The Board of Fire Commissioners shall consist of three members, elected by ballot by the registered voters of the fire district. Except as otherwise provided by law, a Commissioner shall hold office for a term of six years and until their successor is elected and qualified.

For our citizens not familiar with what a Fire Protection District is or does, let us explain. A Fire Protection District is an area that is outside of a city or town, in an unincorporated part of a county. A Fire Protection District is a separate government entity that is supported directly by the citizens living within the boundaries of the district. The Fire District is supported by property taxes collected by the county that the district is located in.

The Fire District is governed by Fire Commissioners who are voted into office by the voters living within the district boundaries. The Board of Fire Commissioners takes the place of a city or county council. We make policy for the district, manage and conduct the business affairs of the district, make and execute all necessary contracts, employ any necessary services and perform all acts necessary to carry out the goals and mission of the Fire District. We employ a Fire Chief to carry out the daily functions and operational duties of the Fire Department.

Fire District 5 has three fire commissioners, currently Norman Katz (nkatz@wcfd5.com), Pat Harper (pharper@wcfd5.com), and Virginia Lester (vlester@wcfd5.com) each serving a term of six years or having been appointed to an unexpired term. We stagger the terms so that we have no more than one commissioner running for re-election at the same time unless a special circumstance exists such as appointment due to an unexpected vacancy. Unless excused, we attend one public meeting per month to do fire district business. This meeting is held on the second Wednesday of each month at the Fire Hall and on the Zoom platform at 4:00pm. The Zoom platform link is published through social media and when possible our local newspaper. Special Meetings or cancellations are published to the public through social media and when possible our local newspaper.

We believe that we serve the citizens of Point Roberts to the best of our ability. We provide you the best fire protection and emergency medical services that we can with your tax dollars. We believe every tax dollar we receive goes right back to our citizens in the form of service.

If any citizen living in Point Roberts wants to contact one of the three elected commissioners, please e-mail us using the above links. As a board, we will answer your questions as quickly as possible. If you would like access to District records, please fill out the Public Records request form which will be available soon on this website, or stop by the station to pick one up. Please join us at our monthly meetings which are open to the public.

PLEASE NOTE: Commissioners are publicly elected officials –  All correspondence sent to Commissioners and any District employee, are public records subject to public disclosure requirements under state law (RCW 42.56). Any correspondence sent to any Commissioner (by any means, including e-mail) by any member of the public will be disclosed to any person who makes a request, unless exempt from disclosure under state law.

Thank you for your support,
Board of Fire Commissioners