Ryan Scharnhorst, who has served as Assistant and Deputy Chief of the Pullman Fire Department, has been appointed as the interim fire chief. He will assume his new role this Friday, following the resignation of Chief Brett Nash, who held the position for five months. Scharnhorst began his career with the Pullman Fire Department in 2009 as the training chief and was promoted to assistant fire chief in 2013.

The city plans to wait until a new permanent city administrator is hired before deciding on the appointment of a full-time fire chief, as officials believe the new administrator should have input in that decision. The search for the city administrator is ongoing, following the departure of former City Administrator Mike Urban last spring, who stated he was illegally fired, while city officials maintain that he resigned. The position of Pullman City Administrator is anticipated to be filled this fall.