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 - 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 travel to Sumner arriving
at about 10:30 a.m. and
travel on to the Christian
Faith Center.
Dennis Box can be reached
