On Jan. 1, Eastside Fire and Rescue entered an agreement with the Snoqualmie Tribe to provide medical and fire services to the casino and tribal lands.

Eastside Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Richard Burke said that the primary response unit, Station 87 in North Bend, has been receiving an average of one call per day from tribal lands. The department has also inspected the casino to learn about evacuation paths and hydrant locations.

“We’ve been doing a number of walkthroughs with all of our crews through the large casino facility for a better understanding of the fire suppression systems, hydrant locations, evacuation areas,” Burke said. “They do a wonderful job with both security and on-scene response with their own staff. They direct our crews to the scene which provides much better patient care.”

According to Burke, Eastside Fire and Rescue was contacted by the tribe in early 2015 and came to an agreement by the end of the year.

“We were initially contacted early last year. There were a number of issues between the tribe and the city of Snoqualmie and we encouraged them to work out those differences throughout the year,” he said. “We were (told) in November that they ceased talks with the city and were looking forward to us taking over those services. Those contracts came into fruition on Jan. 1.”

Burke said the tribe is also looking at bringing on fire fighting staff on a contract basis at the casino. Both parties are working together to plan fire marshal activity for future events.

“They are going to most likely contract with us for events. They are focused on providing a safe and enjoyable experience for customers as they walk through the door and we are part of that team,” Burke said.