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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2018)
2B ܂ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 ܂ APPEAL TRIBUNE 460 National Guard members fight fires Oregon’s citizen firefighters face 18-hour days, smoke-filled camps Whitney Woodworth Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK With hundreds of wildfires burning throughout the state, 460 Oregon National Guard members have been deployed this summer to help battle the blazes. More than 208 lightning-caused and 566 human- caused fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres so far this year. In July, Gov. Kate Brown declared a statewide emer- gency, activating the Oregon National Guard to assist the Oregon Department of Forestry with wildfire sup- pression. Leaving behind jobs, families and pets, National Guard members face long days on the fire line, smoke- filled camps and temperatures creeping toward 100. “It was really dirty, labor-intensive work but, hon- estly, it was a lot of fun,” Staff Sgt. Zach Holden said. Holden, a public affairs specialist with the National Guard, had already completed his wildfire training in Salem when he got called up July 28. Every year, Oregon National Guard service mem- bers train for firefighting duty. The “red card” training certification is the same training required of all public and private wildland firefighters. Training includes fire safety, understanding fire be- havior, deploying fire shelters, protecting structures and spotting hot spots. Usually, teams need an additional 10 days from when they are activated until they can respond to a fire. But with training already done, Holden and 125 oth- er soldiers and airmen were ready to hit the ground running. Oregon National Guard members fight the Garner Complex Fire in Southern Oregon in August. PHOTOS BY ZACH HOLDEN/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN Home in a tent city near Merlin The wildfire had burned almost 9,000 acres of coni- fer trees, grass, downed logs and brush in the wild, rugged terrain outside Merlin. The team combed the containment lines and worked their way in, searching for hot spots. Some- times, they could spot visible flames. Other times, they sifted their hands through charred soil, feeling around for warmth. “Some of those underground grid systems can burn for months,” he said. If left unchecked, hot spots can reignite and spread. They doused the spots with water, if they had it, or smothered them with dirt. The teams were also tasked with pulling out miles of hoses left behind during the firefight and rehabili- tating the land damaged by fire lines. High temperatures got well into the 90s. With the addition of protective gear and equipment, warm days On Aug. 1, Holden — a Hillsboro resident who has worked out of Salem during his 16 years with the Na- tional Guard — said goodbye to his wife and two sons, ages 4 and almost 1, and headed south down Interstate 5. His team’s destination: the Garner Complex Fire near Grants Pass. They arrived in Merlin, where crews had estab- lished a sprawling camp city, with canvas tents, por- table offices, showers, medical facilities and kitchens. The team settled into bunk bed cots to try to get some sleep before the 4:30 a.m. wake-up call. Days typically would begin with a 6 a.m. briefing, followed by a 45-minute drive to the fire line. The fire was already 100 percent contained when Holden’s team arrived, but the work was far from done. IN BRIEF First Friday is Sept. 7 Silverton’s monthly First Friday celebration, where businesses offer extra sales and attractions, is set for this Friday, Sept. 7. At Finds that Shine, cus- tomers are invited to enjoy face painting, cookies and a coloring contest for kids. Entries will be displayed in the front window, and the winner will be chosen on Sunday, Sept 16. At Lunaria Gallery, an artists’ reception is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Featured artists are Alex Chaney and Josh Kinsey, whose display, “Fabrications,” focuses on the crafts- manship required in the creation of handmade artifacts In the loft, guest artist Makayla Merritt presents “Crazy Circles,” a col- lection of paintings and functional ceramics. Community invited to pose with historic school The City of Silverton has Amy Lou (Espe) Hensley SILVERTON - Amy Lou Hensley (Espe), 89, Sil- verton, OR died peacefully July 29th, 2018. Born in Kanawha, Hancock, Iowa in 1929, she moved to Oregon as a young child with her family. She grew up on her family’s farm in North Howell, graduated from Gervais High School and was a member of the Lutheran church. Amy always had an entrepreneurial spirit and never shied away from hard work. From a young age, she picked berries, peeled and sold chittum bark, and raised eggs with her mother. At 13, she moved to Silverton and worked for her room and board to attend high school. With her first hus- band Loren, they bought Lana Tavern and later The Towne House. She went on to own the Pink Pussy Cat and later, The Office in Molalla. After she left the restaurant/tavern business, she became a realtor for Century 21, and for a short time owned the Silverton Western Store. She found her passion after buying the Silverton Trading Post, where she worked until she retired. Amy loved all people and she went out of her way to help someone or do a good deed for a stranger every day. She believed in giving the underdog an opportunity to succeed and a chance when no one else would. She would take in strays of all kinds, animal and human, if they needed help. She had a truly generous spirit and would gladly give the last of what she had if she thought someone else could use it. Her smile was contagious and when she walked in a room, everyone knew it. She lived her life with compassion, strength, and tenacity. The most important things in Amy’s life were her children and family. She felt gifted to have a family that loved and enjoyed each other’s company. Her favorite thing to do was spending time them, cooking and eating meals, and laughing about past times together. She loved them fiercely and we will all miss her immensely. Amy is the daughter of Henry and Florence Espe of Silverton Sister to Aradine Brady (deceased), Avis Epping, Darlene Beals, and Gary Espe. Amy married Loren Rolie and had four children; Rod Rolie (deceased), Kelly Miller, Rick Rolie, Kim Riley. She later married Lester Simpson and had one daughter, Lesta Simpson-Bentley. Amy is the Grandmother of Brian Damewood (deceased), Adrienne Rappleyea, Shawn Oates, Kim Cowley, Rhonda Topham, Terra Rolie, Sean Riley, and Kelly Riley. Amy is the Great Grandmother of Branden and Bradley Damewood, Liam Topham, Cade Topham, Hiram Topham, Nora Topham, Hope Topham, Tate Cowley, Aden Cowley, Tess Cowley, Sophie Rolie. scheduled a final com- munity photo shoot of Eugene Field School before the deconstruc- tion process begins. In cooperation with the Silverton Fire District and Dennis and Eileen Sher- wood of Portrait Express, the city is inviting every- one interested to pose in a picture with the histor- ic school building at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8. Alumni of Eugene Field School, parents of alum- ni, former staff and, frankly, any member of the community – or be- yond – who feels a con- nection to the school are invited to attend. Those interested should plan to be in front of the school no later than 9:45 am. The photo will be part of a planned display in the new civic center, paying homage to the site's former use. The former playground area will be open for parking during this time. — Christena Brooks became stifling. Thankfully, Holden said, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. During his previous deployment to Iraq, temperatures sometimes broke 130. Crews worked on the fire line until about 6 p.m. and returned to camp, where Holden would continue working until 11. Leaving family tough but necessary The cell towers were so overburdened by the in- creased phone use around Merlin, it was often hard to send a text, Holden said. But he still tried to squeeze in at least one phone call a day to his wife and kids. “It definitely makes things difficult when your kids are so young,” he said. “They don’t understand exactly where dad is.” Holden has been deployed overseas twice, so his wife is experienced with him being away for long stretches. He returned home on Aug. 13. “We are very fortunate, we have a lot of family very close by to help out,” he said. “But it’s never easy leav- ing family.” Capt. Karl Henwood said it was especially hard to leave for his 14-day deployment fighting the Taylor Creek and Klondike fires in Southern Oregon. The former Oregonian and his family had just moved to Boise when he got the call-out. His camp just west of Selma would often fill with smoke during the afternoons. A few days after his re- turn, Henwood was still battling a sinus infection from the smoky conditions. He said his team’s days were spent clearing vegeta- tion from fire lines so there wouldn’t be “piles of bone- dry fuel just sitting on the unburnt side of the fire line.” At night, they watched as the wildfire lit up the night sky. Henwood said he was impressed with member’s and firefighters’ dedication. It’s not a small thing to put life on hold and rush to a wildfire. But, he added, he’s happy they did. Oregon wildfires So far this year, Oregon wildfires have left one per- son dead, burned dozens of structures, threatened iconic recreation sites like the Rogue River, inched to- wards national monuments like the Painted Hills and blanketed the state in smoke. Hundreds of local firefighters, incident teams, wil- dland firefighters and national guard members have traveled across the state to contain the fires. As of Friday, the Ramsey Canyon Fire (1,300 acres, 15 percent contained) and the Klondike Fire (80,700 acres, 37 percent contained) remain the two most noteworthy wildfires in the state’s southern half. The 4,700-acre Terwilliger Fire east of Eugene has closed 26 campgrounds, hiking trails and recreation areas, including Terwilliger Hot Springs. In Central Oregon, crews are being demobilized from a 100,000-acre conflagration — consisting of the Stubblefield, Seale, Lonerock and Jennie’s Peak fires — as the threat to structures and iconic national mon- uments decreased. For questions, comments and news tips, email re- porter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@states- manjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twit- ter @wmwoodworth Shauna Ruth Renoud WOODBURN - March 27, 1975 - Aug. 22, 2018 Daughter of Jana and David Renoud. Shauna was our loving daughter, loyal sister and spunky friend. She brought joy and laugh- ter to everyone that knew her. We will miss Shauna’s cheeky humor, uncensored honesty and sweet personality. Arrangements by Un- ger Funeral Chapel of Silverton. Oregon National Guard members fight the Garner Complex Fire in Southern Oregon earlier this month.
