Officials appoint new fire chief

A veteran California firefighter will be the next chief of Spokane Valley Fire Department, fire commissioners announced Wednesday.

Mike Thompson, a 30-year veteran of Los Angeles-area fire agencies, was appointed unanimously by commissioners at their Wednesday meeting.

The job of overseeing 10 fire stations in Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and Millwood will pay $120,000 a year.

Thompson will take over March 1, but commissioners said Thompson will show up for work a week early to spend a week with outgoing Chief Mark Grover, who will retire at the end of February.

“Mike wants to come in early and get his feet on the ground,” Commissioner Ron Schmidt said.

Before retiring in 2003, Thompson was chief administrative officer for the fire department in Culver City, Calif., which has 730 employees.

He moved northwest of Spokane’s Wandermere area 18 months ago to be closer to his father, who has been in Spokane for 15 years.

The new chief was in Las Vegas with his family Wednesday when his appointment was announced to a room packed with firefighters.

Thompson was unknown to most who were present, but he has become a familiar face at Spokane Fire District 4, where he’s volunteered since last summer.

“What little I know of him, he seems like a very, very great guy,” Fire District 4 Chief Ed Lewis said.

“His history would tell me that he’s going to be a player in what makes our fire service community very special.”

In a phone interview Wednesday night, Thompson said he’s eager to start work and noted that firefighters face challenges in the rapidly growing Spokane Valley.

“They have a good organization and good people,” Thompson said.

The new chief was selected from a list of five finalists, but there were 52 applicants for the job.