Firing on all cylinders: New chief of Grant County Fire District 8 takes the wheel

MATTAWA — Joe Noonchester, who started July 1 as the new chief for Grant County Fire District 8, said he discovered what he really wanted to do after a conversation with a friend.

The friend worked for a fire department in the Las Vegas area, Noonchester said.

“I started talking to him about what he did for a living, and he said he was a paramedic. And I said, ‘That’s interesting to me, but I don’t understand exactly what you do,’” he said.

The friend suggested he come by the fire station and experience it for himself, which he did.

“The structure and the nature of the job really fit my personality. It was working together as a team. People train together and they work together on a daily basis. To be able to respond as a group of people that are so highly trained to do that type of work, was so intriguing to me,” he said.

Watching the fire and EMS crews as they responded to calls, Noonchester said he was impressed with the way they interacted with patients and their families. Patients trusted them and their expertise in a high pressure situation.

“That’s just what I wanted to be a part of,” he said. “The fire service is one of those trusted groups of people, that people will hand their child over to them (first responders), and they’ve never even met these people before. And to have that kind of integrity is really incredible, and I love being a part of that group.”

But emergency response carries with it a lot of responsibility.

“It’s a big responsibility. It really is. And it doesn’t come lightly. I have a lot of respect for the men and women in the fire service,” he said.

Emergency situations are by their nature stressful, and firefighters and EMTs have to stay calm under pressure.

“It’s not an easy job to do. So we rely on each other as a team to get us through these types of careers, to make sure that we’re okay,” Noonchester said.

The GCFD 8 job, which primarily covers the Mattawa area, is Noonchester’s first as a full-time fire chief. He worked as interim chief for Whatcom County Fire District 21 (North Whatcom Fire & Rescue) for about a year. He was the district’s training officer, operations chief and captain, as well as holding other positions. He worked in northwestern Washington for about 20 years, he said.

“This is essentially my second career. When I got out of college, I was in construction. I didn’t get into the fire service until I was in my 30s,” he said.

The district chief is responsible for department operations and administration, Noonchester said. He works for the commissioners, and it’s up to him to see things are on track.

“I oversee every moving part from the board (of commissioners) down,” he said.

Currently GCFD 8 employs five full-time firefighters, also certified as EMTs. District officials are planning to hire a sixth full-time firefighter/EMT within the next few months, he said.

But most of GCFD 8 personnel are volunteers.

“We rely heavily on our volunteers, who are also a mixture of firefighters and EMTs,” he said.

The volunteers play a critical role in the department, making it possible to provide the level of services GCFD 8 wants to provide. And it’s part of the community’s tradition to support the fire district, he said.

“The departments I’ve worked with in my entire career have been a combination department just like this one. That’s where I fit in the best and that’s what I know the best,” he said.

Part of the job’s appeal is its variety, and the opportunity to help people who are in a bad situation.

“Something new every day,” he said. “I love the ability to be there for people when they need something done. When people call 911, it’s usually a really bad day for them. So to be able to go out to their home or their business and help them through their tough times is really an important thing. And I’ve always been drawn to that type of work.”

“I take a lot of pride in watching our firefighters perform at a high level, whether it’s in EMS, fire, whatever the situation may be,” he added.

The fire district encompasses Mattawa and the surrounding area, and it’s growing fast, he said. District administrators need to plan for the future to accommodate that growth.

“One of the biggest challenges is just maintaining the funding to support the services. The support from the community in that way is very, very important,” he said. “I always want to make sure that they are getting the level of service they deserve. To me, that means prompt, professional and caring service.”

Noonchester said that means making sure department personnel get training, and GCFD 8 personnel train every day. It means staying on top of trends and techniques in fighting fires and responding to medical calls.

“We have outstanding relationships with all of our mutual aid partners around the county,” he said, “and we maintain our tools and equipment to make sure everything is operational when it’s needed.”

Noonchester grew up in Arizona, and was working for the Arizona Department of Corrections when he saw the ad for the GCFD 8 chief’s job.

“I did a lot of research, had a long discussion with my wife about it,” he said. “After all the research, it really sounded intriguing. I felt like it would be a great place to be. And we were not wrong. We just love it here.”

Noonchester replaces David Patterson, who retired April 26.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.