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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2020)
6 community april2 2020 The State of Our Fire District: Part 3 continued from front page a medical or fire call comes in), “…ba- sically because there was no one else showing up,” he says. About four years ago he was promoted to Lieutenant in recognition of his long-term service and continuing leadership. At this year’s an- nual banquet he was promoted to Battal- ion Chief, further proof of how highly he is regarded within the District. Chief Dean Smith, one of two full-time paid responders in the District, has done a remarkable job of rebuild- ing the District after the flood, with help from a number of other members. His enthusiasm and commitment to the Dis- trict and the community has been infec- tious, and volunteerism has been on the rise. The hiring of Training Captain Will Steinweg, the other full-time responder, has been a game changer for the District and its volunteers, which now number over 30. For Loomis, it’s refreshing to have a number of new faces at the Dis- trict. But as a leader and 11 year veteran, having to continually take duty shifts once a week or more, and sometimes giving up weekends, is starting to drag. “It’s a commitment, and sometimes it can be a bit much,” he says. “I’m one of those people that doesn’t like to walk away from something I’ve started. It’s a duty now.” It’s also about being part of something bigger than yourself. “It’s great to be part of a small town where people know who you are and what you do,” says Loomis. “I never had that be- fore I came to Vernonia.” Why they volunteer Brandi Abney is also a long- time volunteer with VRFPD. She joined in 2001 as part of a high school cadet program, earning a Basic Firefighter certification during school hours. She currently holds a Firefighter I certifica- tion, was certified as an EMT-Basic, and also holds Driver, Pumper Operator, and Wildland Firefighter certifications. “I like to give back to my com- munity,” says Abney. “I think that’s im- portant for everyone to do in one way or another.” Like Loomis, for Abney it’s also about the family that surrounds the Dis- trict and the station. “I really love the family I gained when I became a volun- teer, and the camaraderie,” Abney says. “There’s just a big family that’s created with all the First Responders – not just the firefighters, but the EMS people, and law enforcement. Through the years we’ve just all come together.” Volunteering does take away from time at home with her three chil- dren, says Abney; this year she is also hosting a foreign exchange student. “As a single parent, it can be tough, especial- ly when my kids were younger. I’ve had those times when I was in the middle of cooking dinner and I have to respond on a call and leave the kids to finish prepar- ing the meal, whether they knew what to do or not.” Abney points out that most vol- unteers, in addition to their duties and commitments with the department, have full-time jobs; Abney works at the Ver- nonia School District as an Instructional Assistant. “Sometimes we’ll have to get up in the middle of the night – I’ve spent all night fighting a structure fire – and then have to turn around and go to my real job in the morning.” There are also positives. “For my own kids, having this extended fire family is good. It’s another place and people they know they can go to that are safe.” Loomis is certified in Fiefighter I and II, and Engine Operator, and is also an EMT-Basic. He has served as the Chair and Treasurer of the Vernonia Vol- unteer Fire and Rescue Association. He is also licensed by the State Fire Marshal in pyrotechnics, and has been in charge of the annual 4 th of July fireworks dis- play – not only the detonation, but also fundraising for it. Loomis shares with Abney the feeling of fraternity that surrounds being a volunteer firefighter and an EMT, who often deal with people in terrible situa- tions. “You’re part of a group of people who have done and seen all the same things you have,” he says. “It’s a group of people you can relate to and talk with about what you’ve experienced, because with HIPPA rules, you can’t really talk to anybody else. There’s a bit of black hu- mor that we all share, because it’s a way of coping with what you’ve seen, where you’ve been, and what you’ve had to do, so it becomes a close group.” It’s also a commitment that opened doors to new activities and has become an important part of Loomis’ life. “If I were to leave the District, I probably wouldn’t be able to do the fire- works anymore. As an EMT, I volunteer at rally races around Oregon and Wash- ington, which I really enjoy – I might not be able to continue doing that.” The need Having dedicated volunteers like Abney and Loomis is essential to keeping the VRFPD functioning as an integral part of public safety for the com- munity. While volunteerism has grown in recent years, thanks to the work of Training Captain Steinweg, the number of calls the VRFPD runs has contin- ued to steadily rise. Loomis says when he first joined, the District was running about 200 calls per year; now that num- ber is 600-700 calls per year. “The problem is that we need three times the number of volunteers now that we needed 15 years ago,” says Chief Smith. There are several factors im- pacting volunteerism at VRFPD. First and foremost, volunteers just don’t have the time to give – people commute out of town for work, and have family ac- tivities that take them away from the community for long periods of time. Volunteerism in the fire service is down across the state and country in rural de- partments. The training requirements for volunteers have also steadily increased over the years, (volunteers are required to complete the same training as paid professional firefighters receive), and has become a burden that many volun- teers can no longer shoulder. Rob Davis is the part-time Re- cruitment and Retention Officer the Dis- trict hired on a one-year contract last June to help build the volunteer base. Davis points out that, in the past, volun- teers only needed to complete 40 hours of training before they could fight fires. Now new recruits need to complete 160 hours of fire academy just to get started – that doesn’t include time spent in weekly drills to show proficiency and complete a task book of required skills. “The dynamics of volunteerism in the fire service has changed dramati- cally, even in the last 10 years,” says Steinweg. “Now volunteers need well over 200 hours of initial training, plus 60 hours of continuing education every year.” “The training requirements for volunteers are so time consuming,” says former VRFPD Chief Steve Weller. Weller says for volunteers to be that ded- icated takes them away from their fami- lies, their home life, and other activities – whether it’s kids, gardening or yard work, or vacation time. “It pulls them away, and people just say, ‘Hey, I like giving to my community, but I’m not getting paid for this, and I have a family and that’s more important.’” The growing call volume and lack of volunteers available to respond to calls has created a situation that is reaching the breaking point for the VRFPD. Currently Chief Smith and Captain Steinweg have both been working as many as 400 hours a month responding to calls and taking care of administrative duties. The hiring of Recruitment and Retention Officer Davis has lightened the load slightly, but the situation is no longer sustainable. Some solutions One thing the District has done to address the lack of volunteers is to recruit candidates from outside the Dis- trict. “We don’t talk about this to beat up on our volunteers, but we have to start looking outside the box,” says Davis. “We have to look outside Vernonia for volunteers because they’re just not here. In the past it’s been the community vol- unteers that hold the District together, but we’ve had to start looking for alter- native methods.” Both Steinweg and Davis have worked in Districts with successful out- of-district programs that have attracted fire students from Portland because there is no place for them to volunteer and get experience. “That is the future of fire service for small communities in rural areas,” says Davis. One big barrier exists for the VRFPD to implement this kind of pro- gram – a lack of sleeping quarters for out-of district volunteers, which the Districts hopes to address with funding through the upcoming levy. The hiring of Steinweg to fill the role of a full-time Training Captain has also changed the dynamics at VRFPD. In the past the position was filled by volunteers, but the time requirements and stress of the job led to burnout, and ultimately was unsuccessful. The VRFPD saw the need for a paid, full-time Training Captain, and the community approved a 5-year, $0.32 per thousand property tax levy, which funded the position. That levy is scheduled to end in June of 2021. It’s been easy to quantify the results of the paid position. When Steinweg started as Training Captain, the VRFPD was down to just 12 volunteers – today there are 31, and a new fire academy just started with five more Vernonia volunteers, three of which are continued on page 12 Meyer’s Auto Body We go the extra mile for you 493 Bridge Street VERNONIA • 503-429-0248 • Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels • Finish Carpentry • Ceramic Tile Work • Custom Home Construction • Additions • Commercial Tenant Improvements Jim Morrison, Jr. General Contractor CCB# 112057 Ph: (503) 429-0154 MorrisonRemodeling@hughes.net Vernonia, OR 97064 • Licensed • Bonded • Insured
