MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Fire Department welcomed its newest firefighter, Gary Lebacken, on Tuesday with a swearing-in at the Moses Lake City Council meeting. The ceremony, was originally scheduled for the end of the meeting, but the time was taken up with an unusually long period of citizen comments.

“Would  the council mind moving up the firefighter oath? Because the entire fire crew is here waiting,” said City Manager Kevin Fuhr.

“We do have the entire on-duty crew put together for once and we wanted to have them be able to see this,” said Moses Lake Fire Chief Brett Bastian, calling Lebacken to the front of the council chamber.

“Gary was hired just about a year ago,” Bastian went on. “He's been judged by his peers and his officers on his ability to do things like structural firefighting, ladder work, roof work, emergency medical services, literally everything that we do, and we're proud to badge him as a firefighter instead of a probationary firefighter.”

Lebacken raised his right hand as Bastian administered the oath of office, following which Lebacken’s father, Adams County Fire District 5 Chief Gary Lebacken, pinned his badge onto a standing ovation from both the audience and the assembled firefighters.

“We appreciate the citizens for not having any fires in the last hour,” said Mayor Dustin Swartz.