Spokane County Fire District 10 has a new fire chief, but Ken Johnson is no stranger to the district. He started his career there as a volunteer firefighter when he was 16.
Because of his age he wasn’t allowed to volunteer at building fires. “At the time you could do wildland fires,” he said.
As a teenager he worked with someone who was a volunteer firefighter and often disappeared when his pager sounded.
“He’d come back with these amazing stories,” he said. “It’s a very active, physical job. You never know what’s going to happen from hour to hour.”
After he earned a degree in risk management from Central Washington University, he went back to District 10 and was the third paid firefighter hired on at the district. After several years he was recruited to join the Cheney Fire Department. Johnson said he was attracted to the department just down the road because he liked the idea of being more involved in the community.