vernonia rural fire protection district
july20
2017
11
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
4 th of July Fireworks Show
By Robert Schattschneider
Each year the Vernonia Volun-
teer Fire Fighters provide the fireworks
show for the community. This year was
no exception to providing a great show
for everyone’s enjoyment.
There is quite a bit of work
involved, personal time donated, and
monetary donations from groups and the
community at large.
Lt. Loomis has been in charge
of receiving and generating donations,
ordering the fireworks, finding personnel
to help setup and fire off the fireworks,
and cleanup of the area after the show.
Lt. Loomis arranged to have
donation jars placed at R&S Market,
Mini Mart, and Mario’s Restaurant. Most
of this year’s donations were collected at
R&S Market.
In addition to receiving dona-
tions at these locations, the Vernonia
Volunteer Fire Fighters and the Verno-
nia Volunteer Ambulance Association
also donated money that they had earned
throughout the year.
There is quite a bit of expense
involved to provide the fireworks show
for the community, both monetarily and
the donation of personal time.
This year the cost to put on the
fireworks display came to $5,126.97
for the fireworks, donation jars, and
permits. The donations collected from
the community came to $1,416.63. The
balance of $3,710.34 was paid by the
Vernonia Volunteer Fire Fighters and
the Vernonia Volunteer Ambulance
Association.
Both of these associations
volunteered many hours of their
personal time putting on fund raising
FOR SALE
Rescue Built by H&W
1998 Ford F550 4x4 7.3L
Diesel Engine Automatic Transmission
Mileage: 18,069
Comes as pictured, minus the AOL,
Radio, and MDT system.
Asking $30,000
Contact Chief Smith
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
555 E. Bridge St. Vernonia, OR 97064
(503) 429-8252
FireChief@VernoniaRFPD.us
Vernonia Rural Fire
Protection District
Could Use Your Help
Recently we have received
some inquiries from the public
concerning volunteer opportunities with
the department. We do have several
areas where we could use an extra hand
from any interested citizens from our
community.
We realize that not everyone is
cut out for becoming a fire fighter, with
all of the training requirements and
personal time commitments, so we have
come up with some areas where you can
volunteer to help us out, without having
to go through a lot of training and time
away from your families.
If you are interested in learning
more about the areas where we could
use your help, contact the Fire Chief,
(503) 429-8252.
We could use some volunteers
to help with:
• Vetting Map Books
• Answering Phones
• Filing Paperwork
• Public Education Program
• Grant Writing
• Computer Data Entry
• Station/Grounds Maintenance
• Fire Prevention Program
• Address Program
Calls responded to June 1-30
Fire
Emergency Medical Service
Hazardous Condition
Service Call
Good Intent
Severe Weather & Natural Disaster
Special Incident
No Emergency Found
False Alarm
Total
1
38
0
5
1
0
0
0
2
47
activities so that they can donate the
money towards the purchase of the
fireworks.
In addition to having a crew
of men working most of the day to
setup the fireworks and then keep
watch over them until the time of
the fireworks show, Lt. Loomis and
Fire Fighter Jason Smith went to a 5
hour pyrotechnics class in order to
receive their pyrotechnics’ license.
Lt. Loomis will be placing
the donation jars in area businesses
starting in late February or early March
in an attempt to raise enough money to
purchase next year’s fireworks for the
4th of July.
If any of the local businesses or
residents of the community would like
to donate towards next year’s fireworks
display please contact the Vernonia
Volunteer Fire Fighters or the Vernonia
Volunteer Ambulance Association to
make your donation. Or you can wait
until the donation jars are placed at the
local businesses starting in February or
March. Your donations are very much
needed and appreciated.
The associations would like to
thank all of you who donated for the
2017 fireworks display.
Safety Tips for Fire Season
We would like to remind the
residents of our district to get your
property ready for this year’s fire
season.
There are several steps that
you can take to prepare your property
and protect your home from wild fires.
Action steps for around your home:
• CLEAR leaves and other
vegetative debris from roofs,
gutters, porches and decks.
This helps prevent embers from
igniting your home.
• REMOVE dead vegetation and
other items from under your deck
or porch, and within 10 feet of the
house.
• SCREEN in areas below patios
and decks with wire mesh to
prevent debris and combustible
materials from accumulating.
• REMOVE flammable materials
(wood piles, propane tanks)
within 30 feet of your home’s
foundation and outbuildings,
including garages and sheds. If
it can catch fire, don’t let it touch
your house, deck or porch.
• PRUNE trees so the lowest
branches are 6 to 10 feet from the
ground. Wildfire can spread to
tree tops.
• KEEP your lawn hydrated and
maintained. If it is brown, cut
it down to reduce fire intensity.
Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for
wildfire.
• Don’t let debris and lawn
cuttings linger. DISPOSE of these
items quickly to reduce fuel for
fire.
• INSPECT shingles or roof tiles.
Replace or repair the shingles that
are loose or missing to prevent
ember penetration.
• COVER exterior attic vents with
metal wire mesh no larger than
1/8 inch to prevent sparks from
entering the home.
• ENCLOSE eaves and screen
soffit vents using 1/8 mesh metal
screening to prevent ember entry.
When it comes to grilling:
Here are some safety tips for
outdoor grilling that will help protect
you and your home:
• Propane and charcoal BBQ grills
should only be used outdoors.
• The grill should be placed
well away from the home, deck
railings and out from under eaves
and overhanging branches.
• Keep children and pets at least
three feet away from the grill area.
• Keep your grill clean by
removing grease or fat buildup
from the grills and in trays below
the grill.
• Never leave your grill
unattended.
• Always make sure your gas grill
lid is open before lighting it.
Charcoal Grills:
• There are several ways to get the
charcoal ready to use. Charcoal
chimney starters allow you to start
the charcoal using newspaper as a
fuel.
• If you use a starter fluid, use
only charcoal starter fluid. Never
add charcoal fluid or any other
flammable liquids to the fire.
• Keep charcoal fluid out of the
reach of children and away from
heat sources.
• There are also electric charcoal
starters, which do not use fire. Be
sure to use an extension cord for
outdoor use.
• When you are finished grilling,
let the coals completely cool
before disposing in a metal
container.
To view these tips and many
more, go to http://firewise.org/ and
search their website for hundreds of
safety tips that cover numerous topics.
Please take the fire season
seriously and follow all of the safety
tips to help protect you, your family,
and your property. Follow VRFPD on
Facebook for notices, burn conditions
and closures, and updates concerning
what’s going on in the Vernonia Rural
Fire Protection District.
Feel free to call Chief Smith
for questions or concerns at (503)
429-8252.