What If -

YOU HAD A FIRE OR MEDICAL EMERGENCY IN OCEAN SHORES?

It is a life-saving question that demands an answer.

Ocean Shores has, as do thousands of communities, a highly trained combination career and paid-call volunteer staff that provides fire protection and emergency medical care with modern firefighting and life-saving apparatus and equipment.

So what happens if you have an emergency?

• First you will call 911.

Your 911 emergency call will be answered at the Grays Harbor County consolidated communications center. The phone number and address you are calling from will appear on a screen. As soon as the call-taker can determine your emergency the information will be sent by computer and voice, as well as hard copy, to the appropriate emergency personnel. This usually takes 30 seconds or less.

• Emergency personnel and equipment are now in motion.

Generally within one minute or less the first emergency unit, staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year will be on the way. This unit will have a minimum of two personnel.

Additional career and volunteer staff, alerted by radio pagers, will also be responding. Contact the department if you are interested in volunteering.

• The goal is to reach your location in the City in five minutes or less 85% of the time.
  

So what training do these people have?

• First, all are highly skilled firefighters.
  

• Secondly, at least one will be a Washington State Certified Paramedic capable of handling your emergency medical needs. Most of the career staff are paramedics and many of the paid-call volunteers are emergency medical technicians.

What type of facilities and equipment do these people have?

• Facilities

The Department fire station is located at 676 Point Brown Avenue N.E. and a second station in the south end of the community near Marine View and Fairwood Drive.

The Department operates four advanced life support paramedic ambulances with all the modern equipment found in larger cities. These units and their personnel are capable of meeting your emergency medical needs while you are being transported to the receiving hospital that is approximately 20 minutes away.