JANUARY 22, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
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MCFD1 paramedic embarked on new journey at 63
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
In the United States, se-
niors are eligible for early
retirement at age 62. At age
63, Victor Hoffer began to
work at Marion County Fire
District #1 (MCFD1) as a
paramedic.
“I was a probie to people
who were 40 years young-
er than me,” Hoffer said. A
“probie” is slang for being
the new guy. The experience
was so unusual he decided to
write a book about it.
Throughout his career
Hoffer estimates that he has
taken care of 84,000 people
and delivered 22 babies. He
said most people are lucky if
they get to deliver even one
baby.
When asked about the
most memorable call he’s
been on, his face got serious,
putting his arms on his knees
he leaned forward, as if get-
ting ready to tell a long story.
“May I tell you a little
about respect and courtesy?”
Hoffer asked, before begin-
ning his tale.
He started to tell the sto-
ry from when he was
working in Tigard. It
had all the hallmarks
of an epic hero’s tale:
a snowstorm, a wom-
an going into labor
and a patient almost
refusing help.
When the para-
medics got to the
home of the woman
who was giving birth
they discovered that
she, and her family –
who were Muslims –
were uncomfortable
with letting her leave
alone with all the
male fi refi ghters and
paramedics.
The closest fe-
male paramedic was in For-
rest Grove. Instead of leaving
and letting another crew take
care of patient, Hoffer spoke
with the family.
“I said ‘sir, I understand
you’re Muslim. I have great
fondness for the Muslim re-
ligion. How about we put
your wife on a stretcher, cov-
er her up, and then you can
sit right next to her?’” Hoffer
said.
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Victor Hoffer
With a little communica-
tion and understanding they
were about to take the wom-
an to the hospital where she
safely delivered the baby.
Hoffer told another story
of an elderly woman that he
had taken to the hospital. To
calm her nerves during the
ambulance drive, Hoffer told
her about his time as a hospi-
tal chaplain and they chatted
about his schooling.
He gave her one of his
trading cards – picture a
baseball card with his picture,
name and title – and she blew
it up into a full sized poster,
which she hung above her
bed next to Jesus and Sean
Connery.
“This is why I love doing
what I do,” Hoffer said. “I
took 20 minutes to make her
feel better, to give her hap-
piness, and she took my card
and blew it up.”
For people who do not
have loved ones who are able
to accompany them to the
hospital – a friendly, caring
paramedic can make a world
of difference.
In this time of the pan-
demic, where the elderly
and medically vulnerable
are supposed to be staying
away from people, Hoffer
has found himself as the ca-
nary in the coal mines. He
will go into a medical call
fi rst and determine whether
the patient is suffering from
COVID like symptoms or
not to limit potential expo-
sure of fi rst responders.
Though fi rst responders
have a high burnout rate,
Hoffer has been volunteering
in fi re and rescue for 40 years.
His favorite part of the job is
showing his patients love and
kindness– soothing nerves of
those in a medical crisis.
MCFD1 has experienced
budget reductions due to the
leavy failure in November.
Hoffer was laid off from paid
staff but is thankful for the
opportunity to still volunteer.
His book, The 63 Year Old
Probie, is availab le for pur-
chase on Amazon.
College deadlines approaching
BY BROOKLYN FLINT
Keizertimes intern
Deadlines for some key
fi nancial aid programs are
approaching. The High-
er Education Coordinating
Commission’s Offi ce of Stu-
dent Access and Completion
(OSAC) is reminding students
that anyone planning to take
college courses any time from
fall 2021 through spring 2022
should complete their student
fi nancial aid applications as
soon as possible.
OSAC awards more than
$100 million each year in
state-funded grants and pri-
vately funded scholarships to
help Oregon students meet
their college expenses. Stu-
dents can fi nd links to appli-
cations at OregonStudentAid.
gov.
In order to be considered
for federal and/or state fi nan-
cial aid, students must com-
plete the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
or the Oregon Student Aid
Application (ORSAA).
Students with undocu-
mented status will fi ll out
ORSAA instead of FAFSA.
This includes those with De-
ferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) status.
OSAC Scholarships allows
students to apply for up to 40
scholarships with only one
application. Scholarship funds
are available for graduating
high school seniors, under-
graduate and graduate college
students, GED students, un-
documented and DACA stu-
dents, homeschooled students
and more.
The deadline for the OSAC
scholarships is March 1.
Another option for fi nan-
cial aid is the Oregon Oppor-
tunity Grant. This is the larg-
est state-funded, need-based
grant program. Oregon Op-
portunity Grants are awarded
until funds are exhausted. All
students need to do in order to
be considered is to complete
FAFSA or ORSAA form.
There is also the Oregon
Promise Grant, which is for
community college students
only. Students interested must
meet the minimum GPA re-
quirements and enroll in a
community college no later
than six months after gradua-
tion. They must also complete
a FAFSA or ORSAA form by
their designated deadline. De-
pending on funding, awards
may be limited to those un-
der a certain Estimated Family
Contribution (EFC) thresh-
old.
FAFSA completion rates
were 18.7 percent lower than
they were at the same time last
year.
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