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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
2B Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Appeal Tribune Silverton fire safety rating gets a boost CHRISTENA BROOKS SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE Something big is going down at the Silverton Fire District. One of the district’s performance scores from the Insurance Services Of- fice has dropped a point, from a 4 to a 3. On 10-point rating schedule, where a low- er is better, the improvement will cut in- surance rates for many property owners who live and work within 5 miles of a fire station. “Everybody should notify their insur- ance companies that our public protec- tion class (PPC) has improved,” said Chief Bill Miles. “The difference it can make can be dramatic.” The Insurance Services Office is a private company that evaluates fire ser- vices nationwide and sells the informa- tion to insurance companies. It upgraded Silverton’s classification on Jan. 1. Some companies use their own metrics, but many depend on ISO data to decide insur- ance rates for home and business own- ers. “The Silverton Fire District highly encourages individuals to get multiple quotes from ISO and non-ISO insurers,” Miles said. “Doing so can result in very competitive rates and significant sav- ings.” After 18 years at a PPC 4, Silverton’s move to a PPC 3 puts the district in the top 8 percent of fire departments nation- wide, he added. But for property owners located far- ther than 5 miles away from one of the district’s five fire stations, the rating re- mains unchanged in this most recent round of evaluations. It remains a PPC 10, the ISO’s most unfavorable score. Taken together, the near-to-station and far-from-station scores landed Sil- verton a combined score of 3/10. Evalua- tors looked closely at the district’s fire- fighting abilities based on dispatching, water supplies, equipment, training, de- ployment of resources, and fire preven- tion efforts. Neighboring Mt. Angel Fire Depart- ment has a 3/4 rating, while Sublimity Fire District is a 5/8. Marion County Fire District No. 1 will announce updated rat- ings within days; its last scores were “4” inside the urban growth boundary and “8” outside it. Automatic aid partnerships with oth- er departments, water supply improve- ments in Silverton and Scotts Mills and contracted services from the regional 911 call center helped Silverton gain the edge necessary to snag the “3” rating it’s been seeking for some time. “We value our partnerships with the cities, dispatch center and neighboring fire agencies; we could not have achieved such a low ISO rating without them,” Miles said. Also, Silverton’s community risk re- duction efforts were part of the scoring equation for the first time. Past ISO eval- uations didn’t look at them; they include prevention programs, building plan re- view, inspections and fire investigation efforts. Lt. Rick Parvin oversees fire preven- tion, and many volunteer fire fighters visit schools, conduct tours and host SILVERTON FIRE DISTRICT Silverton Fire District volunteers regularly educate the public about fire safety at schools and station tours. Now, those and other community risk reduction efforts count toward a district’s overall protection rating. open house events designed to education the public about fire safety. “It’s really great that evaluators now recognize community risk reductions,” Miles said. In other news, Silverton Fire is finish- ing a round of major remodels at the Crooked Finger, Victor Point and Abiqua fire stations. Three grants from the State of Oregon, totaling $320,000, are paying for seismic upgrades, while money from a bond sale approved by voters in 2015 is funding other changes, including longer bays, bigger doors, additional space and new asphalt. Baldwin General Contracting of Alba- ny is the contractor on the job. Work will likely be completed next month. Gov. Brown: No Muslim registry in Oregon Efforts contrary to state, national values, she says TRACY LOEW STATESMAN JOURNAL COURTESY OF MARION-POLK FOOD SHARE Marion-Polk Food Share, Salem-Keizer Education Foundation and Marion County Master Gardeners will be offering Seed to Supper classes this spring around the Mid-Willamette Valley. Seeding solutions at the roots of hunger Classes aim to get residents to grow their own produce JUSTIN MUCH STAYTON MAIL This class offering is an agrarian ver- sion of the old maxim, paraphrased something like: give someone a fish, feed him for a day; teach someone to fish, feed him for a lifetime. Aumsville is one of a handful of Mid- Willamette Valley cities that will host “Seed to Supper” classes this spring, pro- duced and promoted through the Mar- ion-Polk Food Share. The food share’s aim in offering this course is to help people put food on the table. Food share sources describe Seed to Supper as a beginning gardening course that gives adult gardeners the tools they need to successfully grow a portion of their own food on a limited budget. It is offered at 10 locations in Marion and Polk counties beginning in March, and classes are offered in English and Spanish. Aumsville’s takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, March 11 through April 15, at Aumsville Pentecostal Church, 10153 Mill Creek Road SE. Food share spokeswoman Heather McPher- son noted that a meal and childcare will be provided as part of the Aumsville course. Food share officials feel Seed to Sup- per sessions provide for camaraderie as well. “We believe in giving people the re- sources they need to feed themselves and their families,” said Rick Gaupo, president of Marion-Polk Food Share. “Seed to Supper is designed to teach and empower people to grow their own food. Past graduates of Seed to Supper say that class not only helped them start their own garden, but that they made friends and had a lot of fun.” Renee Mata, a 2016 Seed to Supper alumnus, agreed. “We are so excited for our garden this year,” Mata said. “The Marion-Polk Food Share gave us a ton of resources for This spring’s Seed to Supper sites Aumsville March 11 - April 15, Saturdays from 11a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Aumsville Pentecostal Church - 10153 Mill Creek Rd. SE (A meal and childcare will be provided) Independence March 18 -April 8, Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Independence Inspiration Garden - 756 G St. (A meal and children's activities will be provided). April 1 – May 6, Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Colonia Amistad - 30 S Gun Club Rd., Independence (This class will be taught in Spanish and will provide a meal). Keizer April 1 – 8, Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at Keizer Dayspring Fellowship Church - 1755 Lockhaven Drive (A meal and children's activities will be provided). February 23 - March 30, Thursdays from 6 - 8 p.m. at John Knox Presbyterian Church - 452 Cummings Lane Salem April 11 -May 16, Tuesdays from 6 - 8 p.m at the Marion-Polk Food Share Youth Farm, located on Chemeketa Community College campus. (A meal will be provided.) March 7 -April 18, Tuesdays from 6 - 8 p.m. at Houck Middle School - 1155 Connecticut St. SE March 15 -April 26, Wednesdays from 6 - 8 p.m. at Leslie Middle School, 3850 Pringle Road SE April 3 – 24, Mondays from 5:30 - 8 p.m. at McKay High School, 2440 Lancaster Dr. NE (This class will be taught in Spanish.) Woodburn April 4 – May 9, Tuesdays from 6 - 8 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary School, 1041 N. Boones Ferry Road (This class will be taught in Spanish. A meal and children's activities will be provided). Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has issued an executive order prohibiting the state from participating in the creation of a Muslim registry. Brown also called upon Oregon At- torney General Ellen Rosenblum to take legal action opposing the federal government’s anti-immigration mea- sures. “These measures are contrary to Oregon values and the founding princi- ples of this nation,” Brown said before signing the order. “We will not retreat.” Brown’s order also broadens a 30- year-old state statute that prohibits law enforcement agencies from treating undocumented Oregonians as crimi- nals to include all state agencies. And it re-emphasizes that state agencies must not discriminate on the basis of immigration status. On Jan. 27 President Trump issued an executive order barring most trav- elers form seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States and suspending all refugee re- settlement into the country. Trump also has threatened to with- hold federal funding from sanctuary cities, or those that don’t report undoc- umented immigrants to federal au- thorities. In a letter to Rosenblum, Brown said that since then, Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement agents have en- tered the Multnomah County Court- house and arrested people inside or nearby. “Many people in Oregon, including our state employees, are concerned for themselves, their neighbors, and their loved ones,” Brown said. “Today, I am taking the first steps in doing what I can as Governor to stand up for what we as Oregonians believe in.” Brown also asked Rosenblum to con- sider supporting other states’ legal ac- tions. “I pledge my full support for a legal challenge to preserve our state as a welcoming and inclusive place for im- migrants and refugees,” she wrote. Oregon Deputy Attorney General Fred Boss said the state is reviewing those cases and hopes to announce its legal strategy next week. tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503- 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/ Tracy_Loew “We believe in giving people the resources they need to feed themselves and their families. Seed to Supper is designed to teach and empower people to grow their own food.” RICK GAUPO PRESIDENT OF MARION-POLK FOOD SHARE healthy, home-grown food.” Salem-Keizer Education Foundation and Marion County Master Gardeners work in conjunction with the food share to offer Seed to Supper, and the groups aim to make it feasible for people stretching a limited household budget. Registration priority will be given to families living on $1,945 a month or less. Everyone who completes the course will receive a voucher for a free garden- ing plot at a community garden as well as free seed packets and starter plants. For information about Seed to Supper, contact Surabhi Mahajan at 503-581-3855 or smahajan@marionpolkfoodshare.org or visit www.MarionPolkFoodShare.org. More than 40,000 people, including 14,000 children, receive emergency food each month through the Marion- Polk Food Share’s 100-plus partner net- work. The food share strives to support programs that address the root causes of hunger. jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-769-6338, cell 503-508-8157 or fol- low at twitter.com/justinmuch TRACY LOEW/STATESMAN JOURNAL Gov. Kate Brown signs an order keeping the state from participating in a Muslim registry.
