Everett’s Fire Chief Sounds the Alarm on City Infrastructure
A scathing report from Chief Taro highlights crumbling fire stations, outdated equipment, and the city's struggle to keep pace with rapid growth.
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Fire Chief Taro has submitted a comprehensive report to city officials detailing the 'woeful lack' of fire-fighting facilities in Everett. The chief warns that the headquarters on Wetmore Avenue has a failing foundation and is so cramped that horses must be stalled in a line, impeding response times. He further warns that rapid growth in districts like the Delta and the Smelter area has left the city under-protected. Beyond equipment, Taro advocates for higher salaries for firefighters, noting that 21 men have left the department in two and a half years due to low pay. He argues that Everett firemen are currently paid less than their counterparts in similar cities along the Pacific Coast.
“Outside the occupation of firemen... how many employes are asked or compelled to work twenty-four hours a day in order to get the position they desire?”
Chief Taro’s report from 1910 touches on themes that remain evergreen in Everett: the strain of rapid population growth on public services, the difficulty of retaining municipal staff, and the perennial civic debate over whether to fund infrastructure through bonds or taxes.
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