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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2017)
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7 KFD, continued from Page A1 Punchbowl Falls and then spreading 20,000 acres, and went right to work protecting the Bonneville Dam and nearby fi sh hatcheries. “We were in the heart of it, right in the thick of it. We were fi ghting fi re,” said Perkins, who was at his fi rst confl agration. “There's so much fi re that you have to choose your battles. There's no way that we can completely extinguish this. We're basically just trying to keep it from continuing to run and minimize it's spread.” Coburn drove the Keizer engine, which was outfi tted to fi ght wildland fi res with different hoses, fi ttings, attack methods and water volumes. Throne and Perkins deployed the hoses while Cummings directed the crew. As a hiker, surfer, kite boarder and photographer, Perkins had spent a lot of time in the Columbia Gorge. “I love Eagle Creek,” Perkins said. “I've done that hike a handful of times. It's absolutely gorgeous and I've done a number of hikes up in that area. I was up there when it froze this winter so I saw it completely frozen with ice, Multnomah Falls all iced up. I love taking pictures of that stuff. That was surreal to see it in that state and then see it burnt up.” Keizer was originally assigned to the night crew but as winds spread the fi re east, line. They didn't need to do that and they did it consistently,” Perkins said. “People wanted to help in anyway that they can. We certainly felt the gratitude and respect of the community. We were there to protect people's homes and they saw that presence and it gave them a sense of security.” Cummings, who grew up in California and worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry for three seasons, said what made the Eagle Creek fi re unique was its proximity to a big city, Portland, and historical landmarks like Multnomah Falls. The Oregon State Fire Marshal kept the crew prepared. “It's never a guessing game,” Cummings said. “They're so organized with their tactics and strategies. They always have exactly what they want you to do and it's always laid out. They were pretty good at predicting it (fi re) and knowing what it was going to do and where it was going to go and what ridges it was going to run.” Keizer fi refi ghter Matt Dryden joined Cummings on the Chetco Bar fi re. “When they started moving evacuation levels closer to Brookings, they needed more resources, that's why they called for another structural task force,” Cummings said. “We were full structure protection.” That included clearing debris and ignitable items away from homes and setting up sprinkler systems provided by the fi re marshal. After 15 years, Keizer Fire was able to get back on the confl agration list thanks to an increase in staff, training and equipment. Cummings, Perkins, Coburn and Thorne stayed on for an additional long day shift. The crew didn't get back to camp in Odell until Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m. “I really enjoy it,” Cummings said. “I'm young so I'm all about it. I don't have kids. I don't have too many priorities back home. I grew up doing it. It does get tiring. I was covered in poison oak from the Chetco (fi re) so after a while your body starts taking a toll. It doesn't matter how young you are. You just start getting tired.” Along with protecting the dam, the Keizer crew spent that fi rst 28-hour shift keeping the fi re from jumping over to the westbound side of Interstate 84 and checking on homes in the area to make sure there weren't any spot fi res. “That fi rst 36 hours is something that I'll never forget,” Perkins said. “You're seeing trees that are 80 feet tall with a fl ame that's 80 feet above them.” The crew spent the maximum two weeks working on the Eagle Creek fi re, returning to Keizer on Sunday, Sept. 17. Each morning began with a 5:15 wakeup call. The crew typically returned to camp between 8-8:30 p.m. Some of their other duties included putting out spot fi res along I-84, prepping and talking to people about the fi re in the houses nearby, assisting Hood River with a grass fi re and watching the Multnomah Falls Lodge. The citizens of Cascade Locks showed appreciation towards the fi refi ghters, making them meals. “They would come out to the fi re LAW, continued from Page A1 driving course. House Bill 2597’s man- dates are only one component in Oregon’s efforts to reduce distracted driving; ODOT’s DriveHealthy campaign hopes to incentivize drivers to prac- tice safe habits with friendly competition. The campaign lets organizations and individuals use the LifeSaver app from Life Apps LLC to log cellphone use while driving and send scores to ODOT’s monthly leader- board. Playing is easy: the less you use your phone while driv- ing, the higher your score. ODOT is confi dent in the campaign, as a similar one in Boston reduced distracted driv- ing among participants by 47 percent. “While technology helped create the problem,” said ODOT Director Matthew Garrett. “Technology can also help provide a solution to dis- tracted driving.” mobile devices while parked, but the bill asserts that it is not legal to use the device while at a stop light or stop sign. According to the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion (ODOT), there were 917 crashes, 14 fatalities, and over 1,000 injuries caused by drivers using a cellphone from 2011- 2015. Second offenders, or fi rst offenders who contribute to a crash, can fi nd themselves pay- ing up to $2,500 in fi nes, and third offenders can be faced with up to $6,500 in fi nes or a year in jail. The bill isn’t just increased fi nes and strict enforcement, however. Starting January 1, 2018, the bill will allow courts to offer fi rst-time offenders the option to suspend their fi ne and instead take a distracted Churph hosts Superhero party freshments. Wonder Woman and Superman also expected to visit the shindig. The event is slated for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the covered shelter in Claggett Creek Park, 1400 Dearborn Avenue N.E. Jesus Our Jubilee Church is hosting a Superhero Celebra- tion for kids on Saturday, Sept. 30. 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