ARLINGTON – The city welcomed and swore in three new firefighters Monday who will join the Arlington Fire Department full-time.

Zachary Hanson, Aaron Boede and Paul Lizarraga, each with about two years on the department’s volunteer force, will start the Snohomish County Fire Training Academy on Monday and begin their new positions with Arlington upon completion.

Hanson and Boede attended the Everett Community College Fire Sciences program, while Lizarraga began his fire career in Arizona.

The hires were made possible through a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Responses) grant.

Also at the Feb. 19 City Council meeting, Fire Chief Dave Kraski recognized part-time firefighter Logan Harding for organizing a four-day training academy for new part-time firefighters that recently joined the department.

Due to attrition, Arlington Fire lost 11 part-time firefighters in 2018. Harding volunteers to create, schedule and host the 32-hour training for new part-time firefighters.

At the same meeting, Kraski presented Phoenix Awards to Arlington Rural firefighters Patel, Spencer, and Taft, city firefighter/paramedics Nich Sacha, Bob Beam, Gregg Haddick and firefighter/EMT Chris Peterson for a recent 9-1-1 dispatch where they provided life-saving measures to a mother and newborn. T