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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2019)
PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, AUGUST 2, 2019 Wooden Shoe hosts Tour Capitol for free thru mud run, BBQ feast Sept. 27 MCFD, continued from Page A1 worked in for the last 18 years, McMann has come to realize over the last seven months how different this gig is than the roles he has had in the past. “The main difference is the number of people that come to you for a final call. I have to make the tough decisions now,” McMann said. “I moved eight feet across the hall, I get to put one more bugle on my badge, but the weight of responsibility is a lot heavier. You’re getting pulled in so many different di- rections.” One of his main goals as the new fire chief is to get MCFD1 re-engaged with the public though a number of media outlets, as well as homeowners associations, “We’re trying to re-engage with the public and letting people know who we are,” Mc- Mann said. “The fire service in general is very poor at telling people what we do, so we want to do a better job of that be- cause this is what the people are paying for.” McMann’s goal is to have the district publish a press re- lease once per month and do a better job of posting major incidents online. He also wants members of MCFD1 to be more involved with the com- munity — they will be hosting an open house at the station in September. “People see us responding on calls, but we want to tell them and show them what else we do,” McMann said. “We’re trying to be able to be out in the community a little bit more, which is something that fire districts have prided itself on in the past. We’re want to bring that back.” KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Chief Kyle McMann is hoping to put the work of Marion County Fire District No. 1 into the spotlight. MCFD1 serves a segment of north Keizer. “We just want to become more visible.” MCFD1 provides fire and emergency medical services to a population of 50,000 that covers 80 square miles — in- cluding north Keizer. Since MCFD1 is a special district, it is not connected to a city or county, which McMann prefers. “In my mind, being a special district is great. We’re not con- nected to a lot of layers of bu- reaucracy or the fights between departments,” McMann said. However, the caveat that comes with being a special dis- trict is that MCFD1 is limited in ways that they can raise addi- tional revenue. One of the other issues for the district is that the number of volunteer fire fighters has been decreasing, while the call volumes are increasing at nearly a four percent rate per year on average — MCFD1 is on track to respond to nearly 8,000 calls by the end of the year. After a call is made, the goal of MCFD1 is to arrive to the scene in seven minutes or less. But with less volunteers, it can take 11 minutes for help to ar- rive when the district receives back-to-back calls. As far as a long term solu- tion goes, McMann is hoping to hire additional personnel to respond to calls. “The call volume is going up, but the number of volun- teers is going down, so we’re trying to figure out how to provide services and get to public houses quickly while not relying on other agencies in our jurisdiction,” McMann said. “But we have done a good job of making it work over the years.” “We provide an excellent service for what we have, but we need a little bit more help.” MCFD1 is considering ask- ing voters to increase its op- erating levy in 2020 to fund emergency personnel, as well as some capital purchases. Mc- Mann promises to keep the public informed as the conver- sation unfolds. For questions or comments, he can be reached at 503-588-6535 or kylem@ mcfd1.com. The Mud Run & Wood Show BBQ Cook-Off will open at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn. Visitors can participate in a 5K mud run and enjoy the BBQ cook-off and Garden Party when they finish. The Garden Party will feature mi- crobrews and local food as well as live music. The mud run, BBQ cook-off and Gar- den Party are open to all ages. Registration for the 5K mud run will open at 10 a.m. and the race will start at 11 a.m. Entry fees are $35 per Chamber seeks input on improving KeizerFEST Keizer Chamber is hosting a community conversation discussing KeizerFEST on Wednesday, Aug. 14. The dis- cussion will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Keizer Communi- ty Civic Center. Attendees will join the KeizerFEST co-chairs and committee members for an open dialogue regarding Keiz- er’s longest standing commu- nity festival. Those who attend should bring feedback and constructive suggestions for upcoming events. No registration is required. For more information, visit keizerchamber.com. person under the age of 21, $45 per person over the age of 21, and $150 per teams of four. The entry fee will provide participants with a T-shirt, free beverage after the race and en- trance into the Garden Party and BBQ tasting. For those not entering the race, the BBQ cook-off and Garden Party are free to at- tend. Proceeds from the event will support the charitable work of Woodburn Rotary and the Woodburn Rotary Foundation. To sign up for the mud run, visit mudsweatbbq.com. The Oregon State Capitol is hosting free summer tours of the Capitol building every Monday through Friday until Friday, September 27. Free guided tower tours will begin at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. with weath- er permitting. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Free building tours begin at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Self-guided tours are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information visit oregonlegislature.gov.
