LAKE STEVENS — Kurt Hilt has dedicated his life to helping people and communities. His contributions have reached from Lake Stevens all the way up to the federal level.
For the last 19 years Hilt has been on the frontlines of helping communities as a firefighter and paramedic. “He intentionally puts himself in harm’s way to save others,” said Dr. Robert Mitchell, Hilt’s partner in a nonprofit venture called the Disaster Medicine Project.
Hilt, 47, was sent to Oso five years ago after the mudslide, and dispatched to the Carleton Complex wildfire in Okanogan County to assess and assist relief efforts.
Thinking how to take action locally, after Sept. 11, 2001, Hilt began wondering what the tragedy meant for his community.
“What does it mean to fire service, health care and emergency medicine,” he wondered. Seeking answers to those questions inspired Hilt to attend graduate school and earn his master’s degree in homeland security policy.
Hilt soon began working with the Washington Disaster Medical Assistance Team. The team of health care professionals also helps to provide services nationally in areas affected by natural disasters. “We’re a group of 50 people that are ready to provide health care as soon as we get on the ground,” he said.
He sits on the Lake Stevens City Council, and on the Snohomish Health District board for the county. In 2017 Hilt was appointed to the Washington State Board of Health.
He said he plans to run for mayor this fall as Mayor John Spencer is retiring.
Snohomish County Councilman Sam Low, who’s known Hilt for years, was at the Oso relief efforts with him and described him as someone who is able to adapt quickly in different environments. “He’s proven that at the county level through Oso, the state level through the department of health and at the federal level through these different disasters,” Low said.
Hilt grew up in south Everett and while attending Everett Community College envisioned himself becoming a meteorologist. After his first year of college Hilt began volunteering as a firefighter.
Since childhood he had been fascinated by firefighting. “During college I never really thought it was going to be a career,” Hilt said. “I thought I would always look back and say, ‘It’s just something fun I did in college.’”
Hilt graduated with a degree in communications and promptly applied for a job as a firefighter and paramedic. He has worked for Snohomish County Fire District 1 for the last 19 years.
Disaster Medicine Project
Hilt found a way to help prepare local communities for disasters. While volunteering on a influenza group for the Snohomish Health District he partnered up with Mitchell to start the Disaster Medicine Project (DMP) in 2012. “So really the focus of the (nonprofit) is training health care providers and training the community,” Hilt said.
“Kurt’s a great leader and understands the various pieces of communicating a message to a large audience of people,” Mitchell said.
Aiming to provide people with a basic understanding of disaster medicine, the DMP has recently been teaching Stop the Bleed classes, training local groups and individuals how to use tourniquets and pack wounds. “Because when a disaster hits the community, all of us are now first responders,” Hilt said.
While on City Council
Lately Hilt is working on new ideas on the City Council. He was elected unopposed to the City Council in 2016, and while serving as its president in 2017 he spearheaded a new city veterans’ commission.
He said that even though there were some strong organizations locally, “the city itself had no skin in the game. Then I realized there was no city in our state that had a veterans’ commission.”
The commission can help connect veterans with resources and also find ways to help use their knowledge and skills in the community. Hilt said that one of the commission’s projects for 2019 is to recognize Lake Stevens businesses that are owned by or employ veterans.
Hilt’s other focus on the council has been trying to secure parks projects to expand the number of parks and sports facilities in Lake Stevens. Hilt said that currently there aren’t enough city parks to serve the expanding population. “I’m focused on getting more ballfields into our community and expanding the ones we do have,” he said.
Gene Brazel, Lake Stevens city administrator, said “Kurt’s a great listener, he’s very supportive of the community and moving the community forward.”
Mayor Spencer described Hilt’s civic leadership qualities as being calm and thoughtful: “He could talk real time, real solutions as opposed to conceptual ideas and solutions.”
“I would definitely say Kurt’s a hero for sure, he’s what public servants should be from my perspective,” Low said.
Hilt thinks that his willingness to help others runs in the family.
“I guess I got my public service from my dad,” Hilt said. “He’s 85 and still volunteers at the food bank every Thursday.”
