NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Wolf Creek ireighters, regularly confronted by
angry citizens, raising money for body cameras
purchase 10 small Wolfcom
Vision body cameras, which
would cost a total of $2,750.
The cameras, the same
kind that police oficers
use, store 18 hours of video,
28,000 digital photos and 180
hours of audio. Crews would
wear them while on duty.
Scruggs got the idea when
he used a video camera to get
images of people hanging out
on the contentious Edgewood
Road bridge, located across
from the historic Wolf Creek
Inn.
The bridge provides access
to the ire department’s sleeper
station. In 1999, county
oficials declared the bridge
as off limits. The Josephine
County Sheriff’s Ofice added
a second deputy to patrol Wolf
Creek because of the prob-
lems, but that was before loss
of funding cut the agency’s
stafing by two-thirds.
A few weeks ago,
someone chucked a full can
of beer into the window of a
ire truck crossing the bridge,
and it hit the driver.
When Scruggs started
using the hand-held camera,
people were lipping him off,
but they cleared out when
they realized they were on
By PATRICIA SNYDER
Grants Pass Daily Courier
GRANTS PASS — A few
weeks ago, says Wolf Creek
ire Chief Steve Scruggs, a
man walked up to a ireighter
and spit beer on her while she
and an engine crew waited
for law enforcement before
going to a call.
Spitting beer, as it turns out,
was hardly the worst offense
committed against ireighters,
most of them volunteers, in
this tiny community north of
Grants Pass.
In recent months, inci-
dents have ranged from
confrontations and vandalism
to alcohol-fueled threats
and attacks. Scruggs says
he’s been assaulted twice in
the last year and a half. His
glasses were knocked off and
broken, and he had cut on the
corner of his eye.
Now Scruggs says equip-
ping ireighters with body
cameras will document inap-
propriate or illegal behavior
and hopefully discourage it.
In what appears to be
a irst in Oregon, the Wolf
Creek Rural Fire Protection
District has launched a
crowd-funding attempt to
video. He’s hoping body
cams will bring the same type
of response.
“I think it’s a way to
navigate the problem without
somebody getting hurt,” he
said.
Statewide
associations
do not track use of body
cameras by ire departments,
but representatives at several
associations — the Oregon
State Fire Marshal’s Ofice,
the Oregon State Fireighters
Council and the Oregon
Volunteer Fireighters Asso-
ciation — were not aware of
any departments in Oregon
that use body cameras.
The Wolf Creek sleeper
station, which has been a
target of vandalism, allows
stafing for around-the-clock
response, part of improve-
ments to the department that
improved the insurance rating
in March. It’s a boost that
could save property owners
about $200 in their insurance
rates, Scruggs estimates.
He suspects the depart-
ment is being targeted because
it is taking a stronger stance
on illegal ire activity. When
he arrived ive years ago,
he steered practices toward
educating people about ire
laws ahead of taking action,
but no longer.
Some people appreciate
that the law deines when and
where you can burn debris on
your property — an important
tool in rural Oregon — but
for others ire represents
something else.
“A lot of people use that
for their recreation,” he said.
Sometimes, the gatherings
involve alcohol.
Fires might involve
noxious materials, such as
tires and plastics. Fire setters
might lack the water or equip-
ment to extinguish escaped
lames.
“People have a tendency
to start ires; they don’t have
the means to put them out,”
he said.
Some people responded to
educational efforts over the
years. Others indicated they
felt harassed. The department
posted information that scoff-
laws promptly tore down.
Scruggs igured enough
time had gone into education.
In May the department imple-
mented a policy citing people
who violate existing ire laws.
“If you have an illegal ire,
you’re going to get a bill for
us responding and putting it
The ire department often
depends on state police
because the Sheriff’s Ofice
averages just 10 hours of
patrol coverage a day, some-
times with only one deputy
for the whole county, due to
lack of funding.
Scruggs’ voice tightens
when he says he doesn’t know
if the distraction was a factor
in the driver not surviving.
“We can take care of the
patient, or we can take care of
the crowd,” he said.
Body cameras would also
help offset complaints about
ireighters, providing some
liability protection, Scruggs
hopes.
Fire remains an issue
related to the rollover,
including conlict over a
private memorial bonire
downtown that oficials were
concerned was too large and
too near the Wolf Creek Inn’s
wood shake roof.
Fires have been set, then
abandoned, several times at
a crash site memorial. The
site includes a ring built on
the road’s shoulder inches
from the white lane line. The
department has responded
multiple times to extinguish
it.
out,” he said. The department
is basing the ine on the state
ire marshal’s conlagration
deployment guidelines. Fines
vary according to the effort
involved.
Fire prevention is part of
his job, Scruggs explained.
“The people here are counting
on us to protect them.”
In the past few weeks,
problems have escalated from
ire scenes to other emergency
calls, and Scruggs worries
that people are listening to a
dispatch scanner and showing
up just to cause problems.
One incident with ongoing
repercussions
happened
May 21, when a 20-year-old
man was fatally injured in a
rollover crash on Lower Wolf
Creek Road.
After medics responded,
several of the man’s friends
and relatives showed up.
People wanted a medical
helicopter
summoned,
Scruggs said. The ire
department requested one,
but a helicopter wasn’t
available. The scene turned
confrontational,
including
someone driving recklessly
and tailgating the ambulance
as it left, according to a report
to state police.
Two years after Bundy standoff, federal land managers return
BLM fully suspended work
in the Gold Butte region
after multiple gun shots were
ired in the vicinity of student
contractors.”
No one was injured in
the June 2015 shooting near
researchers from the Reno-
based nonproit Great Basin
Institute. They had been moni-
toring water seeps and springs
in the area about 100 miles
northeast of Las Vegas. They
reported the gunire came at
night, after they were irst
approached by two men who
asked what they were doing.
Agency national chief
Neil Kornze and state
director John Ruhs toured
parts of the area last week
with a Clark County commis-
sioner and a Las Vegas police
captain, cataloging apparent
vandalism and damage
during stops at the scenic
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — More
than two years after an armed
standoff with followers
of Nevada rancher Cliven
Bundy prompted a pullout
of researchers from Gold
Butte, federal land managers
are returning to the scenic,
historic and ecologically
fragile area.
The U.S. Bureau of Land
Management said work is
resuming toward opening the
area across the Virgin River
from the Bundy ranch for
hiking, camping and geolog-
ical and archaeological
exploration.
“Very
limited
work
continued after April 2014,”
bureau spokesman Craig
Leff said Monday. “Then,
in the summer of 2015, the
and assault charges.
Bundy doesn’t recognize
federal jurisdiction in the
area where he’s accused of
failing to pay more than $1.1
million in fees and penalties
while illegally allowing his
cows to roam.
His lawyer, Joel Hansen,
said the BLM has no
authority in Gold Butte. He
suggested that boundary
shifts after Nevada became
a state in 1864 left the
federal government with
no legal claim in the area
where Bundy is accused of
trespassing.
“The Bundys are in full
support of preserving the
archaeological treasures of
the Gold Butte area,” Hansen
said. “However, that work
should be undertaken by the
state of Nevada. The state of
Nevada owns Gold Butte,
Whitney Pockets sandstone
formation and the archaeo-
logically signiicant Falling
Man rock art site, according
to the BLM.
Nevada Sen. Harry Reid
wants federal lawmakers to
designate almost 550 square
miles of the remote land
northeast of Lake Mead as
the Gold Butte National
Conservation Area.
The return by federal
oficials to the area comes
months after Bundy, four of
his sons and 14 other men
were arrested on federal
charges in the gunpoint
standoff that stopped govern-
ment agents from rounding
up cattle on public land. All
19 men remain jailed, with
trial scheduled in February.
Each has pleaded not guilty
to
various
conspiracy,
obstruction, weapon, threat
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Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Plenty of sunshine
Sunny
81° 51°
83° 57°
THURSDAY
Sunny, breezy and
pleasant
FRIDAY
Pleasant and
warmer
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
77° 52°
72° 48°
81° 51°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
84° 49°
88° 60°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
78°
80°
103° (1900)
46°
53°
38° (1893)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.91"
0.91"
6.50"
4.99"
7.46"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
HIGH
LOW
84°
81°
101° (1958)
46°
54°
42° (2012)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.41"
0.45"
4.64"
3.14"
5.59"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
June 27
July 4
First
July 11
77° 49°
85° 50°
Seattle
71/54
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
82° 56°
5:06 a.m.
8:48 p.m.
9:40 p.m.
6:32 a.m.
Full
July 19
Today
SATURDAY
An a.m. shower;
some sun, breezy
Spokane
Wenatchee
75/52
80/56
Tacoma
Moses
71/49
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 82/50
72/44
64/50
70/48
85/51
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
70/49
82/53 Lewiston
85/50
Astoria
81/51
66/51
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
75/54
Pendleton 73/43
The Dalles 84/49
81/51
82/53
La Grande
Salem
76/46
76/51
Albany
Corvallis 77/48
78/48
John Day
79/45
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
86/51
78/46
76/42
Caldwell
Burns
83/48
77/39
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
66
75
76
70
77
73
78
78
84
79
81
76
73
87
63
67
86
85
81
75
78
76
75
74
73
82
85
Lo
51
37
42
52
39
43
46
48
49
45
44
46
38
52
48
52
51
50
51
54
40
51
52
40
52
53
51
W
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
s
pc
s
pc
Hi
66
82
77
65
83
79
79
81
88
85
79
80
77
84
63
66
91
87
83
76
80
77
78
78
74
84
85
Lo
53
44
44
52
43
48
54
52
60
51
44
49
46
54
52
56
57
59
57
58
45
57
55
45
57
59
53
W
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
94
92
89
70
70
82
70
79
86
64
75
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
81/44
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
74
84
69
57
53
65
61
62
68
51
69
W
c
pc
s
pc
t
pc
sh
pc
c
pc
r
Wed.
Hi
97
93
89
73
71
74
81
82
85
66
78
Lo
72
82
70
61
54
59
68
66
70
50
69
W
pc
pc
s
t
t
pc
t
s
t
s
pc
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Areas of low clouds early
today; otherwise, mostly sunny. Partly
cloudy tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly sunny
today. Mainly clear tonight. Mostly sunny
tomorrow.
Western Washington: Clouds breaking
for some sun today. Partly cloudy tonight.
Clouds and sun tomorrow.
Eastern Washington: Partly sunny today. A
shower in the north and mountains; sunny
across the south.
Cascades: Sunny and pleasant today; how-
ever, some clouds across the north.
Northern California: Sunshine today. Partly
cloudy tonight.
Today
Wednesday
WSW 7-14
WSW 8-16
WSW 6-12
W 6-12
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
2
5
7
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Wed.
WINDS
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87/52
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www.eastoregonian.com
The BLM said agency
efforts will include projects
to address the spread of
noxious weeds and to reduce
the threat of wildire. Plans
also include road mainte-
nance, communication line
repairs and the establishment
of a route numbering system
to help visitors ind their way
around.
The Friday, June 10 article “Robbed of Justice” listed an
incorrect phone number for Bernard and Julianne Lind. The
correct number is 509-961-9309.
The Saturday, June 18 article “Brown declines tradi-
tional summer debate with Pierce” incorrectly stated Gov.
Kate Brown’s ofice’s response to an invite to the ONPA
governor’s debate. Her ofice did not ask for debate ques-
tions in advance.
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and
sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in
the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson
541-278-2683 • jperkinson@eastoregonian.com
Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
not the BLM.”
Hansen also blamed
federal land policies for
problems including invasive
weeds and wildires, and
alleged that designating the
area as critical habitat for the
endangered desert tortoise
and other plant and animal
species is a Reid effort to
please political backers.
2
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Showers and locally severe thunderstorms will erupt from the central
Plains to the lower mid-Atlantic today. A few storms will dot South Florida and coastal
Texas. The Southwest will remain very hot.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 122° in Palm Springs, Calif.
Low 30° in Boca Reservoir, Calif.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
97
90
81
89
94
92
83
84
90
82
83
83
96
95
83
97
59
82
85
90
85
88
92
115
95
87
Lo
70
72
67
66
52
71
55
63
73
62
64
64
78
62
60
76
51
59
74
74
66
65
75
87
78
66
W
s
s
t
t
pc
s
s
t
s
t
pc
pc
s
t
pc
s
sh
s
sh
t
pc
s
t
pc
pc
s
Wed.
Hi
100
91
82
88
85
92
91
77
94
83
82
81
96
86
81
103
69
75
85
92
82
93
97
113
96
82
Lo
70
73
68
67
56
72
58
59
76
69
66
67
77
62
63
77
48
55
73
72
72
70
74
85
79
64
W
t
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
t
t
t
s
pc
t
pc
pc
t
pc
s
t
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
Today
Hi
Louisville
87
Memphis
95
Miami
87
Milwaukee
81
Minneapolis
83
Nashville
91
New Orleans
90
New York City
86
Oklahoma City
94
Omaha
92
Philadelphia
88
Phoenix
114
Portland, ME
82
Providence
85
Raleigh
93
Rapid City
93
Reno
95
Sacramento
99
St. Louis
89
Salt Lake City
97
San Diego
84
San Francisco
75
Seattle
71
Tucson
110
Washington, DC 90
Wichita
96
Lo
70
78
78
62
63
73
75
67
73
75
69
88
56
61
70
59
59
60
76
66
67
56
54
79
71
75
W
t
t
t
s
s
t
pc
pc
s
t
pc
pc
pc
t
s
s
s
s
c
s
pc
s
pc
s
t
pc
Wed.
Hi
86
95
90
77
79
94
90
84
96
94
88
113
75
83
91
86
95
95
99
95
76
72
69
108
89
101
Lo
77
78
79
62
60
75
76
65
74
67
69
88
54
58
72
53
58
58
80
70
66
56
55
79
73
77
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
t
pc
t
t
t
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
s
pc
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
t
s
pc