Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District’s call volume increased slightly in 2003.
The fire department responded to 282 fires, up from 250, and 1,709 ambulance calls, up from 1,670. Ambulances transported patients 970 times up from 858 in 2002.
The department’s ambulance call load spiked in 2000 from 1,400 to 1,719 and has stayed at about the 1,700 mark each year since.
“We’re busy, and we’re more involved all the time,” Fire Chief Beaver said. “I thought we were in for a really busy summer” with fires.
Sweet Home had early wild land fires off Mountain Home and Brush Creek roads followed by another up Berlin Road. All of them were about one or two acres. Dry weather made it look like a tough fire season, but it never really appeared in Sweet Home.
“Things kind of slowed down for us,” Chief Beaver said, and Sweet Home ended up responding in mutual aid to other fire districts, especially Brownsville, which had several large grass fires.
Sweet Home ended the summer sending firefighters to help on the B&B Complex fire east of Sweet Home Ranger District in the Deschutes National Forest.
Loss estimates were up in 2003 too. The estimated value of property, structures and contents, affected by fire was $5.6 million up from $3.9 million. Estimated losses were $2.2 million up from $1.2 million.
Sweet Home had several large fires, including an apartment fire, the McDonalds’ home.
The fire department saw an apparent growth in the trend toward simultaneous calls.
After call loads went up in 2000, the new district was formed and a seventh paid paramedic was added to staff to help. At the time, the district was facing simultaneous calls more often. The district budgeted for an eighth paid paramedic for this year but has not filled the position yet.
Over 2003, the fire department had several times when all four of its ambulances were on calls. More often, two or three ambulances were on calls, numerous times in the last couple weeks.
A call can last a couple of hours when an ambulance must transport a patient.
On New Year’s Day, the department responded to eight fire calls and seven medical calls. On Jan. 2, the department responded to nine ambulance calls. On Jan. 3, it responded to eight.
Lebanon Fire District continues to provide mutual aid, standing by with an ambulance at Santiam Terrace when Sweet Home is on multiple calls. Sweet Home also provides mutual aid to Lebanon.
“There are times that we do get stretched thin,” Chief Beaver said. “It definitely needs to be addressed. It’s just not as easy as it sounds. It’s a money issue. If it were just hiring personnel, it would be easy. I can’t tell you whether that’s going to happen.”
But the district also must keep on equipment, and the formation of the new district didn’t provide too much more money than the district had when it was a City of Sweet Home department.
“We’re in the process of trying to acquire a piece of fire equipment,” Chief Beaver said. The district is looking for a used fire engine, with between 8,000 and 12,000 miles on it. Those can be purchased for half the price of a new one.
The district bought its last fire engine in 1996 on a five-year lease payment program.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our equipment, our services and our level of staffing,” Chief Beaver said. “Our board of directors has really addressed some of these issues.”
The district bought a used water tender last year for $65,000. A new one would cost some $150,000. The district also has new airpacks to replace 15-year-old packs that were two standards behind after being upgraded as far as they could be. The new airpacks all have a common fitting, which matches up to the airpacks of three neighboring districts, improving officer safety.