'A true leader and visionary'

Richard Knight, who was fire chief for Mason County Fire District 5/Central Mason Fire & EMS for 55 years, died May 20 at his home in Allyn. He was 87.

A date for a memorial service had not been set when the Journal went to press.

Knight joined what was then Mason County Fire Protection District 5 in 1955. The next year, he was named fire chief. He retired at the end of June 2011.

"Chief Knight's dedication to the citizens and the members of Central Mason Fire & EMS will forever be remembered," CMFE stated in a Facebook post. "He was a true leader and visionary."

Central Mason Fire & EMS Fire Chief Jeff Snyder was 20 when he joined the district helmed by Knight.

"I wouldn't be where I am now without him," he said of Knight in an interview with the Journal.

Knight was one of the first chiefs in Mason County to focus on paramedics and finding the right tools, Snyder said.

"He saw where EMS was going," he said. "He was a voracious reader of trade magazines."

Knight "protected his people ... but he was also a task master," Snyder said.

"He never backed down from a fight. We joked that he liked to spar."

Also, "He believed in second chances," Snyder said. "He gave people second chances. He believed in the underdogs." He added, "He was a good man. He cared a lot about this business and Mason County."

Tim McKern replaced Knight in 2011. At that time, the district covered 150 square miles and served a population of 14,000 from Allyn to John's Prairie.

In a press release at that time, McKern stated, "He has watched a startup volunteer fire district become a highly effective and professional fire department. The district under Chief Knight's leadership has for years provided, and continues to provide strong, highly regarded fire and emergency medical services."

At the time of his retirement, Knight and his wife, Bonnie, owned Kayaks and Kones in Allyn and the Allyn House Inn vacation rental above the store. The Port of Allyn commissioners declared Aug. 13, 2011 as "Chief Richard Knight Day."