CAMANO: Jason Allen’s journey to becoming Camano Fire chief
Libby Williams reports from the Camano Island Fire and Rescue District for the Stanwood Camano News. Read the whole story.
Jason Allen was one of Camano Fire’s first three paid firefighters in 1999.
On March 12, 2025, he was sworn in as chief.
“It really was kind of a personal accomplishment for me to do that, to reach that goal,” he said.
They Said It
Ramping up staffing continues to be a primary goal for Allen.
Currently, there are three paramedics for each of the three shifts. Allen is hoping to go up to four each.
“There’s days where we only have one paramedic on duty, so that’s a long-term goal,” he said.
Allen said there’s currently an industry-wide shortage of paramedics. Keeping paramedics on Camano Island is especially hard because of longer transportation times to the hospital, where medics need to administer constant care for 40-45 minutes.
“Our guys are really pushed to be really good at what they do, and as a new medic, somebody that’s just out of school, it’s hard to take on the role and responsibility that comes with that,” Allen said. “It really is life and death.”
An EMS levy renewal will appear on the Aug. 5 primary election ballot. Allen said if passed, the money would go toward additional EMS personnel, improving response times and new medical equipment.
The organization is also going through a large round of retirements, Allen said, and has brought on 10 new firefighters in the past year. He’s looking to hire two or three more this year.
Out of 34 personnel, he said about a third of them have been with Camano Fire for five years or less.
“It impacts the organization, it definitely does,” he said. “The organization has changed with the influx of new people.”
Allen said the department went through a “building phase” years ago as full-timers and volunteers learned to work together, and he sees another phase similar to that happening now.
“It’s your organization to make it the way you want it, so that you’re happy, you’re proud of what you’re doing, and you can look back and say, ‘I made a difference in this organization in a positive way,’” he said.
“Training is a huge component of that.”
On the Ballot in November 2025
| FIRE DISTRICT NO. 1 (CAMANO ISLAND FIRE AND RESCUE DISTRICT) |
|---|
| Commissioner, Position 2, regular six-year term Jerry Evans, the incumbent |
| Commissioner, Position 3, unexpired two-year term Paul V. Williams Tammy Lancieri Paul Foster, who was appointed to this seat, filed to run for Position 4. |
| Commissioner, Position 4, regular six-year term Paul Foster Paul Williams, the incumbent, filed to run for Position 3 |
| Commissioner, Position 5, unexpired two-year term Maria Carlstrom, the incumbent |
