On Dec. 5, the Spokane Valley Fire Department unveiled its new training facility and burn tower next to its maintenance shop on Garland Avenue in Spokane Valley. The 13,000-square-foot facility includes classrooms, a decontamination area, a personal protective equipment washing area, lockers and showers. The Spokane Valley Fire Department's new facility houses an indoor training area featuring a two-story residential house layout that can be used for training year-round. Deputy Fire Chief Tom Hatley said in a press release that training is a fundamental part of maintaining skills and the new facility will offer training and educational opportunities for the Spokane Valley Fire Department and other fire agencies in the region. "This state-of-the-art facility serves as both a training center and a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence in firefighting and emergency response," Hatley said. "Spokane Valley firefighters and neighboring fire agencies will utilize this facility to ensure they remain among the best in the country." (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
SILENT MAJORITY
Last week, the Liberty Lake City Council spent most of its four-hour meeting reviewing next year's budget, but for just a few minutes it considered whether to reappoint Kim Girard to the library's Board of Trustees. Though Mayor Cris Kaminskas, who was absent from the Dec. 3 meeting, recommended her for the position, the City Council quickly voted 4-3 to deny Girard's reappointment. There wasn't any discussion on the vote until Council member Annie Kurtz called out the lack of transparency. "If you have a reason why someone shouldn't be appointed, you should have the courage as a leader in this community to say why," Kurtz said. "You have someone who served for two years, who's a librarian and you guys voted to not have her serve on our Board of Trustees. It is disappointing." In response to Kurtz, Council member Mike Kennedy was the only person to comment on his vote against Girard. "What we don't need is competitors, what we need is completers to help us move forward," he said. (COLTON RASANEN)
ONE-YEAR REPRIEVE
On Dec. 5, the Spokane Regional Health District Board voted 5-1 to defer a decision on whether to start the next steps of a treatment services feasibility study for at least a year. That means it will be December 2025 before the opioid treatment program run by Spokane's health district is reevaluated to decide whether the program should remain publicly operated or be privatized. The health district started the feasibility study in April, drawing concerns and criticism from current patients and staff of the largest opioid treatment program in the state. Alicia Thompson, the health district's administrative officer, said in an emailed announcement that the district's treatment services team will spend the next year: speaking with the state Department of Health about the state's support of public health offices providing direct services; working on patient flow and access; building out a new electronic health records system; clarifying processes and metrics; and focusing on employee satisfaction. "I think we've got to see how some of this plays out," Spokane County Commissioner Mary Kuney told her fellow health board members before the vote. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL)
