Grant County Fire District No. 4 honors members

WARDEN - More than 70 people attended the Grant County Fire District No. 4 awards banquet in Warden Monday night at the Corral Restaurant.

The department reflected on a few funny moments over the past year and a said good-bye to some fellow firefighters.

They laughed as they awarded one female Emergency Medical Technician a men's muscle building magazine because she was caught looking at man who was swimming naked while heading to a call.

Maintenance Capt. Jerry Kinder recalled an incident he referred to as "better late than never." The incident involved a firefighter who went on vacation and came back home to his beeper alerting him about a call. The man rushed to get prepared for the call, only to find out he was 36 hours late, he laughed.

Kinder awarded another firefighter with a bike helmet. He joked sometimes the department is so involved with the victim's safety, they forget about their own and might whack themselves on the head.

Bouquets of cattails were given to two people who got their ambulances stuck in the mud.

The evening served as a time to say good-bye to Jack Hooley. He served the department for 37 years. During his service he was a firefighter, a fire chief for three years and a fire commissioner for 22 years.

Hooley said he enjoyed his time serving the department and is pleased to see the strength of the fire district. He said the district has a strong core of people and large numbers of new recruits.

Hooley plans to continue work as a part-time farmer and as a supervisor for the inter-county weed district.

During the award banquet he was presented with a gift from the department. It was a large piece of finished wood featuring his name, years of service and a fire ax.

During the presentation an old photo held dear to the district was showcased. It was a candid shot of Hooley dressed in his fire gear with a small boy walking alongside him looking up toward him. The boy was Jeremiah Schmunk of Warden. He was one of the first people from the Columbia Basin to die while serving the U.S. military in Iraq. The photo was significant to the group and the caption read "It's not the shoe size that makes a hero."

Recently retired fire chief Bob Whitaker said he will miss Hooley's dedication to the district. He said Hooley responded to approximately 4,000 emergency calls for service during his career.

Whitaker gave the Chief's Choice Award to Aaron Golloday. The Firefighter of the Year award went to Dave Whitney. The Rookie of the Year award was given to Mitch Jensen.

An uncommon award was given to three people. Lloyd Whitney, Dave Whitney and Eric Whitney were presented with a generational plaque because they serve as three generations of one family who worked with the district.

Family members of the Stan and Lola Cole family were honored for their donation of 3.3 acres to build a new fire station near state Route 17 for the Warden area.

Randy Wiggins is taking over as the new fire chief.

"I have some big shoes to fill," he said. "I hope everybody will ride with me a bit and we'll get through this together. It's really been a pleasure working closely with Bob (Whitaker)."

Wiggins thanked the spouses of those who work at the district and spend hours at work in meetings. He jokingly reassured the spouses that their significant others were really at the meetings.

Whitaker gave several other awards including T-shirts and sweaters for people who attended the most meetings and responded to the most calls.

A barbecue will be held the evening of March 22 in Hooley's honor at the fire station.