Bellingham Fire Department

08/28/2026

Congratulations to Charlie McCullough, who officially earned his boat certification!

Charlie began the certification process in January and brings a wealth of experience on the water. Before joining us, he owned his own boat and commercially fished for salmon in Alaska. He grew up and spent most of his fishing career in Southeast Alaska, with additional time fishing along the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.

That experience, combined with months of work toward his certification, makes this a well-earned accomplishment. Congratulations, Charlie!

08/21/2026

A lot has changed in more than 50 years.

The black and white photo, published in the Bellingham Herald on July 26, 1974, shows Firefighter Gary Hedberg checking supplies inside a demonstration model ambulance being considered for purchase by the county for use in the city run ambulance service.

Fast forward to today, and one of our paramedics is doing the same thing, checking supplies on one of our newest paramedic units.

The equipment, technology and capabilities have changed dramatically over the years, but the mission of providing emergency medical care to our community remains the same!

08/14/2026

Over the last couple of weeks, our crews have had the opportunity to train at Western Washington University in an environment that presents some unique challenges for our firefighters. Training in different settings gives our crews valuable experience and helps prepare them for the wide variety of emergencies they may encounter. A big thank you to Western Washington University for welcoming our crews and supporting our training!

08/12/2026

Early this morning, our crews responded to a house fire in the 300 block of N. Forest Street. The home contained four residential units. Three residents were able to escape. Tragically, one resident died.

Engine 3 was the first to arrive and found smoke coming from the basement. Several people outside the home were attempting to access the basement and told firefighters that a person was still inside.

Residents in the upstairs units were alerted by sounding smoke alarms and were able to wake others in the building, helping them evacuate safely.

Crews quickly entered the home and located an 80-year-old man in the basement who was unconscious and not breathing. Firefighters removed him from the building, and our paramedics immediately began life-saving care. Despite their efforts, he did not survive.

Crews extinguished the fire and were able to contain it to the basement unit, preventing it from spreading to the rest of the home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.

This incident is a tragic reminder of the importance of working smoke alarms. In this case, sounding smoke alarms alerted residents to the fire, allowing them to wake others, evacuate the building, and call 911. Early notification gives residents critical time to get to safety and allows firefighters to respond as quickly as possible.

08/06/2026

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Dry conditions and increased fire danger call for complete outdoor burn ban in the city of Bellingham

Bellingham - Due to increasingly dry weather conditions and low fuel moisture levels, Fire Marshal Shawn Linville has ordered prohibitions on all open burning. Effective 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 6th, all open burning is prohibited within Bellingham city limits until further notice. This ban is in conjunction with a statewide burn ban by the Department of Natural Resources for all state-protected lands, as well as an increase in the fire danger rating to HIGH for Whatcom County. This ban also matches the burn ban being implemented throughout unincorporated Whatcom County.

All outdoor burning is prohibited during this ban. This includes recreational fires.

Commercially-available barbecues will still be allowed, but care should be used in the disposal of any charcoal and ashes. Charcoal and ash should be discarded in a metal container and doused with water. The container should be located a minimum of 10 feet from any structures or combustible vegetation for 72 hours. Fire pits or similar enclosures, with or without grates, are NOT considered the equivalent of commercially-available barbecues and are prohibited during this burn ban.

Violations of these burn restrictions may result in a minimum $250.00 fine. In addition, if you have an illegal fire that escapes or needs to be extinguished by the fire department, you may be held financially and criminally responsible.

If you have questions regarding the outdoor burn restrictions in the City of Bellingham, please contact the Bellingham Fire Department Life Safety Division at 360-778-8420. You may also listen to current burn ban information on the Whatcom County Burn Information Line at 360-778-5903.

Date: August 6, 2026
For Immediate Release
Contact: Shawn Linville, Fire Marshal

08/06/2026

Before it became the FireHouse Cafe, this building served as Bellingham Fire Department Station No. 2 on Harris Avenue. This 1963 photo features firefighters Del Sturgis, Alton Jepperson, and Leo Nelson standing in front of the station.

Today, the historic building has a new purpose as the FireHouse Cafe, while still serving as a familiar gathering place in Fairhaven. It's great to see a piece of Bellingham's history preserved and still part of the community more than 60 years later!

07/30/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome Mayor Lund aboard the Salish Star with our Marine Division. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our marine operations and the work our crews do to serve our community on the water.

07/29/2026

The City of Bellingham is now accepting Experienced Firefighter and Experienced Firefighter/Paramedic applications for the January 2027 Academy. Join the Bellingham Fire Department and support our mission of helping people every day!

Welcome to the City’s of Bellingham careers page! Join the hundreds of employees who make the City of Bellingham a great place to work. With excellent benefits, a range of rewarding career opportunities and a beautiful, vibrant location, we know you’ll love being a part of our team! 

07/13/2026

Today, Bellingham Fire was proud to join our city and county partners in the Bellingham Pride Parade.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. We are proud to serve a community that values inclusion, respect, and connection.

We look forward to continuing to serve and support our community every day!