Woodinville Fire Commissioner Honored

Clint Olson believes in helping people and has spent his professional career doing just that, as a law enforcement officer, volunteer fire fighter, fire district commissioner.

In honor of this lifelong commitment to service, Olson was named the only 2010 recipient of the Jiggs Hoyt and Jim Osborne Outstanding Community and Fire Service Award from the King County Fire Commissioners Association. This is the fifth year the award has been given; often, more than one recipient is named, according to Chief Dave Daniels.

Olson said he was not expecting the award and will not accept it just for himself. He commended all the men and women throughout the region dedicated to serving their communities without thought to personal recognition or compensation.

 “I was totally surprised,” Olson said. “I accept this award not for my work alone, but on behalf of my fellow fire commissioners throughout King County and for those who strive to improve the standards of community living."      

Olson is big on multitasking. Back in 1981, he was working as a patrol sergeant in the King County Sheriff’s Department--a job he held from 1969 to 1999-- when he decided to further challenge himself and become a volunteer firefighter in Bothell.

“I thought it would be a fun change from law enforcement,” he said. “The work was much different than law enforcement, uplifting rather than depressing.”

In 1983, Olson and his family moved to Woodinville, he left the Bothell fire department and became a volunteer firefighter for his new hometown.

“I started hearing complaints about how things were done from the volunteers,” he said. “I figured it was just a few guys. But then I started hearing it from more and more people, so I looked into who was on the board of commissioners.”

Olson decided if policies were going to be changed the firefighters needed a voice on the commission. In 1999 Olson ran for commissioner, and won. He’s held the post ever since.

Woodinville Fire & Rescue (King County Fire District 36) no longer has a volunteer program, but Olson is quick to point out that 70 percent of Washington state’s fire fighting force is still volunteers. And fire commissions are strongest when there is diversity of board members, particularly having members like him, who have been firefighters. Woodinville Fire & Rescue has that level of boardmembers, according to Olson.

“This is a great board, with different backgrounds and different points of view,” Olson said. “Those differences are positive and add to the board’s strength. One of us will see something the others may have missed. We all respect each other’s point of view.”

It is the role of the commission to set policy and fund it, he added. The primary source of funding for the fire district is local property taxes.

The Jiggs and Jim award is awarded each year to people or a person who exemplifies the best contributions to fire service. It can be awarded to members of fire districts or fire departments or people (or groups) that are associated with but not members of a fire district or department.

  “It’s a tremendous honor not only for Commissioner Olson, but for Woodinville Fire & Rescue as a whole for him to win this award,” said Daniels. “It is a clear sign of the respect that he’s earned from fellow commissioners in King County and an example of the caliber of elected leadership that the District is fortunate to have.”