Department History

Adapted from The History of Winlock, written in 1951 at the request of the Winlock Community Development Association. The first fire department in Winlock was organized on June 30, 1892; however it was disbanded on March 15, 1894 because of a dispute over the firefighters regarding their standing with the town’s poll tax roll. Up to 1925 there was no organized fire department. There never was a lack of volunteers when there was a fire, but there was no one with authority to take charge. In 1925, Mayor Floyd Hancock appointed Max Atlason as Fire Chief with instructions to organize a volunteer fire department. At the same time, Mayor Hancock started action with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to have the firefighters protected by industrial insurance while on duty at any fire. Max Atlason accepted the appointment as Fire Chief and organized a volunteer fire department consisting of the following members:

With the forming of the fire department there was soon a desire to get a modern fire truck. The city council decided they would call for a bond election to see if the people were willing to vote bonds for the purchase of a fire engine. The bond issue carried decisively. The new fire engine, an American La France, was delivered in October 1927.

Past Chiefs of the Winlock Fire Department / Lewis County Fire District #15 include:

Max Atlason 1925-1928
Earl Harkins 1928
Howard Nixon 1929
Clyde Dubel 1930
Earl Harkins 1931-1940
Clyde Dubel 1940-1959
Ed Schlittler 1959-1970
Bob Craft 1971-1987
Richard Anderson 1987-1997
Jon Hensley 1997-1998
Ron Heikkila 1998-present
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