He was with Clark County Fire & Rescue for 22 years
By Andy Matarrese, Columbian
environment and transportation reporter
Published: September 14, 2015, 6:10am
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Clark County Fire & Rescue’s Mike Ciraulo, a longtime member of the department and former Battle Ground government official, starts a new job as fire chief at the Pendleton, Ore., Fire Department next month.
He’s been with Clark County Fire & Rescue for 22 years, where he was the fire district’s training chief. Ciraulo also served as mayor and a city council member in Battle Ground.
“I love the men and women of Clark County Fire & Rescue. They’re my family,” he said on the phone from the Kettle Complex fire in northern Washington, near the Canadian border.
Ciraulo also works on statewide management teams for larger, more complex wildfires.
Over the years, he’s trained many of the firefighters currently working for Clark County Fire & Rescue, and said he’ll miss the people he has worked with at the agency.
“It’s almost like a dad, with the kids leaving, but I’m leaving the kids,” he said. “Little heartbroken leaving this community; I’ve grown so attached to it.”
Ciraulo said he found Pendleton appealing, and felt good about the members of the city’s leadership team that he met.
Along with serving the city of Pendleton, the department also runs ambulance services for 1,200 square miles of northeast Oregon.
“To be able to lead a fire department that also provides a paramedic-level ambulance service is exciting,” he said.
Ciraulo said he’s found an apartment in the area, where he can stay until he and his wife sell their house in Clark County and find a new one in Oregon. He said his wife’s parents may move to the Pendleton area, as well. Both of his sons are grown and out of the house.
“Having a few more days of sunshine a year will be a nice addition,” he added.
The city of Battle Ground elected to not renew its contract with Clark County Fire & Rescue for emergency services, instead opting to work with Clark County Fire District 3.
That prompted layoffs of more than a dozen positions at CCFR, including Ciraulo’s. CCFR’s contract ends at the end of the year. District 3 may hire on firefighters from CCFR to meet staffing needs.
Ciraulo said the switch between agencies seems to be going well.
“All parties involved really want the transition to be smooth,” he said.
Ciraulo’s annual pay with CCFR was $110,472, district human resources manager Jennifer Yeager said. Andrea Denton, Pendleton’s human resources manager, said Ciraulo’s pay as fire chief will be $104,268 per year.
Ciraulo is slated to start work with the Pendleton Fire Department Oct. 12.
