In spring 1944, a devastating fire swept through north Gig Harbor, destroying several waterfront businesses, including a restaurant, barber shop, Johnson Motors, the post office, and a shipyard. In response, John Finholm and several neighbors gathered at Honest John’s Café, now known as Anthony’s, to discuss establishing a local fire department. That fall, a petition signed by 15% of qualified Gig Harbor residents was submitted to the Pierce County Board of Commissioners, seeking approval to create a Fire Protection District for the Peninsula.
A formal “Notice of Hearing on Petition for the Formation of a Suburban Fire District” was published for three weeks in October 1944 in the Tacoma Daily Index, an early version of the News Tribune. Following public hearings, Pierce County Fire District 5 was officially formed on January 6, 1945. Harold Rucker, who played a key role in organizing the department, became its first chief. The founding commissioners included John Finholm from Gig Harbor, Keith Swinney from Purdy, and John Sails from Horsehead Bay. The first ten volunteer firefighters were Charles Summers, Roland Knapp, John Sass, Paul Alvestad, Roy Edwards, Robert Roby, John Tait, Ed Tait, Herbert Cook, and Bill Miller.
During the war years, Gig Harbor Fire faced unusual challenges in obtaining its first firefighting equipment. In the 1940s, civilian transportation by air and sea was limited, with most ships and planes reserved for military use. To acquire a fire engine, the department’s founders had to petition the Secretary of War to release a standard truck from production for sale to Gig Harbor. After approval, a 1945 Ford freight truck in olive-drab green was driven from Dearborn, Michigan, to Cornelius, Oregon, becoming Engine 1 (E-1), the seventh fire engine produced by Western States Fire Apparatus. Converting this freight truck into a fire engine required retrofitting, including a new engine and an extended drive shaft to operate the front-mounted fire pump.
In 1995, after countless volunteer hours led by Assistant Chief Stenbak and beloved lead mechanic Kim Holts, E-1 was fully restored. Today, “Old No. 1” is displayed in the main lobby of the administrative facility on Bujacich Road and is regularly featured in parades and community events.
The first fire station was set up in the garage of the Hennington family home, situated between Burnham Drive and Finholm’s Market. To access the fire engine, firefighters had to walk through the master bedroom. Three sets of bunker gear were kept on the engine, and the first responders to arrive got to use the gear. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at that time was limited to heavy canvas coats. Today, this original station building serves as the home of the Gig Harbor Yacht Club.
In the 1960s, the department had just one SCOTT breathing apparatus, stored in the Fire Chief’s vehicle and assigned to whoever would search inside the fire. Limited resources meant most fires were fought from the outside. Once the fire was under control, firefighters would enter to handle any remaining hot spots.
On the Peninsula, the Forest Beach community once relied on three hose carts for fire protection. Two of these carts have been restored: one is displayed at District Headquarters, and the other at Station 5-4. Fox Island, like many other U.S. communities at the time, initially relied on bucket brigades. Although a ferry connected Fox Island to the mainland, it couldn’t transport a fire truck. To address this, Fire District No. 5 loaned a surplus 1942 Ford/Darley pumper to Fox Island on May 17, 1956; the truck had been purchased from the military in 1953 and was housed at an old store by the ferry landing, operated by Wayne Peterson and Gail McAfee. Eight years later, Fox Island residents voted to officially join District 5.
In 1976-77, the Fox Island fire station was relocated from its spot next to the Nichols Community Center to its current location at 9th and Kamus. With new equipment requiring additional space, a new facility was built with living quarters for a resident volunteer firefighter. The first volunteer firefighters on Fox Island included Cecil Fassett, Harvey Powers, Thane Eckler, Capt. Ward Hunt, and Gail McAfee. Over the years, additional small, two-stall fire stations were built in areas like Wollochet, Arletta, Purdy, and Rosedale. In 1976-77, a fire station was added in Crescent Valley, and by 1978, a larger headquarters station was built on Kimball Drive to accommodate more fire apparatus and staff. A push for expansion in 1988 led to the construction of six more stations.
In 2011, stations 5-3 and 5-7 were remodeled through district funding and federal grants. In 1996, a separate administrative building and training campus were built for $1.7 million, becoming the new District Headquarters, where training props for vehicle extrication, trench rescue, confined space rescue, shore-side rescue, ventilation, and forcible entry were added.
First aid kits were first placed on fire apparatus in 1974, with ambulance services initially provided by Peninsula Ambulance. By the 1980s, Gig Harbor’s emergency medical services expanded to include paramedics and patient transport. The first Gig Harbor ambulance, A-1—a 1988 Wheeled Coach—was funded by a donation from “Doc” Weathers. In 1989, Paul Berlin, who would go on to become the Division Chief of EMS, became the first paramedic for Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One. Gig Harbor became the second fire department in Pierce County to offer transport services.
The Gig Harbor Fire District spans 54 square miles and includes 59.2 miles of shoreline. In its early days, Gig Harbor Fire relied on a small team of dedicated volunteers to respond to community emergencies. In January 1973, the District hired its first paid personnel: Drew Wingard as Fire Chief and Glen Stenbak as Assistant Chief. By March 1974, the first three paid firefighters—Bob Copeland, Larry Claiborne, and Chris Goodman—began working 24-hour shifts. In the early 1970s, the department responded to around 300 alarms, mostly for fires and minor EMS calls.
By 1999, the District was handling 2,060 medical aid calls, 178 fire calls, and 452 other service requests. In 2001, the total alarm volume surpassed 3,800, and by 2016, members responded to over 5,500 incidents. In the late 1990s, response shifted from a neighbor-to-neighbor model to a local station response approach, later evolving into a three-battalion regional system for response and training. Alongside these changes, emergency responder roles also expanded.
Today, the District employs 118 career firefighters and operates nine stations, five of which are staffed with Firefighter-EMTs and Firefighter-Paramedics.
