Port Angeles ranks No. 95, and that suits the fire chief right down to the ground.
In the continuing Internet cavalcade of “best places” to live, work, hike and bike, Port Angeles late last month fetched up in the top 100 cities to be an emergency medical technician (EMT) or the more highly skilled paramedic, according to the data-analyst firm www.GoodCall.com.
“I think that’s absolutely fantastic,” said Ken Dubuc, chief of the Port Angeles Fire Department.
“I would say that’s pretty true. I know that firefighter-paramedics love working here.”
The city ranked as it did primarily because of its popularity with job candidates, meaning competition is keen for the jobs GoodCall said pay $58,670 per year, third-highest among departments it surveyed across the country.
“They earn every penny of it,” Dubuc said, citing the nearly 5,000 calls his personnel roll out on each year from Port Angeles’ single fire station at 102 E. Fifth St.
Larger communities with more stations average fewer calls, he said.
“There’s a sense of pride because we work hard,” he said.
The Port Angeles department is a magnet for firefighter-paramedic trainees from as far away as Boston, drawn here by the variety of calls they answer and the way they are treated, Dubuc said.