Vashon Island Fire & Rescue is moving ahead with developing a rescue swimmer program, after various members of the district were divided in recent months about the program’s merits.
At the Aug. 28 board meeting, the five commissioners voted unanimously to direct Chief Charlie Krimmert to draft operating protocols for the program, which the district first launched in 2016, but never fully implemented.
“Now I have to create a program that I think is fiscally responsible and provides the maximum safety for the community and my firefighters,” Krimmert said in a conversation following the meeting.
Chair Brigitte Schran Brown was instrumental in the creation of the program three years ago, securing funding from Vashon Rotary to purchase a rescue paddle board, two wet suits and other equipment for the three members of the department who volunteered for the training.