Fire District 5 Protecting What Matters

Thanks to the efforts of Snohomish County Fire District 5 firefighters, the Sultan Volunteer Firefighters Association is slated to receive a $2,000 grant for caring for seniors in the Sky Valley community.

The funds will be awarded through the new Safeco Insurance program “Protecting What Matters,” which partners insurance professionals with local fire districts or Red Cross chapters to provide free education and outreach to the community.

The event in Sultan was hosted by Lynnwood insurance company PLC Insurance, based on a connection between PLC Personal Account Manager Louise Johnson and Sky Valley Senior Center volunteer activities director Lois Arnold.  

“It’s a new program Safeco started, and we’re hoping that they continue it,” Johnson said. “The funds are for the fire department or the Red Cross, depending on who is providing the education.”

The program encourages free education and outreach efforts by first responders or emergency services specialists that provide a benefit to the community. In Sultan, firefighters from District 5 visit the Sky Valley Senior Center every other Tuesday to take vitals, including blood pressure and pulse — an activity that qualifies for the program. In other cases, Safeco’s Protecting What Matters funding has been awarded for free CPR and fire extinguisher safety classes.  

Grant criteria stipulates at least five community members participate in the outreach, Johnson said. This was easy for District 5, since the blood pressure checks take place during lunch hour at the senior center. When Johnson heard about the free wellness care, she was inspired to apply for the funding.

“It’s the first time they’ve done this, and we’re hoping they’ll do it again next year,” Johnson said.

District 5 Lt. Ron Bertholf was onsite during last week’s outreach, along with firefighters Hever Gil, Jason Gwilt, Schuyler Murphy and Sean Siegel. The $2,000 will go to the District 5 Sultan Volunteer Firefighters Association, a 501(C)3 nonprofit that helps support safety in the Sultan community.

Association funding has been used to purchase medical equipment for the aid units, life jackets for the department’s life jacket loaner program and CPR mannequins used during free community CPR classes.

“We kick in money for different things throughout the year, so it goes back into the community,” Bertholf said.
For more information about Fire District 5, visit facebook.com/Snofire5.