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

Longtime Grant County Fire District 8 volunteer puts on chief's helmet

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...