VRFPD
October 21
2021
5
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
Pump Operator Class
to maintenance of the engine and equip-
ment on the engines.
There is much more that goes
into operating our engines than just
driving them to a fire and flipping a few
levers to make water come out of the
hose lines. Our engineers are required to
understand the properties of water and
how those properties effect its journey
out of our hose lines. If they were to just
pump water out of the engine without
calculating the pressure loss from the
hose lines themselves, we would not
have effective hose streams to fight fire
efficiently. In this training the volunteers
learn what effects their hose lines have
on the pressure of the water coming out
of their pumps and in turn can adjust for
that accordingly. They also learn what
their apparatus can do. How much water
can it effectively pump before we need
to add another pumper? What effects do
By Chief Will Steinweg
Recently the Vernonia Rural
Fire Protection District hosted a Pump
Operator class within the District. This
class is designed to teach firefighters not
only how to make water come out of the
engines and tenders we use, but also to
teach them how to optimize the water
in their tanks to provide effective fire
streams through their hose lines.
As many of you know, our vol-
unteers are required to hold the same
certifications as their paid counterparts.
We had multiple volunteers from both
Vernonia Fire as well as Mist-Birkenfeld
Rural Fire Protection District attend this
training. The full Pump Operator class
is a 32-hour class that encompasses ev-
erything from making water come out
of our engines, to the math calculations
used to make sure the operator is pump-
ing the hose lines at the right pressure,
hydrants have on our hose lines while
pumping? When we are fighting fire in
an area that doesn’t have any hydrants,
how do we get water? How many gal-
lons of water can we pull from that
water source? All these questions are
answered during this class, and it gives
the student the tools to figure that out on
their own.
As a trainer, I could teach any-
one to make water come out of a hose
line or an engine. Flip a few buttons and
levers and you have water at the nozzle.
To make someone understand how all
those buttons and levers work, and to
teach them why I need the appropriate
pressure at the nozzle takes a 32-hour
class. For the high school students that
think they will never use algebra or ge-
ometry after they graduate, I can tell
you that the firefighters that drive and
pump these big trucks use it every time
they are on a fire. For some it comes
naturally, and for others it is a bit of a
challenge, but if you’re ever interested
in coming down to see what it’s like to
drive and pump a fire engine give us a
call at the Fire Station.
Up For Sealed Bid Auction
VRFPD Donates Ambulance
to Baja Bridges in Mexico
An ambulance the Verno-
nia Rural Fire Protection District
received from the Scappoose Fire
District has been handed down af-
ter being utilized for the last few
years as a logistics support vehicle.
“The donation to Baja Bridges will
allow the rig to be a better service
to a place with a higher need,” said
Vernonia Fire Chief Dean Smith.
to provide a small community with
equipment they do not currently
posses or have the financial means
to acquire. The members of our
organization donate their time and
money to not only deliver this need,
but also to conduct pre-survey of
communities to develop needs as-
sessment. This allows us to provide
these areas with the equipment they
1998 Jeep Cherokee
4.0l inline 6 cylinder engine
Automatic transmission
147,567 miles
Starts, runs, drives, stops.
Has a drivability issue.
Send bids to:
VRFPD
555 E. Bridge St.
Vernonia OR, 97064
Bids will be accepted until
November 8, End of day.
VOLUNTEERS
WANTED
Baja Bridges and the com-
munities of Baja California Sur,
Mexico, sent a letter of thanks for
the donation of the 1998 Ford Am-
bulance.
“This equipment is in ex-
treme need throughout the Baja
peninsula,” said the letter. “Your
generous donation will enable us
VERNONIA RURAL FIRE
PROTECTION DISTRICT
need and also help them with train-
ing their members to use the equip-
ment.”
Chief Smith said the VR-
FPD plans to downsize their current
logistics plans, which supports fire-
fighters and EMS when responding
to emergencies, until they can boost
their response personnel.
VRFPD is currently accepting applications
for Volunteer Fire Fighters
• You must have a High School Diploma or
G.E.D., a valid Oregon Driver’s License, and
be at least 18 years of age
• Currently, you must be able to attend
weekly training on Monday nights
Here’s What We Do!
• Willing to attend the Fire Academy
• Live or work (employer willing to let you
respond to calls) within VRFPD’s District
Calls responded to September 1-30
Fire
Emergency Medical Service
Hazardous Condition
Service Call
Good Intent
False Alarm
Total
4
45
2
6
4
1
62
VRFPD
555 E. Bridge St.
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-429-8252
• Applications can be picked up at the Fire
Station
Rob Davis
Operations Division Chief
503-429-8252