Fire captain’s retirement Saturday

Family, friends and co-workers of Spokane County fire Capt. Kay Kempe will celebrate Kempe’s retirement on Saturday with an open house at fire Station No. 95 at 3028 W. Strong Road.

The public is invited to the event from 1 to 3 p.m.

Kempe has served with Fire District 9 since 1976 and has been the captain at Station 95 for the past 25 years, according to his wife, Carolyn. His retirement is effective June 1.

He pursued a dual career, also working for the Spokane Fire Department from 1973 to 2000.

Kempe was raised on Five Mile Prairie in a home built by his father. His roots there trace back to his grandfather and great-grandfather, Carolyn Kempe said. His parent’s wedding photo is displayed at the entrance to the historic Five Mile School, where Kempe attended classes as a child. He graduated from Mead High School in 1961.

He returned to the prairie after working for 10 years for Boeing in Seattle.

Kempe is known in the community for being a willing volunteer. During his career, he volunteered to ride a Santa sleigh which annually tours the city while playing carols over a loudspeaker. He works on the Fill the Boot campaign for muscular dystrophy research. In his spare time, he does maintenance projects for elderly residents and helped his church, Westgate Christian, build its sanctuary.

“He does a lot behind the scenes and helps everybody,” Carolyn Kempe said.

He has four children and four grandchildren.

The event is being put on jointly by the fire station and the family.