After a levy lid lift was approved in November, Clallam County Fire District 2 hired Kevin Denton to fill the deputy chief position that had been vacant for almost a year due to budget constraints. Denton comes to the department with more than 20 years of experience in fire service, many of them spent on the Olympic Peninsula. (Clallam County Fire District 2)

After a levy lid lift was approved in November, Clallam County Fire District 2 hired Kevin Denton to fill the deputy chief position that had been vacant for almost a year due to budget constraints. Denton comes to the department with more than 20 years of experience in fire service, many of them spent on the Olympic Peninsula. (Clallam County Fire District 2)

Clallam fire district 2 hires deputy chief

Position refilled after almost one year of vacancy

PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Fire District 2 has hired a deputy fire chief after budget constraints left the position vacant for almost a year.

Clallam County Fire District 2 (CCFD2) Deputy Chief Kevin Denton will step in to serve under Fire Chief Jake Patterson, who has been leading the agency without a deputy chief since March 2024.

Denton has spent many of his more than 25 years of fire service on the Olympic Peninsula. In 1997, he started as a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Port Angeles Fire Department (PAFD). In 1999, he was hired full-time. While there, he led several entry-level firefighter academies for both the PAFD and the CCFD2, according to a press release.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

In 2018, Denton left PAFD and began working as the emergency preparedness coordinator for Olympic Medical Center.

In 2020, he rejoined fire service and began working as the battalion chief of training with East Olympia Fire District 6 in Thurston County.

As the district consolidated with the SE Thurston Fire Authority, Denton was promoted to deputy chief of operations.

Last year, Denton decided to retire and start his own company in the Port Angeles area.

When voters approved the CCFD2 fire lid lift in November, raising it from 96 cents per $1,000 to $1.50 per $1,000, the district was able to fill the vacant deputy chief position. It was that point Denton decided to get back into fire service and was hired as the deputy chief.

In his new role, Denton will oversee the daily shift operations of the nine career firefighters, serve as the training and safety officer and work with the volunteer training coordinator to ensure the district maintains a dedicated group of volunteers.

CCFD2 serves 85 square miles around Port Angeles, including Deer Park, Gales Addition, Mount Pleasant community, Black Diamond, Dry Creek, Lake Sutherland and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, according to the press release.

________

Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Fred Rix of Port Angeles, right, looks over floral arrangements with Ann O’Neill, an employee of Angel Crest Gardens of Port Angeles at a temporary stand at First and Race streets in Port Angeles on Valentine’s Day. Rix said he wanted roses for his wife, Wendy Rix, for their 55th wedding anniversary. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Valentine’s roses

Fred Rix of Port Angeles, right, looks over floral arrangements with Ann… Continue reading

Port Angeles-owned Lancashire Heeler “Ki” poses with handler and co-owner Chelsy Pendleton of Utah with their ribbon. Ki placed as Best of Opposite Sex at the 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
PA dog places at famous show

Lancashire Heeler wins ribbon at Westminster

x
Nominations open for Community Service awards

Forms due March 25; event scheduled for May 1

Poplars to be removed in spring

Boat Yard expansion part of larger project

Jeffco Aquatic Coalition launches pool survey

Results intended to inform design process

Voters approving all Peninsula school measures

Sequim bond passing with required supermajority

A snow-covered Mount Angeles is seen from Black Diamond Road a few miles south of Port Angeles. While the Peninsula has seen temperatures below freezing this week, a warming trend is expected by this weekend with highs reaching the upper 40s and overnight lows in the 30s. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Winter snowscape

A snow-covered Mount Angeles is seen from Black Diamond Road a few… Continue reading

JoAnn declares bankruptcy; Port Angeles store to close

The Joann fabrics and crafts store in Port Angeles… Continue reading

Cheri Sanford of Port Angeles, right, hands a piece of metal debris to her grandson, Damien Millet, 9, after it was located with a metal detector and dug from the sand at Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles on Wednesday. They were combing the beach in search of whatever hidden treasures they could find. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Beach combing

Cheri Sanford of Port Angeles, right, hands a piece of metal debris… Continue reading

Six Peninsula school measures passing

Sequim voters approve bond, levy