With instincts honed by 40 years on the fire line, Frederick “Ed” Ulrich sifts the debris of tragic fires for answers that could prevent the next heartbreaking catastrophe.
“It’s not adequate to find out if it was preventable,” said Ulrich, 63, who left the Kirkland, Wash., fire department to become fire marshal of North Lincoln Fire and Rescue on May 1, 2018. “We have to take steps so that same fate doesn’t befall someone else.”
Ulrich cracked the puzzling case of a July 4, 2019 blaze that destroyed a national institution. The Otis Café, a destination diner hailed by the New York Times for its pies, burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.
“That was an interesting fire,” recalled Ulrich, who orchestrated the high-profile investigation that included experts from Oregon State Police, Newport Police Department and a private investigator.