By Julie MacIntire Corey
Author and Weekly contributor
Lopez Island Fire District #4 gives all Lopezians solid peace of mind, providing the island community and all visitors with a wide range of emergency services utilizing career and volunteer personnel.
Those services include structural and wildland firefighting, ALS/BLS ambulance transport services, emergency rescue services and operations-level hazmat.
“Our amazing volunteers play a huge role in all of our services,” says Lopez Fire Chief Adam Bigby. “EMS and fire response would not be possible without these volunteers on Lopez Island. We are a combination department of both paid staff and volunteers.”
Currently, Lopez Fire & EMS has a workforce of 41. The breakdown includes five paid personnel, seven EMS volunteers, three EMS and Fire volunteers, 17 fire-only volunteers and nine logistic volunteers. There are four fire stations: one houses the administration and the other three store equipment.
“For every island service call, two emergency staff personnel and many volunteers are on the scene. The island volunteers are an integral, necessary workforce,” says volunteer responder Mariah Honeywell.
Lopez Fire & EMS offers weekly training and drills for all established volunteers and staff. In addition, adults can apply to take firefighting or EMT training. Students can apply to become a Department Student EMT member. If accepted, the student would work alongside adult volunteers who serve the community as a vital part of emergency services.
The community is a mixture of residential, agricultural, forest land and commercial with some industrial manufacturing facilities and a wide variety of recreational areas. The population of Lopez Island’s year-round residents is about 3,000; that number quickly moves up to around 7,000 during peak tourist season. All islanders and tourists enjoy various recreational activities, including camping, fishing, hunting, biking and boating.
Fire Chief Bigby adds, “In 2023, we had more medical calls than fires.”
In 2023, Lopez Fire and EMS responded to: 14 fires,17 fire alarms; 423 medical calls (including car accidents); five search and rescue calls; three hazardous condition calls; 16 burn complaints; 37 public assistance or non-life-threatening events.
The San Juan County Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2012 is being updated. Public input is welcome; each island fire district is hosting a community meeting from 5:30-7 p.m. at: Lopez Island, Oct. 14, Lopez Fire Station; Orcas Island, Oct. 15, Fire Station 21; and San Juan Island, Oct. 16, Fire Station 31.
These meetings are also available on Zoom; visit
