Special district · Washington State
Fire Protection District 1 — Fire District, Whatcom County WA
Fire Protection District 1 is a fire district in Whatcom county, Washington. It provides fire and emergency medical services.
Not the same as the other district numbered 1 in Whatcom County. Whatcom also has Cemetery District 1, Swfa Commissioner District 1, Point Roberts Park and Recreation District 1, Port of Bellingham Commissioner District 1, FSD 502 Director District 1, BSD 503 Director District 1, MSD 505 Director District 1, NVSD 506 Director District 1, MBSD 507 Director District 1, PUD No. 1 Commissioner District 1, Public Utility District No. 1, PUD No. 1 Commissioner District 2, PUD No. 1 Commissioner District 3, LWW&S Commissioner District 1. These are separate governments with separate boards, budgets and ballots — sharing a number does not make them one district.
Last checked 2026-08-07
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About this district
It provides fire and emergency medical services.
| Type | Fire District |
|---|---|
| Number | 1 |
| County | Whatcom |
| Voting precincts | 14 |
| Official name | FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 1 |
| State district code | FIR370001 |
Source WA Secretary of State district and precinct files · as of 2026-08-07 · district record
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Recent elections
Election records the state publishes for this district. Board members are elected in odd-numbered years.
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Shannon Whitford-Ahlers | 1,993 | Won, unopposed |
| 2025 | Bob Kofstad | 887 | Won, unopposed |
| 2023 | Randy Vanderheiden | 2,968 | Won |
| 2023 | Dean Boon | 888 | Won, unopposed |
| 2023 | Burl Booker | 269 | Won, unopposed |
| 2023 | Demus Lourie | 254 | — |
| 2021 | Kurt Bruland | 2,466 | Won |
| 2021 | Matthew James Thompson | 1,039 | — |
| 2021 | David Pietz | 836 | Won, unopposed |
| 2021 | Cullen Klindworth | 284 | Won, unopposed |
| 2019 | Shannon Whitford-Ahlers | 1,546 | Won |
| 2019 | Gary D. Almy | 1,414 | — |
| 2019 | Tyson Humbyrd | 911 | — |
| 2019 | Cullen Klindworth | 285 | Won, unopposed |
| 2019 | Matthew B Smith | 284 | Won, unopposed |
10 of the 14 races on record here drew no opponent. An unopposed race still appears on the ballot and still has to be certified. It is ordinary for special districts rather than a sign of anything.
Source WA Secretary of State election results · as of 2026-08-07 · 14 races on record
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Other districts in Whatcom County
See every special district in Whatcom County — fire, school, water, port, hospital, cemetery and park districts, and which of them share a number.
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Common questions
What is Fire Protection District 1?
A fire district in Whatcom county, Washington, governed by an elected board of commissioners or directors. It provides fire and emergency medical services.
Who runs Fire Protection District 1?
Recent elected officials include Shannon Whitford-Ahlers, Bob Kofstad, Randy Vanderheiden.
Is this the same as the other District 1 in Whatcom County?
No. Whatcom County also has Cemetery District 1, Swfa Commissioner District 1, Point Roberts Park and Recreation District 1 and Port of Bellingham Commissioner District 1. They are separate governments with separate boards, budgets and ballots.
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What this page will not compute
Each of these is a number a reader might reasonably expect. None of them follow from the records we hold, so we do not publish them.
- What it levies, or spends
- Special districts set their own levies and budgets, and those filings are held by each county assessor rather than in any state-wide dataset. Nothing here is a financial figure.
- Who currently sits on the board
- We show election records where a district name matched one, which is 54% of them. A matched election tells you who won that race, not who holds the seat today — boards fill vacancies by appointment between elections, and those appointments are not published centrally.
- Where its boundary runs
- The register gives a precinct count, not a shape. Two districts of the same type in one county can be adjacent or nowhere near each other, and this page cannot tell you which.
Cite this page
This is public-records reporting. Use it, and say where it came from.
“Fire Protection District 1 — Fire District, Whatcom County WA,” WashingtonIndependents.org, data as of 2026-08-07, accessed 2026-08-08. https://washingtonindependents.org/district/whatcom-fire-1/
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Where this page comes from
Every figure above is read from a primary source and rebuilt on a schedule. Nothing here is modelled or inferred; where a source is silent the page says so rather than filling the gap.
- WA Secretary of State — district and precinct files
- https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/
- WA Secretary of State — election results
- https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/results.aspx