Nevada Firefighter Memorial Service

Kendall Wayne Preas, a 22-year veteran firefighter of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, was added to the names of Nevada firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty during the Nevada Firefighters Memorial ceremony on Saturday, October 11 in Carson City.
            Preas joined Las Vegas Fire & Rescue on September 25, 1983 and was assigned to the fire department’s hazardous materials response team.  He died on August 15, 2007 at the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas following a short bout with cancer.  He was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2005, and retired from the fire department on February 2, 2006.
            Preas was born November 19, 1946 in Fresno, California and raised in Sanger, California.  He graduated from Fresno State University with an agricultural degree in ornamental horticulture and moved to Las Vegas in 1970.
He is survived by his wife, Natasha Preas; daughters, Melissa Fleming, Allison Marie Ocampo, and Kat Provolotsky; brothers William A. Preas and Rhine Fred Preas; sister, Kathleen M. Enos; six grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Preas will be the 57th firefighter known to have died in the line of duty to be placed on the
wall of the Nevada Firefighters Memorial that was completed in 1994.
     Following the memorial ceremony, a plaque bearing the name of Elko Fire Chief Alan Kightlinger was dedicated on the distinguished service section of the memorial.
Distinguished service recognition nominations are made by fire departments throughout the state or by the Board of Directors of the Nevada Firefighters Memorial.  Up to five individuals can be recognized each year, with selection based on strict criteria.
Kightlinger began his fire service career in 1972 with Douglas County Engine Co., subsequently working for the Nevada Division of Forestry 1974-1997 as a fire protection officer, fire prevention officer and Northern Regional Fire Management officer in both the Washoe valley and Elko areas.  He was appointed deputy chief of the Elko Fire Department in 1997, and named chief in 2000.
He represented Nevada on the National Volunteer Fire Council for 24 years and has served on numerous technical committees of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), on the Nevada Board for the Regulation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, is a past president of the Nevada State Firefighters’ Association, and is a member of the Fire Chiefs of Northeastern Nevada.  Kightlinger also served as the voice of the Nevada State Firefighters’ Association during several sessions of the Nevada Legislature and has been active in pursuing legislation to protect firefighters, including workman’s compensation “deemed wage” provisions for Nevada volunteer firefighters.
In addition to being a fire service instructor and achieving various levels of fire service certifications and training, Kightlinger is also active in the community.
            The Nevada Firefighters Memorial Enrollment of Honorees ceremony always takes place the last Saturday during National Fire Prevention Week in October.