'The stewardship word'

At approximately 360,000 acres, or roughly 565 square miles, Spokane County Fire District 3 is the third largest fire district in the state of Washington.

Included in this is 20 miles of interstate highway, 65 miles of primary state highway, 1,300 miles of paved and unpaved gravel roads, six major recreational lakes, two medium-sized municipalities, several state health institutions, a national wildlife refuge and a large, regional university. Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of homes, businesses and other out buildings in need of protection.

With all that, one could forgive the...