Jared Murphy is new SCFD 10 lieutenant of training

Spokane County Fire District 10 recently welcomed its new lieutenant of training, Jared Murphy.

Although Murphy is learning the ropes like any new job - including remembering the names of the volunteers, personnel and staff involved with the agency - things are working out well for him so far.

At Fire District 10, Murphy's role is to oversee fire and emergency medical services training for staff, volunteers and officers. This includes finding quality classes for his crew beyond the state-mandated and Occupational Safety and Health Administration required training, as well as hosting sessions for other agencies.

Murphy, born in Spokane County, began his fire service career in 1996 as a volunteer for Spokane County Fire District 9, the same agency where his father volunteered for 28 years. He would sometimes see his father run out the door at 3 a.m. to "save the public."

"I was really proud of my family and went on to be a part of it and carry on that legacy," Murphy said.

Murphy has worked for Spokane County Fire District 4, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, South Pend Oreille Fire Rescue and most recently the Kalispel Tribal Fire Department as the training captain. Although the Kalispel Department was a smaller agency, Murphy still managed to help keep up with the training. He described the training he underwent with the Forest Service as more of a "corporate level training" versus department level."

Murphy's other duties lie with volunteer recruitment and retention. He understands that many volunteers have jobs outside of firefighting and he and Fire District 10 staff try to make their schedule easier for them. He is also looking for what he described as "traditional volunteers."

"The construction worker, farmer or retiree who answers their pager from home," Murphy said. "They're like Superman. When the pager goes off, they transform into a firefighter."

Murphy applied for the lieutenant training position at Fire District 10 because it is a different experience for him, saying he would be doing something challenging while still helping fellow firefighters. One thing he's learned at the previous agencies he's worked for is being flexible, especially when he is working with volunteers, reserve and resident firefighters.

"We conduct the day-to-day stuff and the training, and being flexible is the only way to do it," he said.

Another thing he has learned from being in the fire service all these years is people are very gracious.

"There's nothing better than when someone says 'thank you' in their time of need," he said.

Murphy added that he has been fortunate to work with good people at previous agencies and Fire District 10. He is also looking forward to gaining everyone's respect and having firefighters come to him, whether it's for training or "day-to-day stuff."

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.