About Us

Northshore Fire Department

Responsive. Courageous. Compassionate.

Since 1942, the Northshore Fire Department has been providing comprehensive fire prevention, education, and emergency fire suppression services to the residents of the cities of Kenmore and Lake Forest Park. All Northshore firefighters are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT); 13 of our firefighters are trained in Technical Rescue (TRT). We operate in four shifts, providing 24/7 coverage from the following two stations:

Headquarters Station #51:
7220 NE 181st Street in Kenmore
Staffed by 5 firefighters, 1 battalion chief, and 1 Lieutenant during each shift

Lake Forest Park Station #57:
17020 Brookside Blvd. in Lake Forest Park
Staffed by 2 firefighters and 1 Lieutenant during each shift
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Mission, Vision, and Values

Our Mission:
We are dedicated to protecting the health, life, and property of the community with professionalism, respect, and integrity.

Our Core Values:
Our core values are honesty, integrity, trust, compassion, and courage. We believe these principles provide the foundation for our success. We embrace a positive atmosphere where teamwork, competence, pride, and mutual respect provide an opportunity for all employees to succeed.

Our Vision for our Organization:
We are an organization that continues to be innovative in meeting our mission in a changing environment. We accomplish our mission by providing superior services in partnership with our community.

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Operations Report 2012

Medical and Other Emergencies

During 2012, out of a total of 3,375 requests for service, the majority of calls we received were about medical emergencies—including motor vehicle accidents with or without injury and extrication (2,620 calls = 78%).

Another 376 calls (11%) pertained to other emergency issues, including someone smelling smoke, carbon monoxide incidents, gasoline spills, downed power lines and other hazards (including a few calls for service that were cancelled once we arrived on the scene).

Public Assistance

Did you know we also respond to non-emergency requests for assistance? In 2012 we responded to 84 incidents (2%) in which we helped citizens with lock-outs, assisted with patient care, and even addressed minor flooding issues.

Fighting Fires (and False Alarms)

As for actual fire fighting, false alarms are 2x more common than actual fires. Last year we responded to 207 false alarms (6%) in contrast to 88 fire responses (3%). We can’t stress enough the importance of proper alarm system maintenance and testing.

Out of those 88 fire responses (involving structures, automotive vehicles, public utilities and outside areas), 49 incurred some form of loss. The grand total of loss in 2012 was $726,910—$550,000 of which was from one home that was totally lost while under construction.

Neighborhood Service Frequency

Kenmore (population 20,870) was the more active area for responses, with 63% occurring in or originated by units assigned to Station 51 in Kenmore. The remaining 37% came from Station 57 in Lake Forest Park (population 12,849). Under a mutual agreement, we provided assistance to neighboring jurisdictions 450 times, and received assistance 256 times.

Monday Monday… 

In 2012, our busiest day always seemed to fall on a Monday, during the hours of 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. Fridays were our second busiest day.