All in the family
Published 1:51 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
As I drove through Fall City on a blustery day, I noticed a fire truck in front of a house – its ladder extended across the roof to the chimney at the top of the second story.
Forty minutes later, the rain was pouring down as the winds built up and I drove by the same house, now seeing that two more fire-district rigs had joined the first. That’s when I knew King County Fire Protection District 27 firefighter Jay Bluher would be late for our interview.
We met in a quiet corner of El Caporal Restaurant in Fall City. With south-of-the-border guitar music playing in the background, wind and rain beating on the windows and warm Mexican coffees to sip on, we settled into our conversation.
Bluher had been working at the chimney-fire response I had just witnessed. I asked him if he had ever been scared carrying out his responsibilities as a firefighter.
“… Actually, the fire I just responded to was a little scary. The call came into the station as a ‘simple chimney fire.’ One unit responded. But when we got there, smoke was coming out from the shingles, which usually means [there’s] fire extension from the original source,” Bluher said.
“We entered the house and found it full of smoke. My partner headed up to the attic, but he couldn’t see any fire extension. I was standing below him, and as he wiggled out of the tight attic opening, I saw a bright orange glow.
“Since it was such a tight fit and I’m a smaller guy, I had to get up in there and put the nozzle in. And we had to bring in more help to respond. Afterward, I was a little scared when I thought about what could have happened in there. You just never know about these things; no two responses are ever alike.”
Firefighting is in the Bluher blood. Three generations of Bluhers have served the community as firefighters – Chet Bluher, Jay Bluher’s grandfather; Don Bluher, his father; and Bluher.
“Actually, my grandfather started the volunteer fire organization here in Fall City in the building where the welding shop sits today,” Bluher said. “Eventually, he was appointed chief. He had a full-time job with the Washington State Department of Transportation, but I’ve heard stories about how he spent all his spare time at the fire station, just tinkering with things. And my dad became a volunteer firefighter when he was 18.”
But Bluher never planned on being a firefighter.
“When I graduated from Mount Si High School in 1980, I couldn’t wait to get out of the Valley,” Bluher chuckled. “I moved to Bellevue … I got married, and my wife, Melissa, and I started our family. We would drive out here on weekends, and eventually we decided that Fall City would be a great place to raise David and Annie.”
So, how did Bluher become a full-time firefighter? “Just moving back here, I wanted to do something to contribute to the community. I found that our fire department had a big need for volunteer firemen. So I became a volunteer in 1997 while I was managing the grocery store here in town,” Bluher said. “Then last year, some openings became available for permanent staff and I applied and was accepted, and I’ve been a full-time permanent firefighter in King County Fire Protection District 27 ever since.”
Ask Bluher how he feels about his job, and the quiet-voiced, young firefighter comes alive. “I love it! I’m having a blast,” he said. “I enjoy this work 10 times more than I expected to. I am a part of this community. We love this community and it’s a great place to raise our children. My job is service-oriented, helping people that I grew up with who need me to help them.”
And the need is growing every day. The existing Fall City fire station was designed in 1976 as an all-volunteer facility. At that time, the station recorded responding to 161 emergency calls.
Today, Fire District 27 covers a 26-square-mile area that includes the Snoqualmie River and the Falls and extends to the Duthie Hill Road on one side and into Redmond on the other, with a burgeoning population of more than 6,600 people.
With population growth comes the need for more services, and the district has had a 66 percent increase in firefighting and emergency call responses in the last 10 years – running the gamut of basic life support/emergency medical services, fire suppression, rescue operations, fire prevention, CPR classes and fire prevention education in the district it serves.
“Right now, we have five, full-time firefighters plus Chief Chris Connor, each working 8.5 hour shifts, five days a week, and about 16 to 18 volunteers who respond in the off hours and weekends, with our support,” Bluher said.
But Fire District 27 needs more volunteer firefighters.
“Our volunteer ranks are low right now, particularly in light of all the growth in our service area,” Bluher said, adding that people who are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter should call the station.
Thanks to the voters’ passage of Fire District 27’s Proposition 1 during the recent general election, the existing station will be modernized, and by 2004 will accommodate a 24-hour emergency-response organization, will get seismic upgrades, sleeping quarters, office space, kitchen facilities and funding for additional full-time staff.
“We are one of the last fire districts on the Eastside that does not provide 24-hour emergency response. We are so grateful to the voters in our district who supported our recent proposition,” Bluher stated. “I want folks to know how much we appreciate their support at the polls for our services.”
Has the terrorist activity of Sept. 11 influenced the operations of Fire District 27? “While it’s hard to imagine Fall City as a target for terrorist activity, it made us all more aware of the threat that we might face in light of an attack,” Bluher said.
* For more information on becoming a volunteer fireman or any services provided by Fire District 27, call (425) 222-5841.
