State ceremony honors Whatcom staff who reacted to fire on truck near Lummi Island ferry

Four Whatcom County ferry workers are being praised for their quick action after a pickup truck caught fire as the Whatcom Chief ferry was boarding cars and passengers for the trip to Lummi Island earlier this year.

All four Whatcom Chief crew members were honored Wednesday at the Governor’s 2024 Lifesaving Awards in Tacoma, an annual event sponsored by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Gabel Bredy of the Whatcom County Public Works Department nominated the crew members for protecting passengers and stopping the fire before it spread to other cars in line or to the ferry itself.

“By the time (firefighters) arrived on scene, the fire was contained, all without injury or damage to property. This highlights the extreme importance that Whatcom County Public Works places on training. While some emergencies are truly unforeseen, others are foreseeable, and the possibility of car fires is something which our crew trains for all year long,” Bredy said in supporting documents for the award.

Receiving the award Wednesday were Whatcom Chief Capt. Serena Dabney, purser Theo White, deckhand Eli Miller and off-duty crew member Kelsey Mclane. McLane is also a volunteer firefighter with Whatcom County Fire District 11, which serves Lummi Island.

“While Dabney and White looked to the safety of their passengers, Miller and McClane safely extinguished the blaze with two of the boat’s eight fire extinguishers,” Bredy said.