APRIL 21, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Slater retires from KFD after 22 years
PURCHASE 1 ENTREE + 2 DRINKS
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
After working 43 of the last
44 Keizer Fire District break-
fasts, Dale Slater won’t be there
on Mother’s Day this year,
greeting guests at the door.
But do not be alarmed. He’ll
be back.
Slater, a volunteer at KFD
since December of 1994, re-
tired last month to spend time
with his new grandchild, born
March 30 in New York.
“I think we’re going to be
in New York for the Mother’s
Day breakfast but I will be
coming back for those,” Slater
confi rmed. “Just because I’m
not an active volunteer, there
are many former volunteers
that come back to work those.
If I can come and fl ip pancakes
or work the desk or the door,
they’re happy to have the extra
set of hands.”
Inspired by the movie
Backdraft and looking to make
a career change, Slater moved
from southern Oregon to the
Willamette Valley to begin
taking paramedic classes at
Chemeketa
Community
College in Salem. After running
into Deputy Fire Marshal Rod
Conway, Slater decided to
interview at KFD.
Slater remembers his fi rst fi re
as a pumper operator. The call
came in at 2 a.m. and as they
turned down Cherry Avenue
and on to Candlewood Drive,
Slater saw a row of arborvitaes
engulfed in fl ames.
“You could see the light
in the sky coming up Cherry
FEEL GOOD
STORY
Saluting the people that make
us proud of our community
capitolauto.com
Avenue and you knew it was
a real fi re,” Slater said. “(I was)
terrifi ed and excited at the
same time. It was a lot of ar-
borvitae and it burns hot so it
took a 1,000 gallons of water
to put it out.”
Two more calls, both more
than 10 years ago, immediate-
ly come to mind when Slater
looks back at his 22-year career
as a volunteer fi refi ghter.
The fi rst was a report of an
overturned canoe in the Wil-
lamette River by Spongs Land-
ing. KFD teamed up with Polk
County Police to rescue a mom,
dad and their young child.
The other was a hot air bal-
loon crash in a fi eld behind
Dayspring Fellowship.
“We heard there’s a balloon
coming down really low on
Saundra Lee (Way),” Slater said.
“The bucket hit right between
two houses and dragged on the
empty fi eld behind the church.
Everybody was OK.”
Keizer volunteer fi refi ghters
work either one 12 hour shift
RECEIVE THE SECOND MEAL AT…
50%
OFF
EXP
05-18-17
NORTH SALEM
2505 Liberty St NE
503.689.1082
Valid only at
Liberty Street
location. Dine-in
only, Cannot be
combined with any
other offer or discount.
Not valid May 14, 2017.
Thanks for voting us Best Barbecue – 8 years running
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
As a volunteer fi refi ghter in Keizer, Dale Slater has greeted guests at the door for 43 of the last 44 pancake breakfasts. He retired
in March to spend more time with family.
during the week or 24 hours
on the weekend every six days.
For Slater, it didn’t matter if his
shift winded up on Christmas,
New Year’s Eve or any other
holiday. He only ever asked off
for his wife’s birthday.
“It’s a good clean hobby and
it’s a good way to give back
to my community,” Slater said.
“Some people are Rotarians
and some people are Elks and
some people go to church or
work at food banks. I gave my
time at the fi re station and uti-
lized the education that I had.
It was very rewarding. I know a
lot of people in town and they
know me.”
Slater knows so many people
in Keizer that he once respond-
ed to a three-car wreck on
River Road where he knew all
three drivers. When Slater left
his post at the pancake break-
fast, even for a few minutes, he
was certain to hear about it.
“All I do is stand at the
door just to control traffi c and
if I’m not there for fi ve min-
utes, people complain, ‘Where
were you?’” Slater said. “Sadly,
I’ve become known for being a
door stop but it’s fun. Mother’s
Day and Christmas breakfast,
it’s about the kids. You teach the
kids and have a little fun with
them.”
Technology has changed
the job. Instead of fl ipping
through an old paper map, the
fi refi ghters have apps on their
smartphones with GPS. But
fi refi ghters are also much busier
than they used to be.
“It’s a harder job than it used
to be and it’s busier than when I
started 22 years ago,” Slater said.
“Sometimes I’d be on a 24 hour
shift and not go on a single call,
nobody called 911, now it’s 19
or 20 a day. I was on shift on
Jan. 1 of this year during the
winter storm and we had 29
calls that day.”
When Slater fi rst started,
KFD didn’t have dorms for its
volunteers either. That changed
in February of 1997 with the
new station.
“You can respond at home
but most everyone stays at the
station because it’s just more
effi cient,” Slater said. “You
don’t have to wake up your
spouse when the tone goes off
at two o’clock in the morning,
garage door opens and closes.
You get there and aren’t need-
ed after all.”
While serving as a volun-
teer fi refi ghter, Slater worked
in the food service industry at
the old Porter’s Pub in Kezier.
He’s now a technology project
manager for the Department
of Justice.
2,899
Installed
$
MITSUBISHI GL – 12,000 BTU
NOW THROUGH APRIL 30
Additional charge for
over 15 feet.
Customer supplies electrical.
Cool Deals
Hot Offers
MAJESTIC ECHELON II ASK ABOUT ALSO QUALIFYING FOR
$
DIRECT VENT GAS UP TO 550
FIREPLACE OREGON TAX CREDIT
HEARTH & HOME LLC
As an Energy Trust of Oregon trade ally, we can
help you access cash incentives to make it easier
to improve your home’s energy effi ciency.
ASK ABOUT LAUNDRY PRO
3800 River Rd N #180 Keizer -
503.378.1125 - CCB #200318
®
WITH CERTIFIED SPACE TECH
It Feels Different Here
COME SEE HOW
MEMORY CARE
& ASSISTED LIVING
4398 Glencoe St NE , Salem
503-581- 4239
TheSpringsLiving.com