25 Years of EPFR History

A Quarter Century of Service

In 2000, three departments came together with a bold vision: serve our communities better, together. From that foundation, East Pierce Fire & Rescue was born.

The early years brought constant change. Firefighters joked the motto was “Change R Us” because every year brought something new: a merger, a station remodel, or another shift in staffing. Some days you might find yourself moving between rigs just to keep the district covered. But those changes built strength.

The first months of operating as one agency meant moving people and resources under one roof. Volunteers and career staff who had never worked together were suddenly on the same shift. The payoff was immediate, more people and more resources showing up on every call.

Merging departments was no small task. Each brought different staffing models, traditions, and levels of medical service. It took time, training, and trust to build a single culture, but the effort paid off. Out of that work came a high-performing agency ready to meet the needs of a growing region.

Mergers with Pierce County Fire District 12 and South Prairie/Fire District 20 (2006), Sumner/Fire District 1 (2008), Edgewood/Fire District 8 (2010), and Milton Fire Department (2013) expanded our reach, brought new crews into the fold, and added to the family. Reliable engines replaced patched-together rigs, and staffing grew from one firefighter cross-staffing an engine and medic unit to dedicated three-person engines and two-person medic units.

People at the Heart

At the center of EPFR’s story are the people: firefighters, paramedics, staff, and volunteers who have dedicated their careers to service, from cardiac arrests and house fires to water rescues and brush fires.

Crews carried forward traditions from their hometown departments: the ringing of the bell to welcome probationary & lateral firefighters into the ranks, shared meals in the station kitchen, and community events that built trust long before the next emergency call.

As one firefighter reflected, “When I think back on 25 years, it’s not just the calls we’ve answered. It’s the trust this community has placed in us, and the responsibility we carry every day to be worthy of that trust.”

Community Partnership

Together, we’ve built more than a fire district. We’ve built a partnership. From Community Connect profiles that help responders before emergencies, to Safe Sitter babysitting classes, to helmet and life jacket fittings year-round, EPFR has lived out its motto: Where Compassion and Action Meet.

The district has also been tested: recession-era budget cuts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and historic wildfires that drew wildland teams across the state. Through it all, this community has stood behind us. Your support through levies and bonds provided the resources needed to keep pace and continue serving. For that, we are deeply grateful — and proud to serve you.

Looking Ahead

In 2025, East Pierce celebrates its 25th anniversary alongside the opening of three new stations in Bonney Lake, Lake Tapps, and Tehaleh. The addition of Station 117 in Tehaleh marked an important milestone — our eighth active fire station. Each new facility represents not just growth, but a commitment to the future.

With every new station, every new piece of equipment, and every new firefighter welcomed into the ranks, we are preparing not only for the next 25 years, but for the next 50. East Pierce is ready to serve a community that continues to grow and change. ν

What was it like working in those early years?

I can’t even tell you how many times I went on a call or a medic run completely by myself. That was just the reality. Today, we’ve gone from that to three-person engines, and that change has been one of the biggest safety improvements for firefighters and the community.” – Lt. Eric McLeroy, Retired (31 years of service)

Why was merging with EPFR such a turning point for Edgewood?

“One of the biggest reasons we joined East Pierce was response times. We were looking at 20–30 minutes for ALS. Partnering with East Pierce meant we could finally provide ALS transport for our community.” – Lance Schinkal, EPFR Crisis Intervention Coordinator & Chaplain, and Retired Firefighter (26 years of service)

What makes the fire service special to you?

“Very few people have a job where you walk into a complete stranger’s home, and within minutes they hand you their keys, their trust, and sometimes their lives. That’s what makes this job special.” – FF/PM Craig Williams, Retired (40 years of service)

How has the call volume changed over the years

“When I first started, we maybe ran one or two calls. By the time I retired, we were running twenty calls a day.” – Lt. Kevin Roorda, Retired (27 years of service)

How has the culture around health and wellness changed?

“The mental health piece is so important. It’s now part of new-hire onboarding and there’s no more stigma like there was 20 years ago. Mental health is embraced. We’ve also created Peer Support, and I’m very proud of those steps East Pierce has made to make being healthy cool. Today’s recruits are young, educated, and fitness-focused. They take their health as seriously as the job itself. That’s a positive culture shift, and it’s awesome to see.” – MSO / Lt. Jeff Berry (26 years of service)

What lessons from the past 25 years should guide EPFR’s future?

“Invest in public education and prevention, because the more the community understands what we do, the safer everyone will be. And never forget to be nice and serve with compassion and action. Enjoy where you are today and make the most of it, every small difference builds the foundation for the future.” – Asst. Chief Jeff Moore (28 years of service)

When the 2000 merger created East Pierce Fire & Rescue, Bonney Lake Fire Chief Dan Packer was chosen to lead the new department. Many credit him with guiding East Pierce into existence and setting the foundation that still shapes the district today. As one firefighter put it, “Dan Packer really was the ‘Godfather’ of East Pierce. There’s a reason his portrait hangs at headquarters. He made this happen.”

Packer brought a different mindset to the job. From the start, he told his crews: do the right thing, even if nobody asks you to. For him, firefighting was about more than emergency calls. It was about being good human beings. Crews remember going the extra mile: putting away a patient’s groceries, fixing a broken door, or sitting with a family after tragedy. These small acts of service built trust that no piece of equipment or new station could replace.

He also challenged employees to ask themselves, “What did you do above and beyond for Mrs. Smith today?” Mrs. Smith was not real, but she represented every resident in the district. That mindset of compassion and action helped unite the merging departments and became a cornerstone of East Pierce’s culture.

In 2008, while assisting on a wildfire in California, Chief Packer lost his life in the line of duty. His vision and sacrifice remain at the heart of East Pierce Fire & Rescue, reminding us that service, integrity, and community trust are the foundation of who we are.

The legacy of East Pierce is more than fire engines and emergency calls — it’s also community traditions carried forward from the smaller departments that came before.

Bonney Lake firefighters launched the first Open House in 1994 to connect with neighbors. What began as a simple gathering grew into one of the district’s most beloved events, drawing thousands of families each fall.

Other traditions carried on: the South Prairie Easter Egg Hunt, the Sumner Pancake Feed, the Santa Run, and helmet and life jacket fittings. Each program started small, but became part of the rhythm of life in East Pierce. As one firefighter put it, “It wasn’t just about emergency response. These events mattered to people — they made the fire department part of the family.”

In the early years, East Pierce firefighters often cross-staffed both an engine and a medic unit. Each rig had its own set of gear, so firefighters kept two sets of turnouts to help with response times.

What started as a necessity is now a health and safety standard, allowing one set to be cleaned after contamination from a fire, while the second is ready for the next call.