PULLMAN, WA — The City of Pullman has announced that Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Scharnhorst has been offered the position of Fire Chief for the Pullman Fire Department. Scharnhorst brings three decades of fire service experience and leadership to the role.
Scharnhorst began his fire career in 1995 with the Washington State University Fire Department while earning a bachelor’s degree in business management. He joined the Pullman Fire Department as a firefighter and paramedic in 1998 and later served with the Lewiston, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington, Fire Departments. After a period in Wisconsin, he returned to Pullman in 2009 as Deputy Chief of Training and was promoted to Assistant Fire Chief of Operations in 2013.
He holds certification as a Washington State Paramedic, serves as a Type 3 Planning Section Chief for the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team, and is a 2024 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program. Scharnhorst also represents the Southeast region on Washington State’s Fire Defense Committee and sits on the Peer Review Committee for the region.
Mayor Francis Benjamin praised Scharnhorst’s leadership since stepping in as Interim Fire Chief in August. “He’s an important part of the City of Pullman team, and we’re pleased to offer him the position of Fire Chief with tangible proof of his ability to do the job effectively and efficiently,” Benjamin said.
City Administrator Sean Wells added that Scharnhorst’s “in-depth knowledge of fire and emergency services and cool head under pressure” will guide the department’s continued growth.
“This community is my home,” Scharnhorst said. “I grew up here, went to school here, and moved back here to raise my family. There’s truly no other place like Pullman.”
Scharnhorst’s appointment will go before the Pullman City Council for confirmation during the Regular City Council Meeting on November 4, 2025. If confirmed, he will officially begin serving as Pullman’s Fire Chief on November 16, 2025.
