More big changes are coming to Spokane County Fire District 3 in southwest Spokane County after the district annexed Medical Lake into its boundaries in August. The district has used paid command staff and volunteer firefighters in the past but recently announced it was taking applications for career firefighters and additional battalion chiefs. The 11 new positions are being paid for by a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant, which lasts for three years, pays for 75% of the costs during the first and second years and 35% of the costs in the third year. Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach said the district will not have any problems paying for the new positions once the grant ends. “We’ve ensured that they’re fully funded at the end of the grant,” he said.