Recent accidents, budgets and new appointments were discussed at the Eastsound Fire Hall. The San Juan County Fire District #2 held their regular meeting on Sept 10, 5:30 p.m. Two big items on the agenda were the chief’s report and the 2014 budget.

Notable alarms on the chief report included a man who had splashed acid in his eye. On Aug. 1 he was treated by OIFR with “continous irrigation” and was transferred via Airlift to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham for further evaluation. About an hour later, responders were notified that a man who was paragliding “crash landed” along the roadway in Deer Harbor because of a wind change.

Other news and events announced at the meeting included Orcas Cares Team decision to host the FD Cares Team from Kent Regional Fire Authority on Sept. 24 and 25 to learn and explore cooperative efforts. Orcas Cares is a partnership program created to assist seniors and disabled people.

“I’m very excited about this program,” said Fire Commissioner Jim Coffin.

O’Brien announced that Orcas Community Church Assistant Pastor Scott Harris will be OIFR’s new chaplain.

It was also announced at the meeting that District Financial Officer Sally Kass has given notice for resignation. O’Brien said she will continue to work with the department until they find a replacement.

As for the 2014 budget, O’Brien said preliminary numbers should be released in the near future. The fire chief said some factors that will influence it include OIFR’s operations budget, which is increasing along with their training requirements.

He also mentioned the 20 percent increase in call volume as another factor.

“We are projecting that to grow,” he said.