Who we are

South Kitsap Fire and Rescue (District 7) career firefighters are represented by the International Association of Firefighters, a union that spans the entire North American Continent and represents over 4,000 locals and 220,000 members. Organized to represent members on issues such as worker safety, job security, wages, and retirement benefits, the union was established in 1918 and today represents the majority of our nation’s career firefighters. District 7 firefighters elected to affiliate themselves with this organization in June of 1982. The original identification number assigned to the South Kitsap Local was 2876. Five years later in January of 1987, District 7 career firefighters and those from four other county agencies united to create a single multi-jurisdictional organization which took the number of 2819, which had originally been Fire District 1’s identifier number. In 1992, the city of Port Orchard joined this group, bringing the total number of separate bargaining units within the organization to 6.

For logistical reasons, in May of 1997, District 7 union members voted to create their own Local, breaking away from the rest of the County bargaining units. District 7 firefighters have once again been assigned the identifier number the South Kitsap union originally held, IAFF 2876.

In 1999, non-suppression personnel joined 2876 as a bargaining unit.