Give Island County Fire District 3 a gold star.

The board of commissioners for Fire District 3 received a commendation from the Washington State Auditor’s office recently in recognition of the district going seven straight years without an audit finding. “Finding” is an auditing term for finding an irregularity, mistake, or intentional deception in the finances of a public entity.

The commendation, though it is little more than a pat on the back, was well received at the district.

“This is great news,” said FD3 Chief Don Smith.

Although the letter didn’t give specific credit to any particular members of the fire district’s organization, Smith said most of the credit should go to the district’s secretary, Paula Schuler.

In a letter congratulating the commissioners, Washington State Auditor Brian Sonntag wrote, “I would like to congratulate you on the district’s exemplary record of no audit findings for the last seven years. This accomplishment reflects the dedication of the Board and the staff for strong oversight of operations, good internal controls and accurate financial reporting.”

Sonntag wrote that a critical factor in the district’s success was the staff, including Smith and Schuler.

The letter further stated that the auditor’s office views its relationship with FD3 as a model for how it wishes to work with other entities in the state.

Don Smith has been chief since 1995, two years prior to the start of the district’s financial clean streak.

Now that the district is on a roll, Smith is looking toward retiring from fire service. He announced his retirement earlier this year. The district’s commissioners are in the process of finding and hiring a new chief. They will interview the final three candidates in their search on Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. at the Freeland fire station.

Chief Don Smith is stepping down after the first of the year to pursue of job with a consulting firm in Bellevue.