Interim City of Pullman Fire Chief Ryan Scharnhorst is anticipated to be appointed permanently to the position. Mayor Francis Benjamin has selected Scharnhorst for the role, pending confirmation from the city council next month.

Scharnhorst joined the Pullman Fire Department (PFD) as deputy chief of training in 2009 and was promoted to assistant fire chief in 2013. He became interim fire chief in July, following the resignation of Brett Nash, who held the position for a brief five-month tenure after moving from the Henderson Nevada Fire Department.

Scharnhorst’s fire service career began in 1995 with the Washington State University Fire Department. He returned to the Pullman Fire Department in 1998 after working with fire departments in Lewiston, Spokane, and Wisconsin. Notably, he is a 2024 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.