Central Mason fire chief calls it a career

Central Mason Fire Chief Mike Patti is hanging up his coat Aug. 19.

Patti, 68, joined Central Mason Fire in July 2011 as the assistant chief and fire marshal. He worked in that position until 2015 when he was promoted to deputy chief of operations while continuing his fire marshal duties. He was promoted again in January 2020 to fire chief.

"I think once I retire, I'm going to take a couple months to breathe and we'll just see what the future holds," Patti told the Journal. "I want to do some traveling and just chill for a while I think."

Patti grew up in San Francisco and he remembered his family living close to a firehouse, where he watched fire trucks come and go. He said he remembers wanting to be a firefighter since junior high school.

He moved in fourth grade to Tumwater, where he graduated from high school. He started working in firefighting before he turned 18, celebrating 50 years of fire service in May. Patti started as a volunteer in Tumwater and went to McLean Fire District 9 in 1978 as a volunteer.

Patti became a paid firefighter in 1980 in Black Lake in Thurston County. He returned to McLean in 1990 to become the captain and retired the first time in 2000 and went to work for the state Fire Marshal's Office as a deputy state fire marshal. Patti was recruited by Pierce County to become the deputy fire marshal for eight years before leaving as the interim fire marshal to take a position at Central Mason Fire.

"I thought when I left Pierce County, coming back to quiet little Shelton, where I can retire in the fire service and went from the frying pan of Pierce County into the fire of Mason County in Shelton where it's surprising how busy Shelton and Mason County was," Patti said.

He said the increase in calls from Pierce County to Mason County was largely due to the medical calls the department receives, whereas in Pierce County, he was only responding to fire calls.

"When I had the opportunity to get back into the fire service over here at Fire District 5 in Central Mason, I jumped on it because that was what I wanted to do was retire from the fire service being around the fire engines and the medic units," Patti said.

“Getting back into the first-response arena. I was hoping for it and I kind of embraced it.”

Patti said he loves what he does, saying he doesn’t think there is a better job in the world.

“Anybody who’s ever talked to me about it, I tell them it’s the best job in the world,” Patti said. “I try to steer people to the fire service, anybody who’s looking for a career. When I talk to younger people in high school and college, people coming out of the service and I tell them I work for the fire service, I can’t think of a better job for anybody.”

He said it’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the jurisdiction he grew up in. It’s also been great for him to move to nearby jurisdictions and serve his neighbors.

“If you don’t have a wish to serve, you don’t belong in the fire service,” Patti said. “This is not a job just to earn a paycheck. You’ve got to be a part of the community.”

He said the fire at the old Shelton Hotel was a big fire he remembers.

“I remember we pulled up to it and the guys had just established our water supply and pulled an attack line,” Patti said. “The building had collapsed, and we were really close to losing a firefighter when that building collapsed. That was a close call for us. We had talked about that with the crew for quite a while after that.”

He said he’s responded to some fatality fires and those fires stick with him because of the circumstances.

Patti said some of his favorite memories include being named fire chief and the camaraderie among his crew.

“I think that I’ve had an honor of working with some of the most dedicated men and women at Central Mason Fire and even within the law enforcement group with the Shelton Police Department, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, both of those units, law enforcement are some of the most dedicated people I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” Patti said.

Some improvements were made to the police officer and firefighter’s retirement system that made it enticing for him to retire, according to Patti. He said there are some people coming up the ranks who are younger, smarter and stronger and are the right people at the right time to assume the department and go onto the next step.

Jeff Snyder is being promoted to fire chief. He’s been with Central Mason Fire for more than 30 years. Snyder was brought on as a paid firefighter in 1992 and has worked his way up.

“He’s very familiar with department operations and the people and he’s a great tactician and strategist,” Patti said. “He fits in well with the political environment as well so he knows what the department needs and he’s politically astute and knows how to get what we need within the constraints of our budget.”

Greg Yates, a battalion chief, will assume the role of deputy chief of operations currently held by Snyder.

Patti wanted to thank the community of Mason County Fire District 5 and the people of Shelton for their continued support.

When asked whether he would miss working in the fire service, Patti responded with “I know I will.”

“We’ve had a lot of conversations about once I leave here but the folks here have assured me my coffee cup is always going to be on the shelf,” Patti said. “The coffee pot is on and I’ll be able to stop by and have a cup of coffee and see the folks. I’m always going to be a firefighter, that’s one thing about it. I’ll always hear the sirens, but it’s going to be nice to not have to wake up at 2 o’clock in the morning and jump out of bed and go to calls.”