Benny Westcott
Last week, Capt. Dave Trask responded to calls for the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District.
Nothing new there. If there was a fire somewhere in town over the last half-century, odds are pretty good that he was on the scene.
But now, after 50 years and three months of service, Trask has finally hung up his helmet. On March 5 he retired as a volunteer firefighter, surrounded by family, friends and peers at a party in his honor at Main Station No. 21.
“I have enjoyed this a lot,” the 72-year-old said. “But it’s time to move on. I knew it when it was. I can’t do it anymore. Except for my family, this is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Trask became a volunteer firefighter in 1971, when the SHFAD was still a city department (it would become a fire district separate from the city 29 years later). Since then, he’s worked under six chiefs over 630 months, responding to 19,351 fire calls and 11,700 rescue and emergency medical services calls for a total of 31,051.
“It’s absolutely astounding to run that many calls,” current Fire Chief Dave Barringer said. “I don’t know anybody that I can think of that has been that active for that long and has been that consistent.”
At the celebration, Trask was awarded The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the White House, signed by President Joe Biden.
“On behalf of the American people, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to you for your volunteer leadership,” the letter read. “By sharing your time and passion, you are helping discover and deliver solutions to the challenges we face.”
Barringer gave Trask a 50-year pin for his service, “the only one we’ve ever had that I know of.” The retiring firefighter also received a “firestorm pin” from the state of Oregon commemorating his participation in the campaign against firestorms in 2020.
“2020 was a remarkable year,” Barringer said. “We had a lot of wildland fires that year that threatened a lot of structures, and volunteerism here showed up. We had a lot of people come out of the woodwork to help us, and Dave was one of them. That happens in the community of Sweet Home a lot. When the chips are down, people show up. And Dave was one of those people.”
The chief reflected on Trask’s legacy.
“Dave was one of those people that was super-reliable and super-consistent,” he said. “He always showed up when we needed him. And it was pretty amazing, when we couldn’t get a rig out the door and something was going on, Dave would pop in, and all of a sudden, they were taking off and things were happening.”
He spoke of Trask’s willingness to make sacrifices.
“One of the things we do as volunteers and as firefighters is we sacrifice a little bit. We miss a few meals,” Barringer said. “You have some issues that come up right when you’re wanting to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, and you go.”
Mayor Greg Mahler, himself a volunteer firefighter, thanked Trask on the city’s behalf.
“Dave has never received a lot of accolades,” he said. “He deserved a lot more than he’s ever received in all of the years he’s been in the department. And he’s never really gone after any recognition. But I greatly appreciate all the years he’s put in.
“He was a very good firefighter, and he has unwavering dedication to this department. Dave is very passionate about this community and this department. He’s been a very great mentor to a lot of firefighters, and that means a lot. In fact, he’s been a great mentor to a lot of us younger firefighters such as myself.”
The mayor then reflected on Trask’s caring nature and character.
“He actually has a big heart, probably bigger than Mount Rushmore, even though he doesn’t want to lead us on to believe that,” Mahler said. “He’d give the shirt off his back in a heartbeat. One of the things that I’ve always appreciated about Dave is that any time he’s ever seen a veteran, whether it’s past or present, he always stopped, walked up and said, ‘Thank you for your service.’ That speaks volumes about Dave and his character.
“For such a little guy, that’s going to be some huge shoes to fill in this department.” he continued. “I don’t envy the chief in any way moving forward, now that [Trask] is retired.”
But Mahler suspected Trask wouldn’t stay too far away from the action.
“I pretty much believe you’ll still see him on fire scenes,” he said. “Because as everybody knows, once you’re a firefighter, it’s embedded in your blood, and it never leaves you.”
Despite that quality, Trask’s worn many non-firefighting hats in his lifetime. Born in Steelville, Missouri, he moved with his family to Sweet Home when he was only a year old. He graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1968, after which he worked on the Willamette Industries “green chain” (which involved pulling lumber off a moving chain and placing it in piles), then as a Les Schwab tire salesman. After those two gigs he worked as a CenturyLink installer from 1979 to 2012.
Since his retirement from the telephone company, Trask has been notably involved in civic matters. He’s been with the Sweet Home City Council since 2012, currently serving his third four-year term. He’s also a member of Sweet Home’s Park and Tree and Administration, Finance & Property committees.
Trask has four children, three of whom attended his retirement celebration. They gathered among the dozens of well-wishers to send him off. Everyone in the fire hall stood up and gave one last round of applause to the captain, thanking the man who’s given them, and Sweet Home, so much.