Port Angeles – After 42 years of public service, Clallam 2 Fire and Rescue Chief Sam Phillips has announced that he will retire on June 30.

Phillips joined the local District in 2011 as Assistant Chief of Operations and in the following year was appointed Chief after the retirement of Jon Bugher.

A lot has changed since then, notably an 81% rise in call volumes, which put a lot of strain on a station that was all-volunteer when Phillips took over as Chief.

A grant from FEMA in 2012 allowed them to hire four firefighter/paramedics as full-time career responders and begin 24-hour response coverage. Looking back, Phillips says maybe the most fulfilling achievement for his district was becoming a Trauma Verified, Advanced Life Support transport agency.

As for his replacement…

In retirement, Phillips and Jennifer, his wife of 35 years, plan to spend some time outdoors, among other things.

Clallam 2 Fire and Rescue Chief Sam Phillips, retiring at the end of June.

Photo from Clallam 2 Facebook page.  Left to right: Fire Chief Sam Phillips, Assistant Chief Mike DeRousie (retired), and Assistant Chief Dan Huff.