Fire Chief - Leo Leon, the Fire Chief was appointed in January 2005. The Fire Chief is responsible for managing all aspects of department operations. Duties include: budget preparation, representing the department at council meetings, establishing policies and procedures, training guidelines, personnel issues, long range planning, attending county chief meetings, ambulance advisory and workshop meetings and other duties as assigned by the City Administrator and Mayor.

Battalion Chief - In September 2005 as part of the re-structuring of the department, three Battalion Chief positions were created to manage the daily operations of the fire stations and provide support to the Fire Chief and Fire Captains. The Battalion Chiefs work a 24 hour shift like the firefighters / paramedics and are stationed in the downtown station. Their duties include: direct department management on a 24/7 basis, command at fire suppression incidents, training, personnel management, determining staffing levels, fire marshal responsibilities and community relations. Additionally they represent the department at council and community meetings, homeowner association meetings, county chief officer meetings as acting fire chief in the chief’s absence and as part of the department management staff. They also assume additional support functions as assigned by the fire chief. In 2007 a fourth Battalion Chief position was added, working three 8 hour days and one 24 hour day. This Battalion Chief is in charge of training, but the position is currently vacant.

Fire Captains - Currently there are nine Captains assigned to 24 hour platoon duty. Their primary responsibilities include: supervising their crews consisting of paramedics and firefighters, responding to all incidents as dispatched, training, company fire prevention, community relations, facility and apparatus maintenance and budget preparation.
Additionally all Captains are assigned additional duties that include: developing training guidelines, small equipment maintenance, uniforms and protective equipment ordering, annual hose testing, pre-fire planning, managing supplies, communications, information technologies, preparing specs for new apparatus and equipment, preparing staff reports and other duties as assigned by the Battalion Chief or Fire Chief.

EMS Captain – This Captain is part of the Fire Chiefs’ Staff and provides the overall support and supervision of the paramedic program. His duties include: EMS budget preparation, preparation of staff reports, attending the East County Ambulance Advisory meetings, maintaining training records, developing paramedic training programs, ordering and purchasing medical supplies, reviewing incident reports for accuracy, reviewing procedural policies, identifying technology needs and implementing improvements, and assisting with the ambulance billing program.

Fire Prevention - The re-structuring of the department changed the way fire prevention and fire safety programs will be accomplished. Fire Marshal responsibilities will be handled by one of the Battalion Chiefs that has fire prevention experience.
The daily inspections of industrial and commercial facilities and the implementation of a company fire prevention and pre-fire program will be accomplished by the Deputy Fire Marshal. Inspections of large or complex facilities will be handled by the Deputy Fire Marshal. The Deputy Fire Marshal will also be responsible for plan checking, permit approvals and new construction inspections. His office has been moved to the city hall planning area to improve service to the contractors and community.
The Deputy Fire Marshal is the core of community fire safety and fire education programs.

Firefighters / Paramedics - The Camas Fire Department is staffed by 28 professional firefighters and paramedics. All suppression personnel have a varying level of EMS skills. Paramedics have the greatest skill level and comprise 21 members of the department. The department is the only fire department in Clark County with the capability to treat and transport patients. This capability improves patient care and guarantees continuous treatment from the same personnel from arrival on scene to transport to the hospital.
Department training programs include: fire suppression, fire prevention, EMS skills, swift water rescue, hazardous materials, confined space, rope rescue, bio-terrorism, community relations, apparatus driver training and inter-agency training with our neighboring fire districts and departments.

Administration - The administrative office is staffed by a Senior Administrative Support Assistant and a Financial Assistant II. The Senior Administrative Assistant works directly with the Fire Chief and assists in preparing the annual budget, preparing staff reports, developing charts and graphs as necessary, maintaining all personnel records, timekeeping functions and other administrative functions as requested.
The Financial Assistant II reports to the Fire Chief and is responsible for all the ambulance billing functions and answers all patient questions relating to EMS incidents. This position is responsible for maintaining records, preparing ambulance billing reports and staff reports as requested. Additional duties include developing programs for fire prevention week and fire station open house events.
Both of these administrative positions are also part of the department's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff and serve as a vital part of the department's command staff.

General Information

The following describes the general information about the Fire Department and its services:

Services Provided

• Fire suppression
• Fire prevention
• Ambulance and emergency medical services

Service Area

City of Camas - 14 square miles, 16,700 citizens
City of Washougal - 6 square miles, 13,480 citizens
East County Fire & Rescue – 58 square miles 10,106 citizens

Emergency Activity

3,000 fire and medical calls annually

Personnel

The fire department currently has 46 employees, 44 of whom are uniformed personnel. 40 employees make up three shifts, which provide staffing of the department 24 hours a day.

Facilities & Apparatus

Station 41, downtown Camas – Engine 41, Medic 41, Medic 45
Station 42, west side of Prune Hill – Tower 42, Engine 42, Medic 42, Brush 41, Battalion Chief 41
Station 95, corner of Evergreen and 39th St in Washougal - Engine 43, Medic 43