Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District named Jacob Alguire Firefighter of the Year during its annual awards dinner Saturday night.
“This year’s firefighter of the year is very hard working,” said Fire Chief Mike Beaver. “This person lives and breathes firefighting.”
Alguire is something of an addict, he admits.
He’s the type who listens to every page in the state and knows where every piece of apparatus is, paramedic-firefighter Devon Bowen said.
Battalion Chief Doug Emmert described Alguire in these terms: Your radio’s quiet, and he’s busy talking about a call with four patients. You check your radio, but you’re not hearing anything. He’ll keep talking about it. You ask him what’s going on and where. His answer: Scio.
The next morning, Emmert said, he’ll come into work talking about the big call last night in Albany, at 3 a.m.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” Emmert asked him.
It is about that bad, Alguire admitted. The fire service is in his blood. His father is a medic and firefighter in Sheridan.
“My first code 3 was (in Burns) at 3 years old,” Alguire said. “They laugh at me because that’s one thing I can do, is listen to a few different calls at once and know what’s going on.”
Alguire has been with Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District as a paid intern for a little more than a year. He and his fiancé, Samantha Jager, have purchased a home and live in Sweet Home.
She doesn’t mind his radio constantly on, Jager said. As a dispatcher with the Santiam Dispatch Center, she’s used to it.
Alguire grew up in Keizer and was a volunteer firefighter at Jefferson Fire Department for three years. He also volunteered at Scio Fire Department. He decided to go to work and move to Sweet Home because of the people on the department.
“I met Devon and Dave (Barringer), and they told me how great it was here,” he said.
But it’s still not enough. He continues to pull shifts and drill in Jefferson one day a week.
He enjoys helping people and the adrenaline rush, he said, and every call is different. Every call has one challenge or another to figure out. No fire or car wreck is the same. In keeping with that spirit, he is looking forward to attending swift water training this weekend.
At 25, he is almost done with his basic emergency medical technician certification, he said. Emergency medical calls are relatively new to him, but he’s enjoying it.
Among award winners were Pat and Ival McCollum, who received the Keith Gabriel Humanitarian Award.
The award is given to someone dedicated to making humanity better without regard to social status, Emmert said. Gabriel was one of the most hard-working, humble men he has ever known. He served from 1966 to 2001.
Eli Harris was named Employee of the Year, an award voted by everyone in the department. It goes to a person with important qualities that define the work the department does in Sweet Home.
Ken Weld was named Officer of the Year. Tim Walker received the Medic of the Year award. Ken Turner and Devon Bowen were both recognized as Rescue Technician of the Year. George Virtue was named Engineer of the Year, and Chad Calderwood was named Rookie of the Year.
Five-year tenure certificates went to Angela Black, Jared Richie, Chris Johnson, Josh Bondesen and Brent Smith. Weld received a certificate for serving 10 years; Walker, 15 years; Arnie Anderson and Joe Graville, 20 years; and Ron Carter, 25 years.
The department also recognized Sweet Home Economic Development Group for helping with fireworks last year and Hoy’s Hardware for its ongoing support of the fire department, Beaver said.
Zach Lincoln and John Benson received special recognition for their extra hard work this year. Lincoln spent a lot of time helping get the department’s mobile data terminals running, Beaver said. Benson has put in countless hours in training and getting the new engines ready for service.
He also recognized Joy Clayborn and Shannon Strubhar for their work on fire scenes with hot coffee during the winter and cold drinks during the summer. Strubhar also cooks for firefighters on drill night.
Pat Gray, city finance director, also received special recognition and appreciation for her work for the fire district, Beaver said. She does many things for the district, such as helping Beaver during the budget season, that aren’t always visible.