PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles ranks No. 95, and that suits the fire chief right down to the ground.
In the continuing Internet cavalcade of “best places” to live, work, hike and bike, Port Angeles late last month fetched up in the top 100 cities to be an emergency medical technician (EMT) or the more highly skilled paramedic, according to the data-analyst firm www.GoodCall.com.
“I think that’s absolutely fantastic,” said Ken Dubuc, chief of the Port Angeles Fire Department.
“I would say that’s pretty true. I know that firefighter-paramedics love working here.”
The city ranked as it did primarily because of its popularity with job candidates, meaning competition is keen for the jobs GoodCall said pay $58,670 per year, third-highest among departments it surveyed across the country.
“They earn every penny of it,” Dubuc said, citing the nearly 5,000 calls his personnel roll out on each year from Port Angeles’ single fire station at 102 E. Fifth St.
Larger communities with more stations average fewer calls, he said.
“There’s a sense of pride because we work hard,” he said.
The Port Angeles department is a magnet for firefighter-paramedic trainees from as far away as Boston, drawn here by the variety of calls they answer and the way they are treated, Dubuc said.
“They get treated really well. They get a wealth of experience,” he said.
“And when positions open up, they are No. 1 in line. They really want to come back here.”
Actually, Washington boasts several top-rated venues, with Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, Kennewick/Richland and Olympia/Tumwater scoring No. 6, 7 and 8 in the nation, respectively.
In the subcategory of best salary, the Seattle metropolitan area ranked No. 1; Oak Harbor finished No. 2.
For most affordable housing, Othello ranked No. 4.
Other top-ranked cities for EMTs and paramedics in the Evergreen State included Mount Vernon/Anacortes, No. 11 in the nation; Oak Harbor, No. 92; and Ellensburg, No. 98.
Tops overall in the United States was Ames, Iowa.
GoodCall’s rankings were compiled by staff members in Rose Hill, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte, N.C. They sifted information they raked in from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.
To nail down its No. 95 ranking, Port Angeles posted an overall score of 328.75, compared with Ames’ tally of 453.65.
GoodCall listed Port Angeles’ salary for EMTs and paramedics at $58,670 — third best in the nation — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ occupational employment tool.
Seattle-area lifesavers earn the most, with salaries averaging $63,450; Oak Harbor personnel earn $58,670.
Also included in Port Angeles’ ranking was a housing affordability index of 18.89, the percentage of the aforesaid income that goes to buying or renting a home.
By comparison, Ames came in at 26.04 percent, making Port Angeles look like a bargain — especially since an EMT or paramedic in Ames is likely to earn only $44,430.
However, Port Angeles’ amenities per 1,000 housing units — theaters, concert halls, libraries, museums and galleries — came in at 5.98. The top score in the country went to artsy Santa Fe, N.M., with 18.17.
You might recall that Port Angeles shouldered aside Santa Fe in an early round of Outside magazine’s “Best Town Ever” click-fest.
And Port Angeles’ outdoor orientation adds to its attraction for would-be first responders, Dubuc said.
“Paramedics don’t live a sedentary lifestyle,” he said.
“They’re out four-wheeling; they’re fishing; they’re kayaking. It’s really well-suited to the type of person who’s attracted to that kind of job.”
So with high pay, low housing costs and at least a respectable recreational rating, what put Port Angeles so far down the list?
“Employment attractiveness,” said GoodCall, which it defined as a combination of “job density,” job availability and resumes per available job.
It’s the logic espoused by the late Yogi Berra, who, commenting on a popular restaurant, pronounced: “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
GoodCall computed employment attractiveness as 45 percent of its overall rating. Salary counted for 30 percent; housing affordability, 15 percent; urban amenities, 10 percent.
Port Angeles, the website said, earned a ranking of 504 for employment attractiveness. GoodCall didn’t disclose what city ranked first, but it posted Mansfield, Ohio, at No. 2 and Pueblo, Colo., at No. 3, meaning it’s relatively easy to be hired there.
In other words, lots of people want to save lives in Port Angeles, according to GoodCall, which said the competition among its 100 top cities didn’t get any keener, with Ellensburg sharing the “lowest” 504 ranking and Oak Harbor listed at 488.
“We have a great group of people,” Dubuc said, adding that the volume and variety of calls were both a sense of pride and an attraction to the job.
“We have just an outstanding group of people working here.”
To view all of GoodCall’s statistics, visit http://tinyurl.com/PDN-BestEMT.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
