Ken McNaughton ('92 BA), volunteer chaplain for the Spokane Valley Fire Department, played an instrumental role in founding the Inland Northwest Fire Chaplains. The nonprofit group provides care to first responders, firefighters and grieving families. It has responded to medical emergencies, fires, car accidents and last year's Freeman High School shooting. In May, the INFC was presented with the 2017 EMS Special Services Award by the Spokane County Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care Council.
“Our primary responsibility is to comfort, care and connect with people along the way,” said McNaughton in an "Emergency Management" article. “We want to let (people) know we are there to take care of them. We’ll be with them until help arrives.”
McNaughton, who recently retired from the Inland Northwest Fire Chaplains, has been a coordinator for the Spokane Regional Critical Incident Stress Management Team, according to the article. He spent 22 years in fire service with Colfax Fire and Rescue before retiring from the department in 2007. He volunteered as a chaplain for several fire departments before joining Spokane Valley in 2015.
The NMU grad earned degrees in history and education after serving as a missile facility technician in the U.S. Air Force.