About SCFD9

Matthew Vinci has spent 32 years in the fire service and is excited to bring a strong, diverse depth of experience to Spokane County Fire District 9. For the past 2 years Matthew has served as the Fire Chief for Vashon Fire and Rescue where he led the development, funding, and implementation of a comprehensive community-based strategic plan to improve emergency service levels with a focus on the health, safety and wellness of Vashon firefighters. Matthew previously served in two senior leadership roles within the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) headquarters in Washington, DC for over eight years, as both the Chief of Staff and the Director of Education, Training and Human Relations. Prior to his tenure at the IAFF, he served on the Executive Board of the Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont for 15 years, with seven years as the president. During that time, he also served a 20-year career in operations as a captain/EMT with the City of South Burlington, Vermont, Fire Department.  While in Vermont, Matthew was appointed by two Governors to serve on the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisory Council for eight years, holding the position of Vice Chair. He also held the position of Chair for Congressman Peter Welch’s Labor Advisory Board, an additional experience that speaks to his passion of supporting and building collaborative labor-management relationships. For the past nine years, Matthew has served on the Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) under the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He was elected by his peers as the Vice Chair of the Commission, a position he has held for three years.  Matthew brings a strong background in fire service education, training, and human relations through his years of work with fire departments of all sizes across the United States and Canada. He has been proudly advocating for the health and wellness of firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics for over 25 years at the local, state, and national levels. Matthew is a credentialed Chief Training Officer through the CPC, holds an Associate’s degree in Fire Science from New Hampshire Technical College, and is currently finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Fire Science through Purdue University Global.

Nathan joined Fire 9 as a volunteer in 1998 serving as a member of Station 92 in Mead. He was hired full time in 2003 and rose through the ranks serving as a Firefighter, Lieutenant and Training Captain. Nathan was promoted to Assistant Chief in February of 2024.  He currently serves as the Chairman of the Inland Empire Fire Chief’s Association Training Subcommittee and works with other area training officers to maximize the training opportunities offered to all fire departments of the Inland Northwest. Nathan serves on several regional and state training committees representing the Spokane Region. He presently serves as a Planning Section Chief for Pacific Northwest Team 3 (type 1). Nathan was born and raised in the area attending Mead High School and Eastern Washington University. He currently lives with his spouse in the Mead area. In his off duty time he enjoys travelling across the world to experience different cultures. In addition, he is an avid Gonzaga Men’s Basketball fan and rarely misses a game.

Dan was born and raised in Spokane Valley. He became a member of SCFD9 in 1992 as a Resident Firefighter. He left the Resident Program in 1996 to attend paramedic school at Central Washington University.  After completing paramedic school in 1997, Dan worked for the Department of Natural Resources as part of a Helitack crew, fighting wildfires from a helicopter. After the completion of the wildfire season, Dan gained employment with American Medical Response as a paramedic in Yakima, WA. In February of 1998, Dan was offered full-time employment with Spokane County Fire District #9. Dan has remained a paramedic with the Fire District as he promoted through the ranks. He was promoted to Division Chief of Emergency Medical Services on April 1, 2022. As of February 2024, Dan holds the rank of Assistant Chief of Operations. Dan is a resident of the Nine Mile area where he enjoys time with his two children, Kaden & Dakota. When off-duty, his hobbies include fishing, camping, and woodworking.

Doug is the Assistant Chief of Technical Services for Fire District 9. He started in the fire service as a firefighter with the City of Cheney Fire Department in 1986. Doug has a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and a Masters in Public Administration from City University of Seattle. He’s an IFSAC certified fire investigator and serves on the board of directors for the Washington Chapter of International Association of Fire Investigators. Doug has taught for the north Spokane County regional firefighter recruit academy since 1995. He serves on Washington Interagency Incident Management Team 4 (type-2) and the NE Region Incident Management Team (type-3). He also represents the Inland Empire Fire Chiefs Association on the Advisory Council to Spokane Regional Clean Air Authority. Doug lives in the area and enjoys outdoor activities with his family when he’s not out camping on project fires.

Doug started in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter with Fire 9 in the summer of 1980 and served as an active volunteer at Station 92 and then Station 96 until January 2013. In January 1985, Doug was hired by the District as a mechanics helper, then became the Maintenance Technician in the late 1980s and was promoted to Support Services Division Chief in February of 2002. Doug is a past board member with the Washington State Fire Chiefs’ Mechanics Division. Doug and his wife, Chandra, live in the Foothills area of the Fire District and have two girls who are grown and have moved on to the next chapter of their lives. Doug and Chandra enjoy staying involved with their church and other local volunteer opportunities.

Bob started his career with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Fire Control in 1988. He later worked for the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service in various firefighter positions and moved up into higher level fire management positions to become the Forest Fire Chief for the Boise National Forest in Idaho. After 30 years of federal service, he made a career move to become the Division Chief for Wildfire Operations and Fuels for the District. He gained his Forestry and Fire Management education from Colorado State University and Humboldt State University. He is an Incident Commander for Northwest Incident Management Team 12; State Fire Marshal’s Office Wildfire Defense Committee Representative for Northeast Washington; and Washington State Fire Chief’s Representative for Washington fire service to the Pacific Northwest Coordinating Group’s, Northwest Geographic Board.