By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald
The region’s community of firefighters
has gathered together to plan a
memorial service for former East Pierce
Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Dan Packer,
which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday
at Christian Faith Center in Federal Way,
33645 20th Ave. South.
The 49-year-old chief died July 26 in
a wildfire at the Panther Fire south of
Happy Camp in Siskiyou County in northern
California. Packer was scouting the
fire, preparing to assume division supervisor
duties, when the blaze changed
directions and blew over him.
An incident management team has
been assembled to work out the details
of the memorial. The group includes
members from Tacoma, Graham, Orting,
Pierce County, East Pierce and other
jurisdictions. The team is being led by
Deputy Chief Jeff Jensen from Tacoma
Fire.
“We use incident management for all
types of events,” Jensen said. “We can
use it for simple single engine events and
complex events like this memorial. It can
be used for wildfires or memorials. Chief
Packer was a member of a incident management
team.”
Jensen said the first task of the team
was to take over the work of the memorial
and make sure East Pierce’s emergency
response capabilities is intact.
At a July 28 meeting, fire district
commission members appointed John
McDonald, East Pierce deputy chief, to
take over as fire chief on an interim
basis.
McDonald, along with Packer’s wife
Marylee and two East Pierce firefighters,
traveled to California and escorted
the chief’s body home July 30. The East
Pierce wildfire team and more than 100
firefighters from the region met the DC-3
firefighting plane as it landed at Tacoma
Narrows Airport.
While the planning and preparation for
the memorial moved forward, members
of East Pierce grappled with the loss of
their chief.
“He was a visionary leader for this organization,” McDonald
said. “While he was a great
fire chief, his life revolved
around his family. For the
time we had him we are
extremely grateful.”
Firefighter Dan Curtis,
who has been with East
Pierce for 13 years, said
Packer was “always there
to help. It will take us a long
time to realize what he has
done with this department.”
East Pierce Lt. Rich
Simmons described Packer
as a visionary who wanted
to get the “seasoned veterans
to empty their minds
before they leave. I took
every opportunity to empty
his mind.”
Capt. Jay Adams has been
with the department for 22
years. His relationship with
the chief extended back
prior to Packer being hired
in 1995.
“He mentored me and
understood me,” Adams
said. “He was a calming
influence over everyone. He
was firefighter, husband and
father and more than any of
that - he was a man.”
The procession to the
memorial service Thursday
in Federal Way is scheduled
to begin at 10:15 a.m. at
the Public Safety Building.
From there more than 100
fire engines, emergency
trucks and other vehicles
will t ravel to Sumner
arriving at about 10:30
a.m. and t ravel on to
the Chr ist ian Fa it h
Center.
Dennis Box can be
reached at dbox@courierherald.
com.
