SEQUIM — Former part-time fire code technician for Clallam County Fire District 3, Mike Mingee, has been sworn in as a fire commissioner to the three-person board.
He takes over Steven Chinn’s seat following his resignation in early April to spend more time with his family.
Commissioners Bill Miano and Jeff Nicholas appointed Mingee on April 18 after he expressed interest in running for the soon-to-be vacant seat during filing week May 15-19. He put his notice into the district the same day he was appointed to the board on Tuesday, fire district leaders said.
“I thank the board for their trust in me. I won’t let you down,” Mingee said then.
“It’s an honor, something I really appreciate.”
Fellow commissioners also agreed to let him continue serving as a volunteer firefighter in Diamond Point.
Mingee served 40 years in the fire service, including as fire chief of East Jefferson Fire Rescue and the City of Port Townsend. He joined Fire District 3’s Station 35 in Diamond Point as a lieutenant in 2018, and in 2021 he was hired as fire code technician.
His appointment comes during a time of changes for the district.
Fire Chief Ben Andrews recently moved to remote work on special projects leading up to his retirement in April 2024, with Assistant Chief Dan Orr serving as interim fire chief until a new chief is hired.
No timeline has been set for that, Orr said.
The district is also in the process of considering organizational changes to its leadership structure and future fire station while implementing its new battalion chief leadership team, and hiring/recruiting seven firefighters, promoting an open captain spot, and soon seeking a new fire inspector position.
For more information about Clallam County Fire District 3, visit ccfd3.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
