PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
‘It’s a totally different way of thinking’
KFD
linemen
battle
wildfi res
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Tim Coburn had been
asleep at the Keizer Fire
Department for about an hour
when he heard a knock on the
door just after midnight on
Saturday, Aug. 18.
More than 200 miles away,
a 9,000-acre wildfi re was
burning outside of Condon.
Governor Kate Brown had
declared the fi re a confl agration,
allowing the fi re marshal to
mobilize
resources from
around
the
state.
Coburn,
one of 10
fi remen
on
a
Marion
County Task
Force,
was
one of those
resources.
He
and
fellow Keizer
fi reman Sean
Cummings
had to be
in Woodburn by 2:30 a.m.
to meet with fi remen from
Marion County, Jefferson,
Stayton and Sublimity. They
were to be in Coburn by 6.
“We were one of the fi rst
to get there and the last task
force to leave,” Coburn said.
“When we fi rst got there it
was so fresh that, they had the
fairgrounds in Condon situated
but they didn't really have a lot
of resources yet.”
By Monday, the Stubblefi eld
Fire had burned more than
30,000 acres and continued
contained.”
Coburn and Cummings also
went to Lonerock, protecting a
ranchers's home in case the fi re
spread.
“We did a lot of work
around his farm and around
his house, getting debris away,
sprinklers out,” Coburn said.
“We surveyed his property so if
it did happen then we would
know where to go.”
The Stubblefi eld Fire was
the third confl agration Keizer
fi refi ghters reported to this
summer.
Danny South and Aaron
Rowland spent July 18-21 at
the Substation Fire near The
Dalles. Aaron Pittis, Ryan
Russell, Jacob Brinlee and
Tyler Bullock then reported to
Northern California Aug. 1-3
for the Mendocino Complex
Fire.
“It's a totally different
way of thinking from being a
structural fi refi ghter to being a
wild land fi refi ghter,” Coburn
said. “You adjust pretty quickly.
Structural, you think of as
going in and putting it out
real quick, wildland, they use
different techniques, including
burning out different areas as a
tactic.”
Keizer has 18 fi remen
on its confl agration list. The
Stubblefi eld Fire was Coburn's
second wildfi re after reporting
to the Eagle Creek Fire last
summer.
10K ornaments needed
for Capitol-bound tree
Submitted
Firefi ghter Tim Coburn douses a small portion of the Stubblefi eld Fire near Condon, Ore. The fi re
scorched more than 56,000 acres before it was extinguished.
to grow to more than 56,000
acres.
Between Aug. 18 and 24,
the Marion County Task Force
worked 12-hour day shifts, 7
a.m. to 7 p.m.
“The whole time we
were there we were busy,”
Coburn said. “We were doing
something.”
Working alongside the
Bureau of Land Management
and state fi re marshall, Coburn
and Cummings in their
Keizer brush truck put out
fi res, trimmed Juniper trees
and helped local farmers with
We are
Everything
Except
Overpriced
Simple
Cremation
$875
bulldozing.
“Those guys are incredibly
talented, the farmers,” Coburn
said. “A lot of the times that's
(bulldozing) how they stopped
the fi re. They got it pretty well
shred your documents
Join us for a free community Shred Day and food drive.
Saturday, Sept. 15
Pre-Planning Available
4365 RIVER RD N, KEIZER
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Oregon Pioneer’s 80th
Birthday Party, Tuesday, Sep-
tember 18, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Oregon’s Bounty, Saturday,
October 6, from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
The Capitol will offer vol-
unteers, ornament ideas, and
supplies (furnished by the U.S.
Forest Service and the Oregon
State Capitol Foundation.)
There is no charge to make
ornaments, and families are en-
couraged to join the fun. If you
wish to make an ornament for
the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
and drop it off at the Oregon
State Capitol, please download
a specifi cation sheet at www.
capitolchristmastree.com un-
der the Participate heading. All
ornaments will be boxed up
and sent off after the October
6 event, so the deadline to turn
them in is 2 p.m. that day.
Secure your identity–
Inexpensive Burial
and Funeral Options
On-Site Crematory
Every year since 1970, the
U.S. Forest Service has provided
a Christmas tree to appear on
the West Lawn of the U.S. Capi-
tol for the holiday season. This
year, the tree will be provided
by the Willamette National
Forest from the Sweet Home
Ranger District. The theme
for the 2018 initiative is “Find
Your Trail” and commemorates
the 175th anniversary of the
Oregon Trail, and the 50th an-
niversary of the National Trails
System. In addition, 70 smaller
companion trees will be sent
and appear in offi ces through-
out the nation’s capitol.
Oregonians are invited to
help create 10,000 ornaments
to adorn the trees. The Oregon
State Capitol will host three
events this fall that will have or-
nament making stations for the
public. They are:
Multicultural Day at the
Capitol, Saturday, September 8,
New n
io
Locat
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot
6700 Field of Dreams Way NE, Keizer, OR 97303
503.393.7037
Se habla español
Secure, convenient shredding
Bring up to three boxes of outdated documents to
our Shred Day for hassle-free, no-cost shredding.
Just drive up and drop off your documents at the
Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot on September 15
until 1 p.m. or until the shred truck is full. Open to
the community.
What to bring
Old checks, charge receipts, credit applications,
insurance forms, physician statements, monthly
statements (fi nancial and utility) and more.
FOOD
Bring a nonperishable food item to
donate to the Marion-Polk Food Share.
Visit oregonstatecu.com/shred-day
for more information.