Chris Merritt retires after 38 years of volunteering
October 20, 2009
By Christopher Huber
By Christopher Huber
Of all the sad, happy and adventurous stories Chris Merritt could tell of his 38 years working for the fire and rescue service in Sammamish, perhaps none of them have been as profound as the story about the time he decided to become a volunteer paramedic.
It was 1971 and he was 15. He accompanied his father, Jim Merritt, and some plateau firefighters to a house fire because he wanted to see what it was like. He witnessed the walls collapse as the blaze tore the home apart. Merritt said the homeowner stood in front of the destroyed house, having lost everything. The man had escaped in time, but part of his suit had been burned off of his back.
That was the pivotal moment, he said.
“Dad turned to me and said, ‘this man just lost everything he owns and ever cared about,” Chris Merritt said of the moment. “Dad said, ‘if you choose a career in public service, you’ll never regret it.’”
So the day he turned 16, Oct. 6, 1971, Chris Merritt signed up to volunteer. Back then the fire department and EMS was all-volunteer on the plateau — Issaquah had two paid firefighters, he said. Back then they didn’t use much protective gear or breathing masks, either.
“To think about that now, that’s just crazy,” Chris Merritt said.
The 54-year-old Merritt grew up next to the Pine Lake firehouse and was surrounded by a family of firefighters. He currently works fulltime as a medical service officer with King County Medic One, but spent much of his spare time until now looking out for the people in the Sammamish community. After announcing his retirement Oct. 6, Merritt was recently recognized for his longtime service to the area.
“I didn’t retire to get recognition. I retired to retire,” Chris Merritt said. “It’s difficult to believe that it’s been 38 years.”
The department gave him a special fire extinguisher as a token of their appreciation.
“I’d like to talk on and on and on about the merits of Chris Merritt,” said EFR Chief Lee Soptich at the agency’s Oct. 13 meeting.
Chris Merritt and his four brothers followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather, who built the Pine Lake fire station, according to an EFR press release. Jim Merritt is currently a fire commissioner in Yakima.
“Part of it was the excitement of it,” said Jim Merritt of why his son joined the department — then District 10 — in his youth. “Every time the pager goes off, it’s a different scenario. I guess they got it from me.”
Chris became a part-time dispatcher for the plateau area of District 10 in 1972 and then was certified as an emergency medical technician in 1973.
Eventually, he was battalion chief, in charge of all the volunteers at stations 81, 82 and 83, all of which are in Sammamish.
“It’s probably one of the most rewarding careers somebody could ever have,” Chris Merritt said. “Because every day, when you go to work, there is never a routine day.”
As the emergency response and fire services grew, so did Merritt in his roles with the area departments. Since becoming a certified paramedic in 1979, Chris Merritt worked for the Bellevue Fire Department and King County Medical Services.
“Chris certainly had a strong inspiration to be a paramedic,” said his brother, Warren Merritt, who is currently the deputy chief for the Bellevue Fire Department. “I don’t think he’s done giving yet.”
He played an integral role in area departments developing an Advanced Life Support service, as well as in initiating the program to provide better feedback to EMTs on their service reports.
He said some of the programs and increased services developed over the past decades have made King County emergency medical services some of the best in the nation.
“You see people at the worst moment in their life and you have this finite opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life,” Chris Merritt said. “For me, it is just a great deal of personal satisfaction of knowing as a paramedic, when you go out to help someone, that you’re making a significant difference in their life.”
Of all the things Merritt did as a volunteer paramedic, he most fondly remembers the birth of his son, Adam, in 1984. That’s because he delivered him on his own in the back of an aid car as Jim Merritt drove. Other than the fact that they had to find a way around the road-blocking Anderson House as crews moved it, “it was a pretty routine delivery,” Chris Merritt said.
He continues to work for the county’s Medic One service, but Chris Merritt said after 38 years he needs to take a breather from the volunteer work that eats up a lot of time on the side. He calls his time serving the Sammamish community, “a wonderful experience,” but it’s time to slow down.
Maybe Adam Merritt, the family’s newest EFR firefighter, will be able to tell the kinds of stories his father did.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.
Of all the sad, happy and adventurous stories Chris Merritt could tell of his 38 years working for the fire and rescue service in Sammamish, perhaps none of them have been as profound as the story about the time he decided to become a volunteer paramedic.
It was 1971 and he was 15. He accompanied his father, Jim Merritt, and some plateau firefighters to a house fire because he wanted to see what it was like. He witnessed the walls collapse as the blaze tore the home apart. Merritt said the homeowner stood in front of the destroyed house, having lost everything. The man had escaped in time, but part of his suit had been burned off of his back.
Ron Pedee, EFR Board of Directors chairman (left), presents Chris Merritt with a commerative fire extinguisher in honor of his decades as a volunteer. Photo by J.B. Wogan
That was the pivotal moment, he said.
“Dad turned to me and said, ‘this man just lost everything he owns and ever cared about,” Chris Merritt said of the moment. “Dad said, ‘if you choose a career in public service, you’ll never regret it.’”
So the day he turned 16, Oct. 6, 1971, Chris Merritt signed up to volunteer. Back then the fire department and EMS was all-volunteer on the plateau — Issaquah had two paid firefighters, he said. Back then they didn’t use much protective gear or breathing masks, either.
“To think about that now, that’s just crazy,” Chris Merritt said.
The 54-year-old Merritt grew up next to the Pine Lake firehouse and was surrounded by a family of firefighters. He currently works fulltime as a medical service officer with King County Medic One, but spent much of his spare time until now looking out for the people in the Sammamish community. After announcing his retirement Oct. 6, Merritt was recently recognized for his longtime service to the area.
“I didn’t retire to get recognition. I retired to retire,” Chris Merritt said. “It’s difficult to believe that it’s been 38 years.”
The department gave him a special fire extinguisher as a token of their appreciation.
“I’d like to talk on and on and on about the merits of Chris Merritt,” said EFR Chief Lee Soptich at the agency’s Oct. 13 meeting.
Chris Merritt and his four brothers followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather, who built the Pine Lake fire station, according to an EFR press release. Jim Merritt is currently a fire commissioner in Yakima.
“Part of it was the excitement of it,” said Jim Merritt of why his son joined the department — then District 10 — in his youth. “Every time the pager goes off, it’s a different scenario. I guess they got it from me.”
Chris became a part-time dispatcher for the plateau area of District 10 in 1972 and then was certified as an emergency medical technician in 1973.
Eventually, he was battalion chief, in charge of all the volunteers at stations 81, 82 and 83, all of which are in Sammamish.
“It’s probably one of the most rewarding careers somebody could ever have,” Chris Merritt said. “Because every day, when you go to work, there is never a routine day.”
As the emergency response and fire services grew, so did Merritt in his roles with the area departments. Since becoming a certified paramedic in 1979, Chris Merritt worked for the Bellevue Fire Department and King County Medical Services.
“Chris certainly had a strong inspiration to be a paramedic,” said his brother, Warren Merritt, who is currently the deputy chief for the Bellevue Fire Department. “I don’t think he’s done giving yet.”
He played an integral role in area departments developing an Advanced Life Support service, as well as in initiating the program to provide better feedback to EMTs on their service reports.
He said some of the programs and increased services developed over the past decades have made King County emergency medical services some of the best in the nation.
“You see people at the worst moment in their life and you have this finite opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life,” Chris Merritt said. “For me, it is just a great deal of personal satisfaction of knowing as a paramedic, when you go out to help someone, that you’re making a significant difference in their life.”
Of all the things Merritt did as a volunteer paramedic, he most fondly remembers the birth of his son, Adam, in 1984. That’s because he delivered him on his own in the back of an aid car as Jim Merritt drove. Other than the fact that they had to find a way around the road-blocking Anderson House as crews moved it, “it was a pretty routine delivery,” Chris Merritt said.
He continues to work for the county’s Medic One service, but Chris Merritt said after 38 years he needs to take a breather from the volunteer work that eats up a lot of time on the side. He calls his time serving the Sammamish community, “a wonderful experience,” but it’s time to slow down.
Maybe Adam Merritt, the family’s newest EFR firefighter, will be able to tell the kinds of stories his father did.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
Other Stories of Interest: Eastside Fire & Rescue
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