Leslee Smith remembered for service to others

Leslee Smith, the first career female firefighter at North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) who was known for her unwavering service to others, in and out of bunker gear, died March 26 after battling job-related liver cancer. She was 69.

Leslee’s death is considered a line-of-duty fatality because of hazardous exposures while working as a firefighter. Leslee spent several years as a volunteer firefighter before switching careers from a school behavioral health specialist to become a NWFR firefighter at 40 years old in 1999, eventually becoming the district’s first female lieutenant.

Leslee retired from NWFR in October 2021 due to her cancer. She was initially diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012, becoming cancer free after surgery, and then was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2020 that required her to start chemotherapy.

Along with her trailblazing career in the fire service, Leslee held many titles throughout her life including counselor, behavioral health specialist, school volunteer, baker, gardener, and most importantly to those who knew her: mother, wife, and daughter.

“Leslee had a thirsty curiosity and a beautiful mind. She was engaging, disarming and genuine in her interactions with everyone and had an innate ability to connect with people on any level and make them feel seen and heard,” Steve Smith, her husband, wrote in an email to The Northern Light. “This strength of character was often displayed in the love she had for her community and her efforts in that regard to motivate, educate and assist whenever and however needed.”

Leslee was born December 7, 1954 in Penticton, in the Okanagan Valley of B.C. Upon graduating from Douglas College in 1974, Leslee began working as a child care and family counselor at The Children’s Foundation in Vancouver. After meeting Steve, the Smiths moved to Blaine where Leslee worked as a behavioral health specialist at Blaine school district from 1989 to 1999.

Jennie Sand, a close friend to Leslee, said their friendship cemented through co-teaching a conflict resolution class at Blaine school district. Leslee earned children’s trust and cared deeply about their lives, Sand said. 

Leslee helped start and managed the Blaine High School Band to Japan trips that gave students the opportunity to perform at a music festival near Tokyo from 2003 to 2017. She loved visiting Japan, where she made lifelong friends and became influenced by the cuisine, according to her family.

Leslee volunteered with the Blaine Fine Arts Association (BFAA) and the Smiths became good friends with former high school band director Bob Gray and Dorita Gray, who helped start BFAA. When Leslee found out the Grays needed home repairs, she sprung into action and organized the community to help. 

“There’s the very public part of what she did as a career and helping people that way, but [she and my dad] have always helped friends and neighbors,” said Josh Smith, her son.

While working with Blaine Fire Department in Blaine schools, Leslee was encouraged to become a volunteer firefighter, eventually leading to her career position. 

“She second-guessed herself for about two seconds and then she was in,” Sand said of Leslee’s career change. “That was it. It was where she belonged.”

Leslee said in a 2021 interview with the newspaper that her proudest accomplishments included helping start a scholarship foundation, completing the annual Columbia Tower Firefighter Stair Climb twice in under 30 minutes, encouraging girls to get involved in firefighting camps and delivering babies on the job.

NWFR firefighter Haley Urling-Ehinger said Leslee helped her interview for the position. Once Urling-Ehinger was hired, they would often respond to emergencies together, where Urling-Ehinger said Leslee taught her to go “above and beyond” for patients by ensuring they knew available social services and their homes were safe.

Urling-Ehinger added that Leslee showed her to give grace to patients who didn’t trust the women to do their jobs because of their gender.

“People would question our abilities as a crew because two were female,” Urling-Ehinger said. “It gave us the opportunity to show them that ladies have what it takes to do the job too.”

Kendra Cristelli, director of Support Officer Community Care of Whatcom County, a nonprofit that assists first responders when responding to traumatic incidents, said Leslee was equally a skilled worker as she was a good friend.

Josh said that while his mom dedicated herself to her career and volunteering, her family was a priority and she always supported them. She was an avid cook with a spaghetti carbonara recipe she passed down and an award-winning blackberry cream lemon meringue pie. She loved spending time outside, whether that was gardening, hiking or just unwinding with family.

Sand said some of her fondest memories with Leslee included hosting winter holiday parties for children of NWFR employees, which always ended in surprise marshmallow fights, and pulling light-hearted pranks like decorating a former Blaine superintendent’s office with origami and streamers.

A public, line-of-duty funeral with department honors is scheduled  for June 29 at the Blaine Performing Arts Center. The family asks that donations in honor of Leslee be made to Blaine Fine Arts Association, Bellingham-Whatcom County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation scholarships for fire service and medical fields, and Support Officer Community Care of Whatcom County.

“There’s the very public and obvious legacy she left as a female firefighter that set the tone for all of the young female firefighters who have come after her,” Josh said. “Then there’s the other public legacy of all of the volunteer work she’s done with the school, with the band and through the fire department. But I think for me, her legacy is that kindness and connectivity that she shared with anybody she met. Our legacy is to carry her kind spirit forward and share it with other people with our own actions.”