Fire District 8 names new assistant chief of operations

Spokane County Fire District 8 Assistant Chief of Operations Lonnie Rash was sworn in last month, but he’s no stranger to the fire district south of Spokane and Spokane Valley. He was previously the district’s deputy chief of human resources and support services from 2005 to 2012.

“I couldn’t be happier being back in the area and back at Fire District 8,” Rash said.

Rash started his firefighting career in Bozeman, where he grew up. He worked in law enforcement at Montana State University before starting as a volunteer firefighter at Central Valley Fire District there in 1988.

It was the camaraderie with his co-workers and positive relationship with the community that drew Rash away from police work and into the fire service. Though neither of his parents are in public service, his brother became a firefighter as well and is now the fire chief in Billings.

“It’s a family business,” Rash said.

He moved up in the ranks at Central Valley Fire to become a battalion chief before he left Montana for Fire District 8 in 2005.

He left the district in 2012 to become fire chief in Burlington, Washington, but found the bustling area wasn’t a good fit for himself or his family. “My family just wasn’t that comfortable there,” he said. “Maybe a few too many people.”

After 18 months he took a position as assistant chief of operations in Spokane County Fire District 4 north of Spokane. “I hadn’t really planned on that,” Rash said. “It seemed like a great fit, and we wanted to come back to the Spokane area.”

Rash didn’t even have to look for a place to live when he returned. He left Spokane during a housing slump and decided to lease out his house instead of selling it even though he didn’t think he’d be moving back to the area. “I just wasn’t at a place where I wanted to sell,” he said.

Early this year District 8’s previous assistant chief, Greg Godfrey, retired, someone Rash had worked with. “I loved working with him,” Rash said. “He did some very amazing things here.”

Rash found himself talking to Fire Chief Tony Nielsen and the vacant position came up.

“I always have had an affinity for District 8,” Rash said. “The people here are truly committed to the community and each other. They appreciate each other for who they are and work very hard to deliver every day.”

But coming back wasn’t like slipping on a well-worn pair of shoes. Rash found that things had changed while he was gone, though many of the faces were the same. New automatic aid agreements with Spokane and Spokane Valley have meant an increase in the number of calls for crews. “That’s increased dramatically,” he said. “There were many, many things that were changed.”

The district used to have mutual aid agreements that sent them across district boundaries if they were requested to help with something that required additional crews. The new automatic aid agreements mean that District 8 crews are dispatched automatically to calls in other jurisdictions if they are the closest unit.

“It increased efficiency and decreases response time,” he said.

Rash said in hindsight he wishes he had never left District 8 and now plans to stay put until he retires.

“The fire chief here really cares about the people and that’s an important component,” he said.