Fire District 1 promotes six to rank of captain

From left, Ron Schmitt, Kevin Fetter, Rob Gullickson, Keith Sharp, Chris Karg and Todd Wigal have been promoted to the rank of captain by Snohomish County Fire District 1. They were recently sworn-in during a badge-pinning ceremony at a Board of Commissioners meeting at Fire District 1 Headquarters.
From left, Ron Schmitt, Kevin Fetter, Rob Gullickson, Keith Sharp, Chris Karg and Todd Wigal have been promoted to the rank of captain by Snohomish County Fire District 1. They were recently sworn-in during a badge-pinning ceremony at a Board of Commissioners meeting at Fire District 1 Headquarters.

Six firefighters promoted to the rank of captain were sworn in at the Snohomish County Fire District 1 Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night.

Captains are responsible for supervising shift personnel at the fire station level — overseeing a crew of three to five firefighters. New captains at Fire District 1 are:

Kevin Fetter assigned to Edmonds Fire Station 17. Fetter completed his paramedic training at Midland College in Texas and is pursuing a degree in fire administration at Bellevue College. He began his fire service career in 1990 with the Midland Fire Department in Texas. Fetter has been a firefighter/paramedic with Fire District 1 since 1997. Fetter has been a leader in the district’s health and wellness program. He is a certified as a health fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine and a peer fitness trainer with the American Council of Exercise.

Rob Gullickson assigned to Mariner Fire Station 11. Gullickson began his fire service in 1988 as a volunteer and was hired full-time in 1990 by Fire District 11, which merged with Fire District 1 in 2000. In 2002, Gullickson graduated from the paramedic training program at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He has worked most of his career at Mariner Fire Station 11 and Lake Serene Fire Station 23. Gullickson was recently elected vice president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1828.

Chris Karg assigned to Hilltop Fire Station 22. Karg started his career in the fire service in 2005 as a volunteer at King County Fire District 20 in Skyway. He was hired by the Edmonds Fire Department in 2007 and transferred to Fire District 1 in 2010 as part of a department consolidation. Karg is a co-author of the district’s ladder truck manual and an instructor for live-fire training and the Snohomish County ASCERT training program.

Ron Schmitt assigned to Hilton Lake Fire Station 12. Schmitt earned his degree in kinesiology in 1995 and completed his paramedic training at Central Washington University in 1999. He has been a firefighter/paramedic with Fire District 1 since 2001. Schmitt is also a hazardous materials technician. Prior to joining Fire District 1, Schmitt was a volunteer firefighter in Whatcom County and at Lacey Fire District 1 and worked for ambulance companies in Seattle and Lewis County.

Keith Sharp assigned to Hilton Lake Fire Station 12. Sharp earned his associate’s degree in fire science at Spokane Valley Community College and served five years in the U.S. Army military police. Sharp began his fire service career in 2003 at the Spokane Fire Department. He was hired by Fire District 1 in 2005. Sharp is a hazardous materials technician and a member of the Fire District 1 Honor Guard. He has been an acting captain since 2009.

Todd Wigal assigned to Fire Station 10 north of Lynnwood. Wigal earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Washington State University and associate’s degree in fire officer development at Edmonds Community College. Wigal began his fire service career in 1995 as a volunteer with the Colfax Fire Department. He also worked for the WSU Fire Department and Burlington Fire Department prior to being hired by Fire District 1 in 2005. Wigal is a member of the technical rescue team and the Fire District 1 Honor Guard.

Fire District 1 is the largest provider of fire and emergency medical services in Snohomish County, with full-time staffing at 12 fire stations. The district serves nearly 200,000 residents in unincorporated south Snohomish County, Brier, Edmonds, and Mountlake Terrace and Woodway.

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