Ben Sias drove Marine 8 to the beach at the base of the trail, and firefighters carried the patient the short distance to the boat. Marine 8 is designed to land on the beach so patients can be transferred through its bow drop-down door into the boat’s enclosed, heated hatch.

According to Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter the patient was conscious, stable, and not bleeding. She was taken to the city dock and then transported via ambulance to a Seattle hospital.

Related Stories

• Patient Airlifted from Makeshift Landing Pad at Hilltop
• Three-Year-Old Girl and Father Fall off 80-Foot Bluff at Hidden Cove
• Bainbridge Father and Daughter in Serious Condition After Fall from Bluff
• Car Plummets into Ravine as Samaritan Tries to Pull It from Road’s Edge
• Car Shears off Stop Sign as It Flies off Country Club Rd and Lands Upside-Down
• Man Wanted by Police Falls Over 100-Foot Embankment, Is Caught by Blackberries
• BI Fire Department Rescues Disney Movie Star from Perilous Fall Over Cliff
• BIFD Rescues Second Dog in Less Than a Month from Dangerous Cliff Fall
• Collision Sends Two Vehicles Over Embankment at Arrow Point and Venice
• Woman Drives Drunk Down Embankment into Neighbor’s Front Yard
• Morning Commute to School Ends in Ditch

Photo of Marine 8 at Close Trail beach courtesy of BIFD.

Most of us are all too familiar with the experience of hunting for someone’s house in backroad Bainbridge neighborhoods that split and curve every which way with inscrutable, if any, address signage.

The good news is the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD) wants to help you help them find your home, the quicker the better in an emergency when seconds can be a matter of life or death. The BIFD provides free reflective, weather-proof blue and white signs that stand out day or night. Drop by the Madison Avenue station (just north of New Brooklyn Road) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up a sign and your numbers. Group signs also are available for neighborhoods.

Even if your home is pretty well identified, BIFD recommends their address sign. Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said, “The blue signs stand out better than anything else. Responders are trained to look for them.” A firefighter will even come to your home to help you find the best placement for your sign.

The signs are required for all new residences and businesses. Requests for new addresses should be routed through the City of Bainbridge Island Planning Department at 206-780-3750.

Signs are paid for through the Bainbridge Island Volunteer Firefighters Association, a One Call for All nonprofit organization that Carpenter said “has been around since the dawn of time.” Make a donation to the organization here.

Photos courtesy of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department.

Bainbridge resident Russell Melhorn served 22 years in the United States Navy. During the Vietnam War he was exposed to a heavy dose of Agent Orange, a deadly chemical used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicide warfare program.

Since retiring from the Navy Melhorn’s health has deteriorated. Doctors told him that exposure to Agent Orange damaged the bone marrow in his legs. Over time, that damage, combined with complications from diabetes, necessitated numerous amputations overseen and paid for by the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Melhorn, 72, is reluctant to disparage the Navy: “Ninety percent was good, and I try to forget the other 10 percent.” But he said the VA has not been good to him. A partial amputation to his left leg did not heal properly. Melhorn admitted he had maggots in his wound. He said it took six months of requesting medical assistance and finally “blowing up” to get help, which consisted of a complete amputation of his leg. A few years later he said he heard a pop in his other leg and collapsed in the shower. Doctors said his bone marrow “did not resemble bone marrow.” They fully removed his second leg, also up to the groin.

Michael Finley building ramp

Melhorn is on a catheter and relies on an electric wheelchair to move around. The wheelchair is worn looking and makes noises, and about a month ago its elevating function broke. The lift function raises Melhorn 10 inches. Those 10 inches may not sound like much, but they enable him to reach the faucets in his bathroom and the stove in his kitchen. They also are what gets him into bed at night.

When Melhorn’s wheelchair lift failed he called the VA to ask for a repair. He said they contacted the manufacturer but declined to pay the cost of repairing the wheelchair when they learned how much it would be. The VA in Seattle told Melhorn to come for a refitting, giving him an appointment over two months away from the time he called.

Melhorn’s evening caregiver could not lift his 212-pound body into his bed, so Melhorn called the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD). According to Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter, firefighters assisted Melhorn each night for over three weeks. Finally one member of the department decided to take matters into his own hands. Firefighter and EMT Michael Finley assessed the situation and went to work building a platform with a ramp so that Melhorn could get up to his bed. ProBuild on Bainbridge Island provided the lumber to build it.

When I visited Melhorn in his apartment, his morning caregiver from Visiting Angels, Patty Graham, set up the ramp system for me to see. Melhorn explained that he uses a rope on a post to roll himself over at night. Melhorn and Graham were grateful for Finley’s ingenuity and willingness to help.

Ramp system in Melhorn’s bedroom

But Graham is angry about Melhorn’s situation. She explained that just yesterday the VA had promised to send a car to pick up Melhorn and take him to get his glasses fixed. His glasses are cracked on one side, something I noticed right away when I met him. Both Graham and Melhorn said no one showed to pick him up. “I hear him calling repeatedly to get help,” said Graham. “The VA isn’t taking care of him.”

Graham explained that her four-hour shift ends and 10 a.m. and Melhorn is alone until a second caregiver comes at 6 p.m. “He’s alone all day. Anything could happen. He falls. I’ve come back between shifts to check on him. He gets depressed. Sometimes he says it’s not worth living,” said Graham.

Graham prompted Melhorn, “What happened with your heart medicine and insulin?”

“The Navy said I was cured of my diabetes; then I had a heart attack,” said Melhorn. He said after the heart attack he was supposed to take daily heart medication, but the VA took a month to provide it. He said they also failed to supply him with insulin for his diabetes for a few days.

Melhorn has an appointment with the VA for a new wheelchair fitting on May 4.

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• Letter from the Editor: Honoring Julia Bringloe
• Flying Cross Awardee Julia Bringloe to Be Honored at Public Ceremony on Bainbridge
• Bainbridge’s Julia Bringloe 7th Woman Awarded Flying Cross Medal, Amelia Earhart Was the 1st

Photo of Michael Finley courtesy of BIFD. Other photos by Julie Hall.

Emergency response helicopter Airlift 2 made an improvised landing at the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal parking lot just before 8 a.m. today.

The Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD) had called for an airlift transport of a patient with a life-threatening medical condition. As Airlift 2, from Seattle, prepared to land, the pilot discovered that the BIFD Station 21 helipad was below visibility criteria because of heavy fog. The pilot radioed the BIFD, requesting an alternative landing site at the ferry terminal.

Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said the BIFD immediately contacted the ferry crew to request assistance in clearing the terminal’s loading zone parking lot. “We have a great relationship with the ferries. We asked for a solution, and they gave it,” he said.

Within minutes the ferry crew finished loading and launching the outgoing ferry, closed the toll booths, and cleared the parking lot.

The helicopter was able to land safely, and paramedics transferred the patient for transport to Harborview, a 7-8 minute flight time.

Carpenter explained that the BIFD has a list of alternate helicopter landing sites on Bainbridge, including golf courses, the country club, and the Bainbridge First Baptist Church across the street from Station 21. The last time an airlift occurred on an alternate site was last September at Hilltop (read more).

Related Stories

• High School Rower Airlifted Due to Medical Emergency
• Man in Wheelchair Hit by Pickup in Winslow Airlifted for Treatment
• Patient Airlifted from Makeshift Landing Pad at Hilltop
• Driver Airlifted to Seattle After Crashing on Highway 305 at Vineyard Lane
• Car Goes Airborne, Crashes, and Burns Behind Messenger House—Driver Airlifted
• Hiker Rescued from Fall at Gazzam Preserve

Photos courtesy of BIFD. 

At 12:57 this morning, April 18, fire crews were dispatched to Monte Vista Drive for a house fire. A neighbor of the home on fire called 911. Firefighters arrived on scene within nine minutes, but by then the home was fully engulfed in flames. An elderly man had escaped, but his wife was missing, and firefighters had still not located her by about 4 a.m. The man was taken to Harrison.

Firefighters tried entering the home, a large two-story structure, through a second-story bathroom window. From there they hoped to access the bedroom, but as Assistant Fire Chief Luke Carpenter put it, “The floor was spongy,” and it was unsafe for firefighters to proceed.

Eighteen units, including an ambulance and two police cars, were sent to the scene. Engines and tenders from all three stations of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and from Poulsbo and North Kitsap Fire and Rescue responded.

As of 4 a.m., crews were still fighting the fire. Carpenter said he expected crews to be there through the morning. They will have to wait for daylight to begin investigating the cause of the fire.

Photos courtesy of BIFD.

The Bainbridge Island tax districts—COBI, Bainbridge Island Fire Department, Bainbridge Island School District, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Parks and Recreation District, and Kitsap Regional Library —are uniting in a big way for the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. On April 14, the City Council proclaimed the first-ever BI Intergovernmental Recognition of Earth Day. What that means is that all five tax districts have committed to completing at least two environment-enhancing preservation projects with long-term impacts.

Here is what the five districts are pledging to do:

COBI The City’s commitments are (1) to launch an initiative to develop a pollinator pathway and (2) to convert 80 percent of City-owned lighting to LED light bulbs.

BIFD The Department (1) will investigate alternatives in building and system designs to promote sustainable practices and energy solutions in the construction of the two new fire stations and (2) already completed the installation of a diversion system at Station 21, which will prevent wash water from the washing of fire engines and other department vehicles from entering the storm water system.

All projects must be completed in 2015.

Related Stories

• Bainbridge Celebrates Earth Day with Green Home Fair and New Community Center Solar Array
• Island School Teacher Wins County Earth Day Award
• How Did Your Beach Rate in 2014 for Bacteria?
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• This Year’s Chamber of Commerce Award Winners Are All About Sustainability
• Council Approves Tougher Tree and Land Clearing Protections

Photo courtesy of Dave Morris.

The year Butch Lundin first joined the Bainbridge Island Fire Department 50 years ago, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Krushchev was deposed and Brezhnev became the first Secretary of the Communist Party, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, three Civil Rights workers were murdered in Mississippi, and the average U.S. life expectancy was 70.2 years. You might think, then, that Lundin is old, but he’s not. That’s because in 1964 when he joined the department he was only 16.

The young Lundin got his driver’s license on his birthday that year and, in his own words, he “was a speedster,” flying around Winslow in his 1958 Fiat. Then-Chief Hayden Callahan was of a mind that Lundin “should put his foot into something more important,” like a fire engine. So he recruited him for the department. Lundin spent a probationary year with the department and then, in August of 1965, became an official member of the volunteer department’s roster. Nowadays, recruits have to be at least 18.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Just because Lundin isn’t old, however, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have perspective on the time span. Lundin said that the job has changed a great deal over half a century. Back then, he explained, there were two fires to every one aid call, and now it’s about seven aid calls to every one fire-related call, which usually turns out to be nothing more than an alarm activation.

The reason, he explained, is primarily that back then there were no smoke alarms. Also, in the time since, the “technology behind keeping people healthy has gone crazy.” Bainbridge has changed too. It is now more of a retirement community, and the department responds to a lot of calls for falls. And people’s attitudes have changed. Lundin said that, in the old days, people didn’t want to call 911, and now they may call for minor reasons.

But Lundin’s philosophy is that “every emergency is their own. It’s our job to do the best we can to take care of the person’s emergency and treat everyone the same.” He added, “I think I’ve done that in my career.”

Lundin has changed over the years, too. When he was young, he said, he was disappointed to be sent out on an aid call. Now, he said, “It’s oh no. It’s a fire.”

Many Hats

Over the years, Lundin has worn many hats in his job. In 1973, he was accepted into the Medic One pilot EMT program where he earned his first EMT certificate. A year later, he was hired to work part-time at the Bucklin Hill Fire Station 22 to maintain the department’s vehicles and to dispatch for BIFD and the Winslow Police Department. The year after that Kitsap County CENCOM hired him for six months to train dispatchers to use the brand-new countywide 911 system. In 1978, he was hired as a full-time paid firefighter/EMT. He was promoted to Captain in 1985. Lundin even served as acting Chief of the department from 1988 until 1993.

Innovations and Enhancements

During his long career, Lundin has been behind many departmental innovations and program enhancements. He helped start the High School CPR training program in 1982. Someone in the department just calculated that, in the 32 years since, Lundin has taught over 10,000 students how to save lives.

In 1984, Lundin helped establish the Bainbridge Island Paramedic Program, which started out as a subcontracted program, he explained. They had been using off-duty subcontractors for medical responses out of Seattle, since it was all they could afford. With the doctors at the Winslow Clinic and the Seattle paramedics, they were able to save lives until the paramedic program was established.

In 1989 he launched the department’s Auto Extrication Program. He also purchased and designed the first and subsequent medic units and aid cars.

In 1985 Lundin was appointed Medical Officer, in charge of the new EMS system. In that capacity, he partnered with the Seattle FD to help develop the first countywide Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) program, the precursor to today’s Disaster Prep program. London said they took the new MCI program to the rest of the county. The Department of Emergency Management (KCDEM) began testing the system and then adopted it countywide, “hopefully improving on it since then.” For ten years, BIFD ran the training exercises for MCI. Lundin said, “At the time we had one of the best programs if an incident happened in the whole area.”

Lundin also helped the department purchase its first rescue boat, which came in mighty handy during an incident in Hood Canal in 1980.

Stories

The Hood Canal Bridge had blown apart in 1979, and the ferry system was using a barge and tug to ferry people from Lofall to South Point. But on February 22 of 1980, a propeller shaft sheared off the tug and caused it to roll under the barge. Three people on the tug were immediately thrown into the water. Lundin and a fire chief showed up on the rescue boat and pulled one of the men out of the water and onto the rescue boat. The other two men were also pulled from the water, alive.

The men told Lundin that two crewmen had been inside the tug at the time of the incident. So Lundin grabbed an oar and began rapping on the hull of the boat, which remained above water, something which many of us had seen some years earlier in The Poseidon Adventure. His rapping was immediately echoed back by someone inside. But Lundin pointed out that in real life if anyone had drilled a hole into the hull of The Poseidon, as they do at the end of the film, the whole thing would have sunk.

So, instead, he marked the spot on the hull with an x written in the slime and then called on the Navy at Subbase Bangor for assistance. A Navy diver was able to swim under and into the boat with a spare breathing apparatus. He pulled the trapped man out to safety. Lundin said the man’s eyes “were as big as silver dollars” when he emerged from the water. The trapped man had survived in an air bubble in pitch black for an hour and a half. The other crew member trapped inside did not survive.

The year before, Lundin put out a house fire by himself when the rest of the department was at a softball game in Olympia. The call came in for an appliance fire, which Lundin figured he could handle himself. He drove an engine to the fire, which was on Gideon off Ferncliff. On approach he saw smoke and then, as he got even closer, he saw flames coming out of the windows.

He grabbed a booster hose and looked in the front door and saw an elderly woman rocking in a rocking chair. She was unable to get up and out of the chair, but she pointed him in the direction of the pantry where the fire was.

The fire had started in an appliance, but by then it had blown out the windows to the pantry. Lundin sprayed water all around the room and then shut the door. He returned to the woman and dragged her in her chair onto the porch.

He went back to the pantry and there were still flames inside. He reapplied water. At the time, there was no portable radio, so he had to return to the truck to call for backup help. When he went back inside, Lundin said he looked behind him and he saw a man dressed in a dark suit. He asked the man if he knew what airpacks were. The man said he was a volunteer firefighter out East and he did know, so he fetched one for Lundin and helped him put it on so he could search the house to see if the fire had spread.

Two more firefighters showed up. Lundin asked them if they had seen the man in the black suit. They had seen him get in a car with other black-suited men and drive off. Lundin later found out the man was an FBI agent. He and his colleagues were on their way to make a bust on Wing Point having to do with Columbia and coffee. The FBI agent had asked his driver to stop so he could assist with the fire. Then he jumped back in the car and they tore off to make the bust.

Lundin also had the opportunity during his career to save the life of the doctor who had helped birth him, the aptly named Dr. Thomas Bourns, at the Winslow Clinic.

What’s Next

Lundin said, “I never did anything by myself.” He explained that he was always one of the few paid people in the department so that made him either the chairperson or the facilitator “with great buy-in from volunteers.” Those volunteers, he said, “set the standard for what we are today. We have one of the best emergency organizations in the nation because of volunteers and their dedication.”

He feels it is the right time to leave because the department has just brought on new hires. Instead of starting with their training, he’ll step aside and let them be trained by the people who will be there throughout. But Lundin did attend their graduation on the 17th. Their new captain, Dave Dilley, who has served as the training captain, will take over for Lundin, and firefighter Chris Schmitt will assume leadership over training.

Lundin will now occupy himself with the 3.5-acre farm he and his wife Becky bought in Poulsbo and with his lifelong obsession with classic cars. Lundin said that his wife says he has “mad car disease. My wife is very supportive of me. That’s always a good thing when your spouse is supportive of your wild hobbies.”

Currently, Lundin has five restored cars, and there are five more in the works. Lundin said, “We’ve got chickens. I’ve got a tractor. I’m not worried about having something to do.” But he thought he might try to do some fire department volunteering “after things get settled down.”

The community is invited to celebrate Captain Lundin’s retirement on Saturday, May 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Station 21, 8895 Madison Avenue.

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Photo courtesy of BIFD.

One hundred and twelve fit and well-groomed men and women lined up outside the front entrance to Sakai this morning, June 6, for a chance to earn one of four coveted full-time positions on the Bainbridge Island Fire Department. They were there to take the 2-hour written test of 100 questions selected by Training and Safety Officer Captain Dave Dilley.

Chief Hank Teran said that the top 24 candidates after today’s test will be invited to take the practical test June 15-16, when they will be assessed on their hands-on skills and responses in scenarios. Teran will receive the final, ranked list by the end of June. Then candidates will need to go through background checks and finally a doctor-administered physical exam.

The four who are hired from the list will be taken on for a 12-month probationary period.

The reason there are four openings is that voters approved the February levy requesting three additional hires to open Station 23 on Phelps. And a department firefighter recently resigned because he lives in Snohomish and he got an offer from the Snohomish fire department—with a much easier commute.

The last time the BIFD was looking to hire people they administered the test to the first 100 candidates who showed up and applied. This time, Dilley explained, the application process happened online so there was no need for people to camp out overnight to get in line. Today the candidates who showed up already knew they were going to be given the test. Dilley said the new online process is probably saving the department some 80 man hours, most of it data entry.

The test, which measures firefighter and EMT skills, includes a small mathematics portion. But no calculators were allowed and all electronic devices had to be turned in beforehand. Candidates were only allowed two number 2 pencils.

Ten of the candidates are current BIFD volunteers. One of them, Scott, is also a real estate agent. He said he has a military background, and firefighting is more in line with his interests.

Most candidates are from the Puget Sound area, but Dilley thought at least a couple were from out of state. One of the outliers, Michael, traveled from the San Juans, which required that he arrive last night. Another, Craig, is a volunteer in Puyallup.

Four of the candidates were women. Although there was no age limit, most of the candidates looked to be between their early 20s and mid-30s.

Before the test, Chief Teran addressed the test takers who were distributed around lunch tables in the gymnasium. He said he wanted to have the best department in the State of Washington and the main part of that is the quality of the people. He stressed that the BIFD is a community-based FD. If any of the candidates simply wanted to put in their work hours every day and then just go home, he said, the BIFD is not the right fit as our firefighters are very involved in the community. He also emphasized that volunteers and career people work side by side, and labor and management “get along well.”

After his remarks, Dilley gave instructions, and then the candidates bent over their tests and got to work.

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• Fire Station Sits Empty, Leaving North Islanders in Hot Spot

Photos by Sarah Lane.

Today, June 17, around 11:45 a.m., the smoke alarm was activated at the Pavilion on Madison. The Bainbridge Island Fire Department evacuated the building as a precaution and then set about investigating the cause of the alarm and the source of the smoke that seemed to be coming out of the HVAC system.

When the building owner mentioned there was a work crew on the roof, firefighters determined that a worker had been doing soldering work on the HVAC equipment. He had generated enough smoke to trip the alarm.

Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said that people were allowed to re-enter the building after about 15 or 20 minutes.

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Photo courtesy of Commercial Brokers Association.

The unofficial results from yesterday’s (August 4) primary election have Lynn Smith leading opponent Duncan Macfarlane by more than 1,500 votes in the race for Bainbridge Island School District. Since only about 3,500 people voted, that lead is large: 72 to 26 percent. Smith and Macfarlane will both head into the general election.

Former candidate Tatiana Epanchin-Troyan, despite having dropped out of the race, earned 1.9 percent of the votes. There were also 22 write-ins.

Incumbent Mev Hoberg is running unopposed for School Board. Tim Kinkead and Renard E. Burnett Sr. will be competing for the District 4 Position on the Board.

In November, voters will also be asked to choose one of City Council at-large candidates Pegeen Mulhern and Ron Peltier. The winner will be taking the seat of outgoing Councilmember Steve Bonkowski.

Incumbent Councilmembers Sarah Blossom and Michael Scott are running unopposed, as is Kol Medina who is seeking Mayor Anne Blair’s seat.

Incumbent Scott Isenman  and Timothy S. Carey are running unopposed for Bainbridge Island Fire Department Commissioners. 

In the race for Kitsap County Sewer District No. 7, in Fort Ward, Sarah Lee and Mary Victoria Dombrowksi are competing for Commissioner Position 3.

Incumbent Ken Dewitt and John Grinter are facing off for the Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District Commissioner Position 2. Incumbent Jay Kinney is running unopposed for Position 4.

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Photo courtesy of Vox Efx.

Islanders are doing their part to fight the fires throughout the state, which as of yesterday, August 25, had consumed more than 709,000 acres in Eastern, Central Washington and Skagit County, according to the Department of Emergency Management. The help comes from our fire department and from our city government.

Bainbridge Island Fire Department personnel are working alongside more than 2,600 other firefighters and soldiers on the front lines.

BIFD at First Creek Fire

BIFD’s Tender 23 is assigned to Division M of the First Creek Fire. On August 22, the crew supported an operation to help save more than 20 homes from advancing fire. Tender 23 has a water capacity of 3,000 gallons. It made 20 trips to support the more than 100 firefighters working in Division M.

BIFD’s Engine 21A is part of task force made up of BIFD and Poulsbo Fire Department members, two structural engines, and three brush engines. The task force is assigned to the First Creek Fire on Lake Chelan’s south shore. The team is protecting buildings, handling incident management, and working on the fire lines. The BIFD engine crew works from 6:30 p.m. until 9 a.m. every day.

On August 3, BIFD was also asked to provide assistance to the Emerald Ridge Fire in Pierce County. Brush 21 and a taskforce leader responded.

BIFD at First Creek Fire

The City of Bainbridge Island has agreed to donate the time of Community Engagement Specialist Kellie Stickney to the cause. She will be working at the Okanogan fire to help as a Public Information Officer. Her expenses are being paid for by FEMA. She leaves for her assignment tomorrow, August 27, and returns September 1.

BIFD at First Creek Fire

Haze from fire across Lake Chelan

BIFD at First Creek Fire

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Photos courtesy of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department. Map courtesy of Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Earlier this afternoon, August 30, 8,600 Kitsap customers still had no power. Puget Sound Energy reports that most of those customers were on Bainbridge and in North Kitsap. At 5 p.m. there were just over 50 Bainbridge customers still in the dark.

Two additional crews are expected to arrive at the Kitsap Storm Base this evening, and PSE says they will be immediately directed to Bainbridge to help with the restoration efforts there. PSE reports that they expect all customers in Kitsap County to have power restored by Tuesday, September 1, at 6 p.m.

PSE is reporting that more than 1,800 locations in their service area experienced damage to the electric system during this weekend’s storm. About 70,000 customers were still without power as of 2 p.m. today. By 5, the number had been reduced to 57,000.

Despite the effects of the storm in Kitsap, Whatcom and Skagit counties were the hardest hit, followed by North King County. PSE says that 60 line crews and 16 tree crews are working to help with restoration efforts. These crews include crews brought into the area from as far as British Columbia.

PSE and the Bainbridge Island Fire Department remind you to treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others away from them.

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Photo courtesy 0f Puget Sound Energy.

This afternoon, August 31, the Bainbridge Island Fire Department announced that the Phase Two burn ban has been lifted. What that means is that recreational fires less than three feet in diameter and at least 25 feet from buildings and combustibles are allowed at this time. Fires in outdoor fireplaces and campfires in approved locations in campgrounds are also permitted.

Kitsap County Fire Marshal David Lynam attributed the lift to the recent precipitation: “The rain over the weekend was a welcome sight —and it provided some relief.” But the Phase I burn ban on general outdoor burning remains in effect. Lynam explained that “A good deal more moisture that hangs around long enough to be absorbed by fuels is needed before the Phase I ban can be lifted.”

Lynam urges caution even with the ban lift: “The biggest help we can be to the east side of our state is to be sure nothing gets going on this side.” And Bainbridge Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter reminds people to follow basic safety rules: “Always clear dry grass and other combustibles away from the fire area, always have a garden hose or other means of extinguishing the fire readily available, and never leave a fire unattended.”

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Photo courtesy of J Wynia.

At 3:23 Sunday morning, October 4, a fire in the living room of a vacant third floor condo apartment at Island Crossings on High School Road activated one of the apartment’s emergency sprinklers. The sprinkler extinguished the fire, but the water flow alarm was triggered, alerting everyone in the building to the fire. The Bainbridge Island Fire Department arrived on scene and helped evacuate all residents of the building.

The Bainbridge Island Fire Department investigator examined the scene at the apartment. He determined the origin was suspicious in nature and called the Bainbridge Island Police.

Police Chief Matt Hamner said about the fire, “Clearly it was not accidental.” Detective Scott Weiss is heading up the criminal investigation.

According to Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter, “The sprinkler system worked as designed.” As was supposed to happen, of the two sprinkler heads in the condo’s living room only the one closest to the flames was activated when its sensor detected a temperature of 155 degrees. It was enough to douse the fire.

The apartment sustained fire and water damage. Hamner and Carpenter would offer no details about the fire’s origins as it is under investigation.

Photo by Julie Hall.

Kyle Moerke, a firefighter with and the Health and Wellness Coordinator for the Bainbridge Island Fire Department, says the BIFD has been proud to wear pink for the last four years. He’s referring to the pink T-shirts the firefighters don annually to assist the Susan G. Komen organization’s awareness efforts in their fight against breast cancer.

But Moerke and his colleagues wanted to help local people more and to do more than just raising money for research. So the department began making its own pink T-shirts and selling them to raise money for Arms Around Bainbridge, the local organization that supports Island residents in health and financial crisis. Their sales have generated $1,400 for AAB over the last two years. And this year Moerke contacted AAB board member Heather Burger and asked what they could do to help an Island resident directly.

Burger connected the BIFD with one of AAB’s current recipients, Nellie Thomas. Burger knew that Thomas, who has been battling cancer for 13 years, was also dealing with dangerously rotting decks and front steps at her home. She didn’t need the extra worry about falling through a rotting board. So yesterday, October 14, 17 volunteer and career firefighters showed up at 9:30 a.m. at Thomas’s home, which she shares with her wife Kathy Rickard. The firefighters brought lumber, a table saw, and lots of energy. Two of the firefighters were on the day’s duty crew and were ready to leave if a call came in, but the rest were volunteering their off-duty time for the cause.

Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter provided the crew with a pizza lunch, and they wrapped up the work by early afternoon, leaving Thomas and Rickard with a solid deck, front steps, and back porch.

Thomas’s long struggle with illness began as breast cancer but then spread to her bones and is now in her brain. Gamma-knife surgery removed most of the lesions from her brain but left her with vision damage and hearing loss. AAB provided her with special eyeglass lenses to help her see. They also have helped Thomas with crippling insurance bills and the cost of her supplements. AAB connected Thomas with the Lion’s Club, which provided her with her hearing aid.

Unfortunately, doctors missed one of Thomas’s brain lesions, and Rickard said she is trying to get an Angel Flight for her to Boston so she can be treated at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The Institute has made breakthroughs in treating brain cancer with chemotherapy and molecular drugs—Thomas doesn’t want to undergo another gamma-knife procedure, which could result in the loss of her vision.

Burger said AAB has six active recipients of the organization’s support. Since its inception in 2007, AAB has raised more than half a million dollars for recipients. Burger says their goal is to become a greater-than-$100K-per-year organization. Toward that end, they are hosting their annual and always sold out Bingo night on the second Saturday of January at Grace Church.

Want to help? Make a donation to AAB here. Or you can stop by Station 21, at Madison near 305, to buy one of the few remaining BIFD pink breast cancer awareness T-shirts for $20. All proceeds go to AAB.

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Photos by Sarah Lane. Featured photo shows Thomas with Burger and BIFD crew.