When a fast-moving fire threatened hundreds of residents at two state-run hospitals, WFSE members stepped up and saved lives. This kind of selflessness and dedication defines our members’ work but requires well-staffed facilities and pay that keeps these workers on the job.
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A Deadly Fire Threatens Care Facilities in Medical Lake
On August 18, 2023 the Gray Fire broke loose in Medical Lake, WA after a faulty power line set fire to grasslands, pine trees, and homes in the area, burning over 10,000 acres in hours. The aggressive fire put the lives of over 200 residents at Medical Lake’s two supported care facilities, and the workers serving them, at risk.
“The fire was 360 degrees around us,” said Ginny Abdallah, a Residential Services Coordinator at Lakeland Village. “It was everywhere you looked, the sky was red.”
The fire spread fast, spurred by 30 mile per hour winds and dry, late summer conditions in eastern Washington.
“In the beginning, we didn’t know what was happening or which way the fire was moving,” said Colette Buck, a WFSE Local 573 member and Communications Consultant at Lakeland Village. “The winds were so aggressive and unpredictable. I saw flames move the speed of a car going down the freeway, like a freight train.”
Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village, home to over 500 residents with disabilities and psychiatric needs, were right in the path of that freight train. By the time the facility had called for evacuation, residents and workers had minutes to get out of Lakeland. The last emergency evacuation Lakeland Village practiced took 10 hours.
“It felt like I was in a fishbowl and the smoke was all around me,” said Josh Bartholomew, a former Residential Services Coordinator at Lakeland Village and current WFSE employee. “My feet instantly got warm when they touched the ground. I could feel the heat.”
Members Decide to Evacuate—a Decision that Saves Lives
“I remember looking out the window of the cottage I was in and seeing a wall of fire behind it,” said Rachele Ragsdill, an Attendant Counselor Manager at Lakeland Village. “That’s when we decided we weren’t waiting for the evacuation call. We were just going to get to the gym.”
Rachele and other workers began moving residents to Lakeland Village’s gym, where they were staged to be picked up by buses and taken to Eastern State Hospital. Suddenly, winds picked up and the fire began heading closer to the residents and workers who watched the flames from the windows.
Watching the fire sweep over the dry grass near the evacuation zone, workers quickly realized there were not enough buses to evacuate every resident, especially those who rely on mobility devices. The buses that were available had to navigate roads surrounded by burning forests.
That’s when Lakeland Village’s staff kicked their efforts into overdrive, pushing residents uphill through choking smoke to try and get them to safety at Eastern State Hospital.
“It got right up on us and we started running people up the hill,” said Pam Davis, Local 573 President and Adult Training Specialist II at Lakeland Village. “Bus drivers were driving through falling, flaming trees. One of the bus drivers had to kick over a tree that had fallen on the road and was still burning.”
Devoted Workers Protect Residents While Their Town Burns
Workers stayed for hours, helping residents as Medical Lake smoldered around them.
“People were getting calls telling them their house burned down,” said Pam Davis. “But they were staying, working 16, 18, 20 hour days.”
“It broke my heart, but it was humbling that staff refused to leave,” said Josh Bartholomew. “One staff member said she would do it all again to protect the residents. The success here is all because of the staff.”
And the staff succeeded. Despite every hurdle presented by the fire, all residents were evacuated safely and there were no fatalities at Lakeland Village or Eastern State Hospital.
“The staff here are amazing,” said Meagan Biesecker, an Attendant Counselor III at Lakeland Village. “People were doing whatever they could, helping out residents that weren’t even theirs.”
Residents returned to Lakeland Village that night after firefighters declared the area safe. There was a layer of ash over the outside of buildings, but diligent work by fire personnel kept all residential housing safe.
“Even when they cleared the roads, most of us stuck around to help get the residents back and settled,” said Michele Mitchell, an Adult Training Specialist at Lakeland Village.
A Community Rebuilds, With the Help of their Union
With residents safely back in their homes, the work of rebuilding the surrounding community began.
Several workers had lost their homes over the course of the day. In response to the devastation from the Gray Fire and other fires in the area, WFSE’s executive board voted overwhelmingly to contribute $200,000 to the Foundation for Working Families, a disaster relief fund where 100% of donations go to union members in need. WFSE created the fund in 2007 in response to major flooding in Chehalis.
WFSE staff worked with the Red Cross to hand out water, food, and other necessities to workers impacted by the fires. Funds were set up to put members in hotels if they lost their homes.
“The union was great,” said Pam Davis. “We were getting emails and texts saying ‘We’ve set up rooms, call us, you can go to this hotel. Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it.’”
Workers at Lakeland Village feel the threat of wildfires around them, especially as the weather gets warmer and summer rolls around. But they’re devoted to their jobs and each other, and don’t plan on leaving.
“I can’t think of any place I’d rather work,” said Rachele Ragsdill. “And I hope we never go through another trauma like this, but if we do, this is the group of people I would want to face that with.”
Driving through Medical Lake, you’ll see signs boldly declaring “MEDICAL LAKE STRONG,” juxtaposed with charred black trees interspersed with empty lots where houses used to sit. The hills and valleys around town bear the scar of the Gray Fire and others before it.
During the annual Founder’s Day parade, a crowd of people in WFSE green shirts walk down Medical Lake’s main street, handing out candy to excited children and getting hugs from community members along the route. Medical Lake isn’t just strong—it’s UNION STRONG!
