Spokane County Fire District 8 Assistant Chief of Operations Lonnie Rash was sworn in last month, but he’s no stranger to the fire district south of Spokane and Spokane Valley. He was previously the district’s deputy chief of human resources and support services from 2005 to 2012. “I couldn’t be happier being back in the area and back at Fire District 8,” Rash said. Rash started his firefighting career in Bozeman, where he grew up. He worked in law enforcement at Montana State University before starting as a volunteer firefighter at Central Valley Fire District there in 1988. It was the camaraderie with his co-workers and positive relationship with the community that drew Rash away from police work and into the fire service.