AERIAL CIRCUS UMO youngsters will fly high. Page 10
Inside this issue! Pages 12–18
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 04
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
Football star has local roots
New rating shows an improved fire department
By SARAH LOW
Report could lower insurance rates, is a guide for agency
Grandson of Vashon coach is headed to the Pro Bowl Staff Writer
As football season draws to a close and Seahawks fans are near spent from the anticipation of the game their earth-moving cheers have been driving the team toward all season, one island family has its sights set on the NFL’s other post-season game — and for good reason. Matt Overton, a long-snapper specialist for the Indianapolis Colts and the grandson of islander and University of Puget Sound Hall of Fame football coach Paul “Big Wally” Wallrof, will play in the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii on Sunday. “This is like a dream come true for me. Football has been my life for so long,” Overton said in a recent interview with The Beachcomber. “I’m glad that my grandfather will be able to see this.” Wallrof, a fixture of the Puget Sound football scene both as a player and coach for nearly half a century, is thrilled, his family says. “The night we found out, he got a huge smile on his face,” said Wallrof’s daughter and Overton’s mother, Lisa Blair. “He wishes he
By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Photo courtesy the Indianapolis Colts
Matt Overton is the grandson of islander and football coach Paul Wallrof. could go; he’d be there if he could. All of his life has been coaching and football. … Now his grand-
son is going to the Pro Bowl. It’s SEE FOOTBALL, 24
An improved state rating for Vashon’s firefighting capabilities could mean insurance savings for islanders and provides what officials call a tool to further improve Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s (VIFR) response abilities. The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) recently revised Vashon’s fire protection rating from a six to a five on a scale where a lower rating is stronger. The independent nonprofit’s extensive and complex evaluation system takes into account not only a local fire department’s strengths and response abilities, but other factors such as local water supplies and emergency communications in the area. The rating from the WSRB, which is funded by and reports to insurance providers, does not consider medical emergency response. Improved ratings are reported to most major providers of homeowner’s insurance and often result reductions in insurance
premiums. The rating applies only to homes within 5 miles of a fire station — nearly all houses on Vashon — and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. Homes not in that distance of a fire hydrant could still see savings though, as their applied rating will change from a seven to a six. “This was a huge thing,” said Assistant Chief George Brown, who worked with the WSRB to helped facilitate the evaluation on Vashon. “By us doing our job efficiently … if we can reduce insurance rates to taxpayers, to me that is huge.” Vashon’s fire protection rating has not been fully evaluated since the 1980s, Brown said, and the department recently requested that the WSRB update the score. A less extensive evaluation was performed by WSRB in 2004, when Vashon’s score wasn’t changed. Vashon’s rating improved from six to five this time, Brown said, largely because of changes made in the last few decades and in recent years to strengthen Vashon’s fire department, which has shifted from an all-volunteer agency to one with a mix of paid and volunteer responders. SEE RATING, 25
Massaging animals
School on the leading edge of a growing practice By SARAH LOW Staff Writer
The Vashon Chamber of Commerce routinely fields calls from people from all over wondering about places to stay on the island, the vast majority of which come from people planning to attend classes at the Northwest School of Animal Massage. Relocated from Redmond to Vashon in 2011, the unique school has kept a low profile on the island, but is one of only a few in the country that offers classes and professional certification in the growing field of animal massage. “With the demand for animal massage practitioners Sarah Low Photo growing ... so is the spectrum of students enrolling,” said Lola Michelin, pictured teaching a class, owns and runs the Lola Michelin, the school’s director. Northwest School of Animal Massage. Last week Michelin sat cross-legged in the center of the
converted barn — known as “The Hangar,” after former owner Al Paxhia, who was a Vashon airport commissioner for many years and built a recreational plane in the space. Now the building functions as the school’s classroom. Relaxing comfortably there in front of her was Zoe, a local rescue dog who served as a model while Michelin discussed massage techniques and demonstrated them on her. About a dozen students who scribbled notes and practiced the moves on their own stuffed-animal dogs and cats of various sizes and colors sat at tables circling Michelin. “I want to do this for my pets and my friends’ pets, just to help maintain their quality of life,” said one student, SEE MASSAGE, 23