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From Chief Jeremy Burns
When I was appointed Chief of the Ephrata Fire Department, I knew that leading the second-largest municipal fire department in Grant County would be challenging.
What was surprising to me was how easy the job is; easy because I have some of the brightest, most dedicated men and women in the county working with me. The Ephrata Fire family has some of the finest women and men working in the fire service today - volunteer firefighters - who have gone on to win "Firefighter of the Year" awards and other community recognitions.
Our firefighters perform quiet acts of heroism every day. However, we believe the one-on-one contacts we have with our customers are the organizational quality that distinguishes us from others.
Statistics show the average person will activate the 911 system only once in their lifetime. So, how will the public's perception of us be formed?
- By a child's description to their parents of a firefighter's visit to the classroom
- The motorist we politely let into the line of traffic while out on routine business
- The grocery clerk who sees us take the cart all the way back across the parking lot to the rack where it belongs
- The stranded motorist we stop to assist
- The friendly and professional service given to the person who comes to our fire station to ask a question
- The business owner or property owner for whom we perform an inspection
We know these contacts have the power to shape perception. The "glory" calls are easy: our training has programmed us to fight fires and save lives. Our department's expectation is to provide Excellence in Customer Service: excellence in both fire service standards and the customer's standards. We accomplish this by having very nice people who are very skilled in firefighting and emergency medical care.
Because of our profession, we will receive respect from much of the public as a matter of course. However, we will never take for granted the fact that we must earn that respect daily as we go about the business of protecting the citizens of Ephrata.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website to learn more about the Ephrata Fire Department. I hope you find it useful as well as educational. If you have feedback, questions/comments for me or my staff, feel free to contact us.
Staff
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Anthony Graaff
Deputy Fire ChiefPhone: 509-754-4666 Ext. 200
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Misty Fairchild
Administrative AssistantPhone: 509-574-4666 Ext. 231
- Why does a fire engine or rescue unit respond when I call for an ambulance?
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The fire department responds to serious or life-threatening calls. The fire vehicle may be an engine, ladder truck, or rescue unit. The personnel assigned to these vehicles assist the ambulance crew with equipment, patient care, and transportation.
- When I call for an ambulance, why does the ambulance sometimes come from Moses Lake?
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During the course of the day, it is not unusual for two calls for the ambulance to come in at the same time. If the AMR ambulance scheduled for Ephrata is busy, an AMR ambulance will be sent from Moses Lake-area station.
- Why do I see fire engines or ambulances go through intersections with their red lights flashing, and then turn them off? Are they just in a hurry to go somewhere?
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Emergency lights and sirens are used only when responding to a call. Apparatus responding to calls are sometimes cancelled, or the first arriving unit determines that the call is not an emergency and tells the units to respond in a non-emergency mode, or to return to their station.