Rising through the ranks has prepared new Spokane Valley fire chief: ‘It’s a lot of responsibility, and I’m ready for it’

Sure, there are areas in which the Spokane Valley Fire Department can improve, but overall, the soon-to-be leader of the department said he feels like he was given the “keys to a Mercedes.”

Deputy Chief Frank Soto Jr., 48, will take over as chief of the department March 1 when Chief Bryan Collins retires. Fire commissioners selected Soto as its new chief last month.

Soto said he pumped his fist when he received the news that he would lead the department that serves Spokane Valley, Millwood and Liberty Lake, as well as portions of Spokane County.

Then, he said he wasn’t sure if he was 90% excited and 10% scared, or vice versa.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, and I’m ready for it, but at the same time, you’re like, ‘Hey man, don’t screw up,’ ” Soto said.

Soto brings 26 years of fire department experience into his new role, including the past year serving as deputy chief at Spokane Valley.

He spent 22 years at Albuquerque Fire Rescue in New Mexico, where he left as division chief. He then took the assistant chief position at Rural Metro Fire Department in the Tucson, Arizona, area, where he spent three years before moving north to Spokane Valley.

Soto said several Washington fishing trips made him fall in love with the Evergreen State, and when the deputy chief position came available in Spokane Valley he jumped on it.

“I love this job,” Soto said, adding he could have retired if he’d wanted to. “I love the fire department.”

Soto said he took his time moving through the ranks over the past quarter century before recently applying for chief in Spokane Valley because he wanted to make sure he had the experience and foundation to be an effective leader.

He said he’s seen some chiefs be less successful because they were in a hurry to move through the ranks and did not plant roots on their way up. Soto said that led to leadership issues.

“So I really just made sure to take my time at every position and spending time in each division,” he said.

Spending time in multiple ranks and divisions allows Soto to understand the issues firefighters experience and help them through those problems, he said.

Soto said his experience will help firefighters accept his decisions.

“I want people below me to believe in me and to follow,” Soto said.

Collins, who has served as chief the past nine years, said it’s time for him to take a break and spend more time with family after 38 years in the fire service.

He said Soto, who Collins hired as deputy chief, will do a fantastic job taking the reins of the department.

“He’s got a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, and that will serve him well, and the organization picks up on that energy also, so it will be a good thing,” Collins said.

He said change in a fire department is also a really good thing.

“It’s what really drives organizations forward and keeps them from getting stale and stagnant,” Collins said.

Soto said Collins has helped him greatly in his transition to chief.

He said Collins is an incredible business-minded leader in the world of firefighting.

“The other thing I really learned from him is just the art of letting your people do their job, holding them accountable for doing their job, but ultimately giving them the authority and the room to do their job,” Soto said.

Soto was born in West Covina, California, and grew up in the Albuquerque area. He said he was a track and field athlete at the University of New Mexico and wanted to transfer that athleticism into a career in which he did something different every day. He said he thought a career in law enforcement, the fire department or military were good options.

“It just worked out I got my quickest start with fire,” Soto said.

He has a wife and two children. His son and daughter attend college in Arkansas.