The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, October 16, 2019, Image 13

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The Observer., October 16, 2019, Page 13, Image 13

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Newspaper Page Text2A — THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019 LOCAL Lostine Canyon neighborhood becomes ‘Firewise’ D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Wednesday, Oct. 16, the 289th day of 2019. There are 76 days left in the year. their protection from the potentially catastrophic risks of wildfi re,” Roberts said. Eng emphasized the neces- sity of the program. “We live in an extreme fire-risk area and we have to learn to adapt to that,” he said. “There’s not much we can do about changing the weather, changing the terrain, changing the land ownership and some of the ways it’s managed.” Lostine Canyon residents interested in establishing a Firewise community con- ducted their initial meeting in April 2018. Since then, neighbors in the Lostine Canyon have been working on becoming better informed about how to prevent wild- fi re from destroying their homes and their community, how to respond in the inevi- table event of a wildfi re in the Lostine Canyon and how to recover after a wildfi re passes through their com- munity. Residents have been creating “fi resafe” perim- eters around their homes, removing closely spaced and insect-damaged trees, trim- ming low-hanging branches and chipping. They have taken advantage of offers by foresters Tim Cudmore and Eric Carlson, of the ODF, to identify diseased and insect- infested trees to help reduce fuel loads around their homes, while also preserving privacy and wildlife habitat. By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Oct. 16, 1962, the Cu- ban missile crisis began as President John F. Kennedy was informed that recon- naissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba. ON THIS DATE In 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoi- nette, the queen of France, was beheaded. In 1916, Planned Parenthood had its begin- nings as Margaret Sanger and her sister, Ethel Byrne, opened the fi rst birth con- trol clinic in Brooklyn, New York. In 1968, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked con- troversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving “black power” salutes during a victory ceremony after they’d won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race. In 1991, a deadly shoot- ing rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as a gunman opened fi re at a Luby’s Cafeteria, killing 23 people before taking his own life. In 1995, a vast throng of black men gathered in Washington, D.C., for the “Million Man March” led by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed a congres- sional resolution authoriz- ing war against Iraq. LOTTERY Megabucks: $4.2 million 3-10-18-20-41-47 Submitted photo The overturned vehicle of a man rescued by the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce Search and Rescue Team sits in the East Fork of Eagle Creek in Baker County. Man saved in Baker County creek crash By Jessica Pollard EO Media Group BAKER COUNTY — While providing mutual aid during the search for a miss- ing hunter, local agencies saved the hunter’s brother from a single-vehicle car crash into freezing water. Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce Search and Rescue Sgt. Dwight Johnson said Tom Dennis, 48, of McMinnville, was aiding in the search for his brother, Andrew Dennis, 60, of Haines, on Oct. 5 when he crashed his 1999 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck into the East Fork of Eagle Creek in the Wallowa Mountains. The area had recently been hit by a snowstorm. “He could have perished if someone hadn’t found him when they did,” Johnson said. Search and Rescue mem- bers Travis Lundquist, Destry Stewart and Danita Smith were driving across the creek bridge that evening when they heard a horn honking. They noticed a tire in the creek and found Tom Dennis trapped inside the truck, which had overturned. The doors to the truck were jammed shut, and Tom Dennis couldn’t escape as freezing water fi lled the truck’s interior. Johnson said that three other cars had driven over the bridge without noticing the overturned vehicle below. Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash estimated that the truck had been trapped for 30 minutes. Along with Ash, the Search and Rescue team was able to use a car jack and axe, with other tools, to open a truck door and remove Tom Dennis within 10 minutes. He was airlifted to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. The Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce provided aid on the scene as well. Tom Dennis, who suffered from hypothermia and a shoulder injury, has since checked himself out of the hospital, according to the Baker City Herald. Ash said that alcohol was a factor in the accident, but that no citations had been issued. Johnson said that Tom Dennis assisted Search and Rescue at a drone site in the forest during the eight-day search to fi nd his brother, who was found dead on the morning of Oct. 6. “We worked with him all day Oct. 4. He was upset and despondent,” Johnson said. He noted that while Search and Rescue was not trained in vehicle extrica- tion, which they assisted with during the crash, the 28-volunteer team receives training in several areas including navigation, fi rst aid and radio. In 2016, they implemented a drone program. “We’re very proud of our volunteers for what they did and how they responded. We’re just proud that they were part of it, and that they heard (the truck),” Johnson said. LOSTINE — The Lostine Canyon neighborhood has become Northeast Oregon’s fi rst nationally recognized “Firewise” community, an event that could lead to more efforts to prevent or combat wildfi res in Wal- lowa County. Firewise communities are a part of the associa- tion’s program that teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfi re and en- courages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent losses. The approximately 110 properties with 120 struc- tures make up about 15 square miles or 9,600 acres south of Lostine. About 45 individuals are partici- pating in the community, according to Mike Eng, the leader of the Lostine Can- yon Firewise Committee. On Friday, at the Lostine Wildlife Area, the Firewise group and Com- missioner Susan Roberts met to dedicate signs along the road recognizing the Firewise community. Roberts expressed hopes that the neighborhood’s actions will be an example to other communities in the county. “Hopefully, your ac- complishment will serve to inspire other communi- ties to take important and necessary steps to improve Thank You Chamber Members W. Pettit MD Cats Paw Farm www.VisitUnionCounty.org Mega Millions: $71 million 4-12-14-35-70-2-x2 Powerball: $100 million 12-29-34-53-65-23-x2 Win for Life: Oct. 14 16-64-71-77 Pick 4: Oct. 15 • 1 p.m.: 1-4-5-1 • 4 p.m.: 2-2-7-2 • 7 p.m.: 7-1-6-4 • 10 p.m.: 6-9-5-7 Pick 4: Oct. 14 • 1 p.m.: 8-9-8-0 • 4 p.m.: 7-7-0-6 • 7 p.m.: 2-5-7-2 • 10 p.m.: 7-1-3-5 Officers certified in crisis training By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If you do not receive your paper by 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, please call 541-963-3161 by 6 p.m. If your delivery is by motor carrier, delivery should be by 6 p.m. For calls after 6, please call 541-975- 1690, leave your name, address and phone number. Your paper will be delivered the next business day. QUOTE OF THE DAY “No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” — Francois, Duc de la Rochefoucauld, French moralist ENTERPRISE — Enterprise’s entire po- lice force was certifi ed as having completed a 40-hour crisis intervention training last week as part of a program on solving problems related to mental health issues. Representatives of the Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Institute conducted a daylong Sequential Intercept Mapping workshop at the Community Connection Center on NW First Street. The goal was to help provide tools for behavioral health and criminal justice integration and to create a map for the community that shows where to go for certain services and who is the contact for each organization. Police Chief Joel Fish Jr. and Offi cers Jacob Curtis, Cody Billman and George Kohlhepp were certifi ed as having completed the CIT course. Eilene Flory, a crisis intervention coordina- tor for the institute, said it was impressive that 100% of the Enterprise Police Depart- ment has received CIT certifi cation, even though there are just four offi cers. “It’s still 100%,” she said. She noted that the statewide average is 33%. Tosca Rawls, public relations and develop- ment director for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness, called the EPD’s certifi cation “a great accomplishment and partnership within our community.” Sequential Intercept Mapping is a nation- wide effort to address the overrepresenta- tion of adults with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system. During the process, community stakeholders identify service and policy gaps and opportunities to address the needs of this target population, accord- ing to the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website. “As we go through your community’s resources, we identify your community’s re- sources and gaps, oftentimes in the mapping between law enforcement and mental health it is brought up that there’s a gap between the two agencies,” Flory said. “Sometimes it’s just an understanding of what law enforce- ment can do, to take somebody under custody because of a mental health issue, or law enforcement not understanding what mental health can do.” Rebecca Frolander, the district attorney for Wallowa County, was one of the attendees at the workshop and offered input on some of the gaps in the county legal system here. “Generally, people with severe mental health issues shouldn’t be in the criminal justice system,” she said. Attendees discussed options, such as a diversion to ensure offenders cooperate with health care providers and take their medi- cines. “The spectrum of behavioral health is quite large,” Frolander said. “Depending whether they are able to understand what is required of them. People who’ve committed low-level misdemeanors, maybe they’ve just stopped taking their meds. We can do a low-level diversion to force them to restart their meds.” Your Family Deserves The e Physicians Mutual Insurance Company Call for your FREE Information Kit! BEST Add High Speed Internet 1-877-599-0125 www.dental50plus.com/25 Coverage not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969- 4781 for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). 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