Vancouver Deputy Chief To Lead Valley Fire District

The executive deputy chief of the Vancouver (Wash.) Fire Department will take over as the new chief of Valley Fire District on March 2.

Pat Humphries, 48, will be paid $74,000 per year and will serve at the will of the board of commissioners, on a month-to-month contract.

“I am extremely happy,” said Humphries, who is originally from Wenatchee. His wife is from Spokane and he said they have wanted to return to Eastern Washington for a while.

Humphries beat out Clyde Wisenor, a retired Valley Fire division chief of fire prevention, and Randy Coggan, former chief of Redmond (Wash.) Fire Department, for the job.

The Valley Fire board voted 4-1 in favor of Humphries. Commissioner Ron Schmidt cast the dissenting vote.

“I think he’ll be a good leader,” said Commissioner Tom Gregory. “I think he’ll be a hands-on leader.”

One of Humphries strengths is in dealing with financial matters, said Commissioner Ray Allen. Humphries’s innovative approach to saving money has included converting an old house into a fire station, instead of constructing a new buildings, and saving about $300,000, Allen said.

Humphries also has experience with the politics of annexation and city-county consolidation, two issues Spokane County is dealing with now.

Humphries was chief of Clark County Fire District 5 for 13 years. When Vancouver’s city and county forces consolidated in April of 1994, he became executive deputy chief of the new department. He had previously served as fire marshal and deputy chief of Fire District 5 and had been with the district since 1977.

Some members of the district’s administration and union expressed concern about the process. Many union members said the commissioners had their eye on Humphries from the start.

“We were caught by surprise that Karl (Bold) was set back. We didn’t know what to think,” said union vice president Kevin Miller.

Chief Karl Bold will return to the position of assistant chief when Humphries takes over. Bold became chief in August of 1994, when Rod Tedrow retired. The commissioners asked Bold to resign in mid-January.