‘If I can do it to help others, I’m going to do it’

MATTAWA — Grant County Fire District 8 Chief Matt Hyndman said he liked the job of a firefighter from his first fire, back in 1993 when he was a teenager. But it was a long time, he said before he knew why he liked it.

“At the time, it was just like, ‘this is something fun to do. And it’s awesome.’ You feel that adrenaline rush on fires and some glory and everything - and of course there were some hard things,” he said. “But over time, and it wasn’t for a long time, I learned that basically, it’s my God-given talent. It’s something that I can do, I feel I can do it well, and if I can do it to help others, I’m going to do it.”

Hyndman was named district fire chief earlier this year, taking over the department in his hometown, the one he joined while a student at Wahluke High School.

Originally he was interested in law enforcement, he said, but the high school program the Mattawa Police Department had at the time was discontinued.

“A bunch of my buddies, their older brothers were already student firefighters and they said, ‘Oh man, you guys should come do this.’ And so I did, and fell in love with it right out of the gate.”

Fire district 8 encompasses 248 square miles. More than half the land in the district is owned by the federal or state governments, Hyndman said. Most fires in the district are wildland fires.

Most of the district’s activity, however, involves responding to medical emergencies. Hyndman estimated EMS makes up 80 to 85% of the district’s call volume. Whether it’s a fire or EMS, working in Mattawa presents some unusual challenges.

“We’re almost an hour to every hospital,” he said.

Because of that, it’s important to have a good working relationship with local and regional fire and ambulance services, Hyndman said.

“I’m not afraid to use my resources. I already know who my resources are, and when I need to call them, get them to come in early,” he said. I know our capabilities, and if we’re getting to the point where it’s taxing us, then I have no problem making that call to ask for help.”

Fire district 8 has six paid firefighter/EMTs and has started a residency program, with four of its six positions filled. The residency program provides accommodations and a stipend for its members.

Like most rural fire districts, GCFD 8 also depends on its volunteers. Currently, the department has about 20 volunteers. Hyndman said some are more active than others - people have busy lives, but most will answer the call when it comes.

“There are a lot of volunteers, when they’re needed, I can make a call and say, ‘Hey I really need your help,’” Hyndman said.

Interest in volunteering has been increasing lately.

“A lot of people are joining - I want to say we’re close to nine, 10 new people in the last three months,” he said.

Hyndman was a volunteer for about 25 years before getting the chief’s job. But volunteering didn’t pay the bills.

He trained as a mechanic and worked at an automotive business while his wife Lisa was going to college, then helped run her family’s farm near Mattawa. He worked in the oil fields in western North Dakota for about five years, he said, and supervised a gravel business for his brother.

He took the fire chief’s job after working for six and a half years for the Wahluke School District as its maintenance director.

“The school was a good job. I built a great team at the school, I loved working with them,” he said.

But it wasn’t quite what he wanted.

“I didn’t mind doing it, but at the end of the day it didn’t feel rewarding,” he said. “And this is something - the (firefighting) side is something I’ve always felt is rewarding. Since I started this 28 years ago, there’s not a moment of time that I wish that I had back that I donated.

“It’s who I am. I’m happy to come to work, and I’m happy when I come home,” he said.

He had decades of experience fighting fires, and years of experience in management, he said, but some of the administrative duties of the chief have been new to him. He’s received a lot of help from the district’s secretary/treasurer, Barbara Davis, and the firefighters, he said. The full-time staff and the volunteer firefighters have a good relationship, and he wants to make sure it stays that way, he said.

There is something he’d like to change.

“The biggest thing for me upon becoming chief was the disconnect between the department and the community,” he said.

People who had known him most of his life, longtime residents of GCFD 8, congratulated him on getting the chief’s job - then asked if the chief got paid. Some were surprised to discover not only does the chief get paid, but there’s a paid staff as well. They were supporting the district with their tax money, he said, but had no idea how that money was being spent.

“That kind of bothered me a little bit,” he said. “Fixing that is one of my missions that I’d like to do.”

Even with some challenges, the fire service is exactly the job Hyndman wants.

“I have always been passionate about it. It’s just something - I don’t have a problem waking up at one o’clock in the morning and go help a complete stranger. I’ll do it with a smile on my face. It’s who I am - it’s how I’m geared, I guess.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.