Gov. Gregoire�s statement on Washington firefighter deaths in Northern California

For Immediate Release: July 27, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement on the death of two Washington state firefighters in Northern California:

�I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two Washington state firefighters who were battling wildfires in Northern California � Firefighter Andrew Palmer of Port Angeles and Fire Chief Dan Packer with East Pierce Fire and Rescue. When called, they stepped up to help our neighbors in California. They gave their lives doing the hard, heroic work of protecting the lives of others.

�Chief Packer, who was the immediate past president of the Washington Fire Chiefs, was deployed as a division supervisor in the Siskiyou Mountain range in Northern California when he was overrun by a wildfire following an unexpected shift in the wind. Firefighter Palmer died after being struck by a tree battling the Eagle Fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

�My heart goes out to the family members and co-workers of Chief Packer and Firefighter Palmer. I ask all Washingtonians to keep the families and fire departments of these brave men in their thoughts and prayers.�