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.

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.

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