Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
About 12 acres of wildland burned along Green Hollow Road on Aug. 28. The Colfax Fire Department worked to extinguish the blaze.
Jim had been with the Colfax Fire Department for 50 years when this photo was taken on July 9, 2019. The fire engine "Wimpy" is a 1919 American LaFrance engine, and was 100 years old.
COLFAX — Jim Krouse was on his fourth emergency call of the day when the former Colfax fire chief collapsed from an apparent heart attack.
"Krouse was like a kid in a candy store" when he was driving a fire tender to a roughly 12 acre wildfire on Green Hollow Road. He was pulling a hose when he collapsed, said Assistant Fire Chief Craig Corbeill.
He died despite receiving CPR and being immediately taken to Whitman Hospital, according to Pullman Fire Public Department Information Office Glenn Johnson. Corbeill rode in the ambulance with the former chief.
The fire began at 3 p.m. on Aug. 28 drawing Colfax, Whitman County fire districts 11 and 12, and support from the Albion and Palouse fire departments. The firefighters extinguished the fire.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be from the cigarette of a homeless man camping on the property, according to Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers. A person's possessions were found at the starting point along with cigarette butts.
The man was located and arrested for criminal trespassing in the second degree. He made bail and was released. The sheriff did not disclose his name.
Krouse served the Colfax Fire Department for 52 years as a volunteer and as the fire chief from 1972 to 2010. He became fire chief after his father stepped down.
"Word quickly spread of Krouse's passing," said Johnson.
Fire crews assembled at the hospital in Colfax. The Colfax ambulance carried the flag-covered coffin with Krouse to Bruning Funeral Home, escorted by Whitman County sheriff's deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers.
Colfax Fire Chief Michael Chapman met with firefighters at the fire hall to share their memories and grief of Krouse's passing.
"Many of whom served with Krouse for a number of years," added Johnson.
A critical incident debriefing is planned for people on the scene and people who served with Krouse, said Chapman.
Pullman Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Scharnhorst, a Pullman ambulance, and Moscow Volunteer Fire Department came to Colfax to cover emergency calls.
The Pullman ambulance responded to one emergency call.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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