During the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District board meeting nine new personnel were introduced and sworn in as part of the district’s growing team, on Oct. 15. The additions included the head of the new wildland crew, as well as several other full-time and seasonal firefighters.
The new personnel are:
- Justin Wolfe, foreman and head of the wildland crew
- Gabriel Hubert, seasonal firefighter
- Talon Clarno, seasonal firefighter
- Isaiah Harris, full-time senior crew member
- Tyson Rust, full-time senior crew member
- Daniel Goodwin, seasonal firefighter
- Kelso Ellis, senior firefighter
- Sean Whalan, senior crew member
- Jake Kepler, senior crew member
“We’re very excited to bring these guys on. These are the first to start our new wildland division and our soon-to-be hand crew,” said Wildland Division Chief Christian Whitfield.
“This is something that we’ve been working for for a very long time, and it’s really cool to see everybody here,” Fire Chief Nick Tyler added. “If you look around the room, it impacts a lot of people in the district. We already got some good work out of them. Justin went over to Scio last week and fell a couple trees; they had a structure fire that got into some trees, and they requested some help, so we were able to get him over there. Then the crew responded from the worksite to Moose Mountain the other day and helped with the fire out there. So it’s really cool to have an immediate impact on the district.”
In other business:
- Tyler announced that the district will now post board meeting notifications, agendas, and minutes as they are approved.
- Tyler informed the board that the expected delivery of a chipper has been delayed.
- The district received a letter from Jeffrey Blake, Fire Chief of Jefferson County Fire and EMS, thanking the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District for their work during the Elk Rain Fire, which began on Aug. 4. The letter expressed gratitude for the district’s task forces and the exceptional work performed by the crews.
- Tyler informed the board about a nationwide shortage of IV solution, which is affecting supply availability.
- Battalion Chief Randy Whitfield addressed the board regarding the district’s generator. While the district had secured a grant for the generator, labor costs were higher than anticipated. A bid was presented, with an estimated total of $17,000 to power the entire station. Tyler clarified, “That was never my intent, powering the whole station.” However, Board Member Jim Yon suggested it might be worth considering, saying, “For six thousand more, everything runs. I just think that’s money well spent.” Tyler confirmed that there was room in the budget for the project without using bond dollars. A motion to approve the $45,827.88 grant for the generator passed unanimously, as did a motion to approve a proposal from Norman’s Electric for up to $20,000.
- Tyler presented a proposal for the purchase of property located at 49259 Santiam Highway in Cascadia, Oregon. The proposal detailed how bond dollars were being spent and the potential benefits of using the property to house additional EMT staffing and wildland crews. Assistant Fire Chief George Virtue highlighted the district’s need for living accommodations near the fire station. After addressing board questions, a motion to approve the property purchase for no more than $300,000 passed unanimously.
- Tyler informed the board about a recent unauthorized burn during high fire danger, stating that the district will bill for the response costs to recoup expenses.