Progress in protection

The East Side Fire District recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with a picnic attended by more than 100 people.

The district covers 90 square miles from Beauty Bay Creek to Harrison.

During the picnic, Chief Doug Allman presented several of the district's honored members - firefighters that served for years and then retired - with a framed photo of the vehicles the district acquired through the years.

"The main purpose of the event was to gather everyone together and take a look at where we've been and where we are at now," Allman said.

Prior to 1993, there was no fire district in the area, Allman said. Residents depended on the limited resources of the Department of Lands for fire support.

"So we tried to run a couple of elections to create a fire district here," Allman said. "But they were all voted down, especially because a lot of the homes here in the area are owned by people who only use them seasonally. Those people couldn't vote and the year-round folks who live more in the hills didn't think we would be able to get to them."

However in 1993, someone discovered a state code that would allow for the creation of an "opt-in" fire district, which let property owners decide whether or not they wanted to support, and be supported by, the district.

"We started with 23 properties," Allman said. "Now we cover about 90 percent of the properties. We have 46 active volunteers who are either firefighters or EMTs. Some are both."

Allman said that anyone interested in volunteering could contact him at the station by calling (208)769-4269.