Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Ulm named fire district
volunteer lieutenant
The Sisters-Camp
Sherman Fire District
(SCSFD) has announced the
promotion of Rachel Ulm to
the position of resident vol-
unteer lieutenant. Lt. Ulm
will take over the senior
position within the resi-
dent volunteer program on
June 15, when out-going Lt.
Rachelle Beiler completes
the four-year resident volun-
teer program.
Lt. Ulm came to SCSFD
in June of 2019 to begin
her experience as a resi-
dent volunteer firefighter.
Prior to coming to Sisters,
Lt. Ulm served as a volun-
teer firefighter and part-time
paid firefighter in Coburg,
OR where her family still
resides. She is keeping up
family tradition by follow-
ing in her father9s footsteps.
Rachel9s dad, Benton Ulm
serves as an engine captain
for the Eugene/Springfield
Fire Department and as train-
ing officer for Coburg Fire.
<I am excited to have
Lt. Ulm take on this critical
leadership role within our
resident volunteer program.
Her energy and vision for
the future will make a great
program even better,= said
Tim Craig, Deputy Chief of
Operations for SCSFD.
Lt. Ulm said, <I am
super excited for this amaz-
ing opportunity to serve the
members of the Fire District
and the community of Sisters
as a lieutenant. I look for-
ward to making this incred-
ible student program the best
that it can be.=
Lt. Rachelle Beiler will
be leaving SCSFD after
completing four years of
dedicated service to Sisters
PHOTO PROVIDED
Lt. Rachel Ulm has been promoted.
Country. <Lt. Beiler has been
a fantastic leader in our orga-
nization. She will be deeply
missed by all of us. We wish
her the best in her future in
fire and EMS,= said Craig.
The resident volun-
teer program teaches basic
firefighting principles and
practices to volunteers
who are also enrolled in
the structural fire science
and paramedic associate9s
degree programs at Central
Oregon Community College.
Resident Volunteers live
in the main fire station and
respond on emergencies
alongside the career fire-
fighters as they gain knowl-
edge and experience. The
resident volunteer lieuten-
ant serves as the lead resi-
dent volunteer, assisting the
deputy chief in managing the
program, and providing lead-
ership to the other resident
volunteers. Additionally, the
resident volunteer lieuten-
ant attends Eastern Oregon
University, working on a
bachelor9s degree in fire ser-
vice administration.
New deputies on duty
this summer
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Despite disruptions asso-
ciated with the coronavirus
pandemic, Sisters remains
on course to have a dedi-
cated force of one lieutenant
and three deputies through
its new contract with the
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
Office.
Consistency of staffing
was a critical component of
the agreement 4 as close an
approximation to having its
own police force as Sisters
can realistically afford to
come.
Sisters City Manager
Cory Misley told The Nugget
that Sgt. William Bailey,
who serves as the sheriff9s
office public information
officer, will likely act in
the lieutenant9s role on an
interim basis for six months
as the sheriff9s office navi-
gates changed circumstances
due to the pandemic. New
deputies will likely be in ser-
vice by August. The contract
allowed for some flexibil-
ity in timeline to allow for
recruitment of the deputies.
With three deputies, there
will be a coverage gap of
approximately four to five
hours. There will continue
to be a 24-hour west-county
patrol deputy on duty, and
Black Butte Ranch Police
and Oregon State Police
are available for emergency
backup.
The Sisters contingent will
have distinct markings on its
patrol cars, and the City and
the sheriff9s office are still
working on the details.
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