The Bellingham Fire Department held a milestone ceremony at Station 1 this week, celebrating two officer promotions and pinning five new paramedics who completed one of the most demanding training programs in the fire service. The department shared the news with the community this week, calling it a big day for the team.
The first promotion recognized Stefen Paige, who was elevated to the rank of Fire Captain. Paige joined BFD in 2018 as a lateral hire from North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, bringing with him a strong operational background developed over years in the field. Since joining Bellingham's department, he has taught ventilation, forced entry, and extrication courses across Washington state, served in union leadership, and contributed as a fire commissioner. The department's announcement described him as someone who builds environments where people feel valued and grow, which it characterized as exactly what a company officer role requires.
The second promotion went to Tom Kettman, who was named Division Chief of Communications. Kettman also joined BFD as a lateral from North Whatcom, where he served as a company officer, contributed to the department's Truck program, and worked as a HazMat technician. Before the fire service, he ran his own information technology company, a background that gives him what the department described as a systems thinking mindset well suited to leading the Communications Division. His experience in union leadership, contract negotiations, and healthcare trust administration rounds out a profile that the department said makes him a clear communicator and steady leader.
The ceremony also included a paramedic pinning for five BFD firefighters who completed the department's Advanced Life Support training pathway. Earning a paramedic designation requires completing coursework, clinical hours, comprehensive exams, and on-shift evaluations over roughly 18 months. The five newly pinned paramedics are Emily Thompson, Andrey Baydak, Hunter Stopenhagen, Benson Laurie, and Trey Davis. They join the department's roster of ALS providers serving Whatcom County.
The Bellingham Fire Department provides emergency services across the city and coordinates with neighboring agencies including Whatcom County emergency response resources. The addition of five new paramedics meaningfully expands the department's advanced medical capability, which is particularly important for cardiac events, trauma, and other time-critical calls where paramedic-level interventions can be the difference between life and death.
The BFD currently staffs multiple stations across Bellingham. Station 1, where the ceremony took place, is the department's headquarters and one of its busiest response locations in the urban core. The promotions and new paramedic certifications represent the department's ongoing investment in internal development and community-level emergency capacity. Residents who want to follow the department's work can find updates at the City of Bellingham Fire Department page.
