No accidents means no hair for SKFR Chief Senter

On Friday, South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Chief Wayne Senter got a buzz cut for the first time in 36 years.

In 1974, Senter was shorn as a young man enlisting in the U.S. Army. Last week, the new haircut was the fulfillment of a promise.

“It was worth it,” he said, explaining that he agreed to sport the much shorter — and much colder — hairstyle if SKFR personnel finished the year without a “qualifying accident” involving a fire truck, ambulance or other vehicles.

“However, maybe next year I’ll offer to do the stair climb instead,” he said, referring to the annual Scott Firefighter Climb in downtown Seattle’s Columbia Tower, a building with 69 flights of stairs.

When many present questioned the wisdom of that offer, Senter quipped: “I didn’t say how fast I would do it. Or how many days it would take.”

Raffle tickets were sold to determine who would get the honor of shaving Senter’s head, and SKFR accounting technician Darlene Slagle wielded the clippers for the first cuts.

“I bought four tickets,” Slagle said. “I wasn’t intent on winning, it was just for a good cause.”

Slagle made just a few swipes with the clippers before turning them over to Whitney Richards, wife of Battalion Chief Doug Richards, the designated stylist who carefully shaped Senter’s hair.

“Of course, if this was the Army, they’d have it done in three, maybe four, passes,” said Lt. Tim Salters, president of the firefighters’ union, Local 2876.

SKFR Capt. Nathan Post said 300 of the $2 tickets were sold, raising $600 for the “Lakewood Police Independent Guild Charity Fund,” which supports the children of the four police officers killed in Lakewood last year.

Post said the union matched the funds raised, so a total of $1,200 was donated.

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