Clark County Fire District 3 promoted two staff members and introduced a new Fire Inspector this month. Chris Drone is the new Division Chief for Community Risk Reduction. Andrey Zalozh earned the title of Captain in addition to Firefighter/Paramedic. Dawson Shoup had a lateral move from Firefighter/EMT to Fire Inspector.“Fire District 3 is expected to grow by 46 percent in the next 20 years,” said Chief Scott Sorenson. “These positions are important for community safety, and we were pleased to fill them with internal candidates.”
Chris Drone started as the first Fire Marshal for Fire District 3 in 2017 before being promoted to Division Chief for Community Risk Reduction this year. The Fire Marshal’s office is part of the Community Risk Reduction Division, which works to prevent fires and injury for residents. Drone was a Plans Examiner and Lead Deputy Fire Marshal with the city of Vancouver before joining the Fire District. Drone also spent several years in Colorado in a number of fire prevention and community development positions. He is a Marine Corps Veteran, licensed Fire Protection Engineer, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University, and two Associate Degrees.
Captain Andrey Zalozh join the fire cadet program with a neighboring agency while in high school. He interned with Fire District 3 in 2004 then served as a resident firefighter, volunteer, and was hired full-time in 2014. Zalozh is originally from the Ukraine, and emigrated as a teenager with his family to Clark County in 1998. He earned his Associates Degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University and is a certified Firefighter/Paramedic.
Fire Inspector Dawson Shoup started as a fire cadet with Fire District 3 while at Union High School in Camas, Wash. He worked his way up to intern and then a volunteer firefighter by 2019. Fire District 3 hired Shoup as a full-time firefighter in 2020, and he is transferring to the Fire Marshal’s office as the Fire Inspector. Shoup has his Associates Degree in Fire Science from Portland Community College.