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(NEHALEM, Oregon) – At a special board meeting today, June 19, 2023, the Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue District Board of Directors approved an employment contract to hire Frank Knight III as Fire Chief for the district effective July 1, 2023. Chief Knight has served as Interim Fire Chief since April 7, 2023.
Knight started volunteering with Nehalem Volunteer Fire Department in November, 2000 as a senior in high school. After five years, he decided to tkae the next step to pursue a career in firefighting by attending Portland Community College for his EMT and a Fire Science degree. Since then, Knight has worked for FEMA during Hurrican Katrina doing distaster relief, the Department of Defense deploying to military installations in the Middle East, Africa and the South Pacific. Later he returned home to finish his degree, and worked for Tillamook Ambulane and continued to volunteer with Nehalem Volunteer Fire Deptartment.
During this time, he was keenly involved in promoting the formation of Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue District, which became a reality in July, 2009. Prior to his appointment to Interim Fire chief, Knight served as Captain for NBFRD, focusing on recruitment and retention, fire prevention and building inspection.
Knight lives in Nehalem with his wife, Kathye and three young children. He brings strong ties to the community, a wealth of knowledge of the fire service and strong support of the department volunteers.
“I hope to use by deep roots in the area as a platform to connect with the community and to encourage interest of our youth to volunteer and seek careers in Fire and Emergency Services,” said Chief Knight.
For more about Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue District, www.nehalembayfirerescue.org.
