South Pierce Fire and Rescue’s Board of Fire Commissioners is seeking candidates for appointment of Fire Commissioner.
Any applicant for this appointment must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter and reside within the boundaries of the fire district. South Pierce provides service to Roy, McKenna, Clear Lake, Harts Lake, Lacamas, La Grande, Ohop, and the unincorporated areas of Pierce County within its boundaries. Service is provided to the Town of Eatonville through an interlocal operational service agreement. Residents of the Town of Eatonville are not eligible for this appointment.
Application: Citizens may submit a letter of interest and resume, beginning Monday, July 26th until 3:00 pm on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021.
Letters of interest, as well as resumes, may be sent to any of the following:
Email: smiller@spfr.org Fax: 253-262-3182 Mail:
SPFR, Attn: Summer Miller
PO Box 898
Eatonville, WA 98328
The South Pierce Board of Fire Commissioners is comprised of five members, elected by the public. Commissioners typically serve a six-year term. This vacancy will be filled by the appointee until the general election of 2023, after which the person elected will serve for the remainder of the term (through 2025).
The board meets monthly to determine level of service, establish goals, type and level of funding, approve budgets, establish tax levies, approve policies, employ key personnel and supervise the fire chief, guide strategic planning and represent the district to the public. All regular meetings are held on the third Monday of every
November is National Diabetes Month, a time when communities across the country team up to bring attention to diabetes. This year’s focus is on taking care of youth who have diabetes.
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in school-age youth in the United States, affecting about 193,000 youth under 20 years old. Regardless of their age, sometimes youth who have diabetes need support with their diabetes care. That is why it’s important to help your child or teen develop a plan to manage diabetes, and work with their health care team to adjust the diabetes self-care plan as needed.
Here are some tips to consider for youth's diabetes self-care plan:
Manage blood glucose levels. Make sure your child or teen takes their medicines as prescribed, at the right time, and the right dose—even when they feel good or have reached their blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol goals.
Encourage healthy habits. Follow a healthy eating plan (especially if your youth is taking insulin), get enough sleep, and aim for regular physical activity. Youth with type 1 diabetes should also check their blood glucose levels before, during, or after physical activity.
Stay prepared for emergencies. A basic “go-kit” could include medical supplies and equipment (at least a week’s worth), emergency and health care professional contact lists, and a medication list, including doses and dosing schedules, and an allergy list Face coverings, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes may also be added to your “go-kit” during a pandemic.
Monitor for diabetes complications. Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce risk for heart disease, vision loss, nerve damage, and other related health problems.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects thousands of school-age children nationwide. Schools have an important role to play in ensuring that student with diabetes have the support they need to stay healthy, enjoy the same opportunities for learning and having fun as their peers, and are prepared to do their best in school.
Among school-age children, type 1 diabetes is more common than type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin, a hormone that helps glucose get into the cells and be used for energy. As a result, the amount of glucose in their blood may be higher than normal, and their bodies may not use glucose effectively. Students with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive.
Other students may have type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes, while more common among middle-aged and older adults, is increasingly being diagnosed among children. In type 2 diabetes, the body may make insulin, but may not make enough to control blood glucose.
For more information on how to help students manage their diabetes, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Managing Diabetes at School and the American Diabetes Association’s Safe at School campaign.
Prediabetes represents a state of increased health risk that is defined by elevated blood glucose in addition to other health risks, such as high blood pressure, abnormal blood cholesterol, and other obesity-related conditions. Identifying patients with prediabetes has important benefits for individuals as well as health systems, Screening for prediabetes and intervening before a patient has progressed to type 2 diabetes offers a hose of benefits such as:
Better Patient Outcomes: Successful lifestyle changes resulting in 5-7% weight loss and increased physical activity can improve patients’ health-related quality of life while helping them to avoid missed work days, reduce medication needs to for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and avoid the psychological stress associated with developing type 2 diabetes.
Cost-Effectiveness: Interventions for prediabetes are highly cost-effective.
Improved population health: The lifetime risk of diabetes diagnosis for Americans is 40%, meaning 2 out of every 5 American adults may be diagnosed. Continuing to provide high quality care for a growing number of people with diabetes will add to existing demands on health care teams and systems. Successfully helping patients with prediabetes to attain normal blood glucose levels or prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes is likely to reduce future demands on health care teams and systems, allowing them to experience higher quality and better outcomes for the fewer numbers of other patients already living with diabetes.
Recognition & Referral: Identifying prediabetes and offering or referring high-risk people to interventions and support are consistent with evidence-based
guidelines for preventive care and constitute important ways of assisting patients and families in self-care management—both of which are necessary for providers and practices to seek and receive recognition from National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
For more information about treating prediabetes, visit: click here!
Did you know there are 2 types of Diabetes?
Get resources and information for you and your patients and participate in the ADA Online Forum for Diabetes & Covid-19.
For more information about ADA COVID-19 Webinar Series, please visit click here!
Did you know that diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in school-age children? You can help your child by developing a diabetes management plan.
To listen to the transcript from Dr. Rodgers about developing a plan today, please visit: click here!
Diabetes takes a toll on more than your body. It's normal to feel emotional strain - and it's important to ask for help.
For more helpful information and tips, please visit: click here!
The Burn Ban for South Pierce Fire & Rescue’s District has been lifted. Please visit https://spfr.org/outdoor-burning/ to retrieve your burn permit application online and for further information on burning regulations.
Please be aware that our fire stations are still closed to the public during COVID-19. If you have any questions, please email burnpermits@spfr.org.
Current burn season: October 5th, 2020 – July 15th, 2021
Mark your calendar! #FirePreventionWeek is October 4-10, 2020. This year’s theme, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” focuses on the importance of cooking safely: Cooking is the leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire injuries.
Follow these tips to prevent a kitchen fire and how to be safe while cooking...
I spy cooking safety!!
Did you know that you can make a difference in the fire safety of every room in your house? Get your spy skills ready! This video teaches children how to spot hazards in and around the kitchen. Get some easy tips to help keep the whole family safe.
How to put out a grease fire
In an effort to keep your home and community safe, please share these tips with friends and family. Knowing how to respond quickly could be the difference between a minor kitchen fire and a devastating disaster.
For more helpful tips, visit https://www.firerescue1.com
Microwave Oven Safety
In an effort to keep your home and community safe, please share these tips with friends and family. Knowing how to respond quickly could be the difference between a minor kitchen fire and a devastating disaster.
For more helpful tips, visit https://www.firerescue1.com
Fire Safety in the Kitchen
With an average of 470 daily fires, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries according to the NFPA Home Cooking Fires Report.
US Fire Departments respond to an average of 172,900 home fires per year involving cooking equipment.
Thanksgiving is the leading day for home fires involving cooking equipment, with more than 3 times the average number.
Ranges or cook-tops account for 3 of every 5 reported home fires involving cooking equipment. Ovens account for 13%.
Unattended cooking is a contributing factor in 31% of home fires related to cooking equipment, 53% of the associated deaths and 44% of the associated injuries.
Make sure to stay informed on how to prevent kitchen fires by visiting www.nfpa.org/cooking for more helpful tips and information.
South Pierce Fire & Rescues regular burn season begins October 1st. However, due to current and predicted dry weather conditions, the burn ban has been extended until further notice.
The burn ban applies to all land clearing and yard debris outdoor burning. This ban does not apply to small recreational fires in established fire pits at approved campgrounds or private property with the owner’s permission. The use of gas and propane self-contained stoves and barbecues are allowed under the ban.
Recreational fires must:
Be enclosed of steel or non-combustible material. Must be solid structure or screened with 1/8” steel mesh.
Standard ring size: max 36” in diameter, between 7 3/8” and 16” high.
Be located in a clear spot with a 10 foot radius free of combustible material, clearance of branches and other overhead fuels 10 feet vertically above the ring
Enclosure/ring must be 25 feet from all structures.
Be attended at all times by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire like hand tools and a charged garden hose or not less than two 5 gallon buckets of water.
Enclosure/ring must be maintained and cleaned after each use.
This ban only applies to residents within the district of South Pierce Fire and Rescue. For residents outside of South Pierce Fire and Rescue, please contact your local jurisdiction for requirements.
If you have an approved burn permit from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and/or your property falls under the jurisdiction of DNR, you are advised to call 1-800-323-BURN for more information.
On May 4th, 2020 Todd E. Wernet was appointed as the Fire Chief for South Pierce Fire & Rescue, bringing 37 years of Fire and Emergency Service background. Chief Wernet has been a part of Bates Technical College as Director of Fire Services, Boeing as an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, and the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant as Interim Fire Chief. Wernet brings an abundance of experience with him to Eatonville from traveling the country, teaching fire departments and community colleges while instructing fire fighters, fire officers, and chief officers in current and pressing topics in the fire service.
Todd is a native to the Puget Sound region and a ministry leader at his church with several family members that share the same passion for the fire service.
We are very proud to have him leading our department, and we are looking forward to serving with him as our Fire Chief. Please join us in welcoming him to SPFR and wishing him the very best.
