Meet the Fire Chief

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About

Fire Chief
Tom Hatley

Fire Chief Tom Hatley has served the emergency services since 1992, beginning as a volunteer for Whitman County Fire District 14. In 1997 he accepted his first full-time position with Lewiston Fire Department and was promoted through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer, and Captain. In Lewiston, Chief Hatley provided leadership and training with the State of Idaho Hazmat Team, earned certification in High Angle Rope Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, and wildland firefighting. In his free time, he worked on the farm, part-time with the United States Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources. During his tenure at Lewiston Fire Department, he joined the Asotin County Fire District 1 as a volunteer firefighter and was promoted to Lieutenant.

 

In 2009, Chief Hatley joined Spokane County Fire District 8 and served as the Training Division Chief for eleven years. He was actively engaged and instructed at Spokane County Recruit Academies, supervised Volunteer and Career staff, and routinely served on Type 1, 2, and 3 Wildland Incident Management Teams.

For the last year, he has served as Assistant Fire Chief for the City of Lynden, where he managed training, operations and was the City’s Fire Marshall. He gained experience working with the Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, and Whatcom Department of Emergency Operations during the COVID pandemic.

Chief Hatley grew up in Colton, Washington, on the family farm. He earned an associate degree in Agri-Business and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Furthermore, he has a mechanic and farming background. He and his wife Kim have five grown children and one grandbaby. They are looking forward to being closer to family and spending more time exploring the area.

 

Structural firefighting

  • IFSAC FF1, FF2, FO1, FO2,  IFSAC Evaluator
  • NFPA 1403 Qualified Burn Instructor
  • Blue Card Instructor
  • HAZMAT Technician
  • Fire Marshal and Fire Investigator for the City of Lynden

 

Wildland fire

  • Operations Section Chief for Type 3 Incident Management Team South East Team 2
  • Division Supervisor/Structure Protection Specialist for Type 1 Incident Management Team PNW Team 3

 

Pipes and Drums

Spokane County Firefighters Pipes and Drums

Chief