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.