South Whidbey Fire/EMS, along with Central Whidbey Island Fire & Rescue, beginning Sept. 1, are staffing a joint battalion chief position. The battalion chief will be providing 24-hour on-duty management and incident command for firefighters in both districts.

The coverage area for the battalion chief will be all of Whidbey Island south of Libby Road, the geographic area of Central and South Whidbey Island Fire Districts. This will assist in coordinating programs and increase the level of services provided to the two districts.

The battalion chief will be stationed out of South Whidbey Fire/EMS station 31 in Freeland and will respond as a single command resource for complex incidents such as fires, auto accidents, technical rescues and CPR responses. The three rotating battalion chiefs are John Lloyd, Alex Magallon and Joe Burbank.