By Samantha Malott
The Moscow-Pullman Daily News
PULLMAN, Wash. — Whitman County Rural Fire District 12 Chief Lester Erwin’s interest in fire service was first sparked when he was a young boy.
“When I lived in Albion, the fire siren would go off and the chief would go flying by our house, and I would chase after him on my bike,” the 56-year-old said.
Erwin said he would watch the crews load into their engines and he often followed the trucks if the call was close by. When the chief, Joe Keeney, returned, he would talk with Erwin about the fires.
As Erwin got older, he stopped chasing fire engines with bikes and starting following in his car. During one such excursion, the chief of Whitman County Rural Fire District 12 spotted Erwin and asked why he didn’t just volunteer for the department.
Erwin didn’t need any convincing.
In 1978, while still in high school, Erwin began volunteering for the district, and did so even after he began working full time at Nichols Concrete, a company he eventually bought in 1986.
Erwin said Pullman’s economy was hit hard in 2002 and there wasn’t much work for a concrete company, so he went to work for the Pullman School District maintenance and grounds department, where he is still employed.
Erwin said his children, Heather, now 30, and Justin, now 28, were both in school at the time, which was an added draw to the job.
Erwin has a variety of duties with the district, but one of his favorites is making sure the playfields are kept up and ready for games. Erwin said he played football, basketball and ran a variety of events in track while he attended PHS.
“I love working outside, even in the winter time,” he said. “I’m very proud and it’s an honor to make the fields look good for the games.”
Erwin said the school district has been very understanding of the demands of a volunteer fire chief.
“They knew I was the chief when I came in” he said. “There have been very few calls that I’ve missed. When the pager goes off, I’m there.”
Erwin said volunteer firefighters put in much more time than most people realize, and they make up about 75 percent of firefighters across the country.
“The volunteer departments are one of the most important parts of the fire service,” he said. “The volunteers guys can do the job just as well as the paid guys.”
According to the department’s website, it serves 562 patrons and covers an area of 173.5 square miles, starting from south of Albion to just south of Johnson and extending from the Snake River to the Idaho border.
Erwin said his department currently has 45 volunteers, but numbers typically decrease after WSU holds its graduation, he said. Erwin said the department gets many good volunteers through WSU, but they typically only stay four years.
Erwin said the department has upgraded their trucks from one to two tons for wildland fires. Although with the advanced tractors many farmers use now, they are able to quickly dig lines on their own, helping fire crews keep field fires small, he said.
When Erwin took over as chief he also added EMS services to the department.
Erwin said he wanted to add the EMS services so both the volunteer department and PFD could do their own work, but also help one another if needed.
Erwin said he would love to hire someone who could help with paperwork and one day build another station, but he understands that costs money.
“We work very hard not to have to raise taxes. I’m a taxpayer and I know how high they are already,” he said.
Erwin said he looks for every other means possible, including grants, to purchase much of what is needed, but keeping systems and engines up to date is also beneficial for the community. Having advanced equipment and strategically placed stations that can quickly respond to every corner of the district keeps residents’ insurance rates down, he said.
Despite a busy schedule, Erwin said he has always made time for his family and his favorite hobbies, like hunting and fishing. He said more recently he and his wife, Lori, have been taking vacations.
“I do put a lot of time in, but I’m very proud of the work I do, both for the school and the department,” he said. “I really thank my family for putting up with me ... jumping up and leaving when the pager goes off.”
Copyright 2016 the Moscow-Pullman Daily News