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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1979)
Community Expansion Alerts Residents to Protection Needs DIDN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN - The November blaze that destroyed Hazel Suppah’s home in West Hills was started by candles left burning in the basement. Concerned community members are looking into new approaches to fire prevention and discovery. Spilyay Tymoo Photo by CDS Fish Dealer charged with illegal sales ....Ten men answered the fire alarm which summoned them to a Warm Springs housing devel opment. The six residents nar rowly escaped from the home with their clothes and lives, leaving many memories and belongings to burn in the inferno. The total response time seemed like an eternity but was, in reality, only five minutes. No lives were lost, but the house totally destroyed. Cause of the fire was determined as smoker’s carelessness. Fires, such as the one simu lated above happen daily, per haps hourly, across the country. In fact, the number of fires in Warm Springs took a dramatic 37 per cent jump in 1978 as compared to 1977. Property damage alone amounted to over $280,000 last year. Because of those astonishing figures, Fire and Safety Officer Elmer Quinn, along with several other Bureau, Tribal and PHS employees held a safety meet ing December 1. Discussed at the meeting were several problems that concern the reservation communities of Warm Springs, Simnasho, Kah-Nee-Ta and other outlying areas. Because that meeting brought out so many different issues, it was decided that a task force should be appointed to prepare recom mendations to improve the pre sent fire protection system. The sub-committee recom mended that education and train ing programs be organized to help the entire community, school aged children and the present volunteer fire depart ment members. One way to help the community understand the true hazards of fire might be to publish and distribute a fire prevention inventory list. The Tribal Safety Officer Would offer assistance to residents in admin istering the inventory. Other ways would be to provide window stickers for each room in the home which is occupied by a child and to place posters in conspicuous places throughout the reservation reminding of fire danger. For the education of children the committee suggested films, fire truck visitations, poster contests, fire evacuation prac tice, and instructions on turning in fires and using fire extinguish ers. Because of the high rate of volunteer turnover on the reser vation, it is necessary that a continuous training program take place. Further, it is suggest ed that a trained volunteer fire department is more attractive for potential volunteers than the situation that presently exists. Training could come from Cent ral Oregon Community College, grant funds or from the State of Oregon. Also, to encourage more people to join the fire depart ment, a youth volunteer recruit ing and training program is suggested. In addition to those ideas, it was advised to maintain a volun teer community awareness schedule by recognizing the loca tion of fire plugs, public building floor plans, becoming familiar with the total community by area and street name and understand any potential community-related fire fighting problems. Presently, there is no 24-hour fire protection and no local protection in the North End of the reservation, plus there is a lack of adequate protection in the Kah-Nee-Ta area and Warm Springs Forest Products, say committee members. To solve those problems it is recommended that five persons be hired at the agency as full-time fire fighters with the duty of providing 24-hour cover age. It is also recommended that additional pumpers and tankers be purchased so that adequate fire protection can be provided. In addition, it is advised that the fire equipment at the mill meet the National Fire Association code. The hydrant fittings do not match the hose fitting of the fire department. Adequate hardware should be provided in case of simultaneous fires. The existing alarm systems are not adequate for the total reservation nor for the expand ing high density residential areas. The existing siren system is hard to hear plus it has a tendency to call out more specta tors than fire fighters. A partial solution to that problem, the committee feels, is to purchase emergency alarm equipment for the senior citizens housing and tribal apartments. Also, at least three contact persons for each area on the reservation should be designated to act and assist in immediate response to any fire or other hazardous situation. Presently, less than 50 per cent of the homes on the reserva tion have fire extinguishers and there is no way to determine which of the existing ones are operational. It is suggested that the Tribal purchase A.B.C. fire extinguishers and smoke detect ors in volume and sell to resi dents at reduced cost. It was also determined that one person should have total authority in handling the con stant upkeep of fire hydrants and the enforcement of safety regu lations on the reservation. As it stands now no one person has the authority to act independently in safety matters. Nearly all of the 52 fires reported in 1978 could have been prevented, say officials. Five were arson-caused, 19 were home-type fires and eight of those were caused by children. Fourteen were car fires, which includes car accidents as well as engine flareups. Fortunately, there was only one false alarm called in and responded to. After studying the recom mendations of the sub-commit- tee, it was decided that further investigation of the problems and solutions should be made in line with the following four concerns: education, fire pro tection, improved and additional fire alarms, and the authority issue. On January 12, the entire committee will meet to discuss the findings of that research. species in the Northwest,” said. By David Whitney Haas; “The Legislature has of The Oregonian staff A licensed Washington fish made this crime against our dealer has been arrested on environment a felony, and we indictments alleging 15 felony intend to follow their lead by counts of unlawfully selling, prosecuting instances of illegal processing and transporting fishing to the fullest extent of the more than 12 tons of food fish, law.” The case against Ms. Settler, mostly spring run Chinook sal whose age could not be imme mon. The indictments were re diately learned, is the first involving a dealer-buyer to be turned Tuesday by a Multnomah prosecuted under the new law, County grand jury against Mary Haas said. Two other such Settler, who was arrested at her indictments against fishermen ninn« th» Cnmumbia River are pending. from the Bonneville Dam near Carson, Wash. She is The district attorney’s office being held in the Skamania said the indictment accuses Ms. County, Wash., jail pending ex Settler of buying fish caught out tradition to Portland. of season by fishermen and then Steve Seymour, a prosecutor processing them through her with the Multnomah County dist packing plant for sale through rict attorney’s ofice, said an her broker. The indictment al investigation into the case is leges that the fish were trans continuing. ported by air to areas such as Charges against Ms. Settler, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, a former resident of The Dalles, Denver and San Francisco. involve more than 24,000 pounds Multnomah County claims of food fish valued at more than jurisdiction in the case because $48,000. of the use of Portland Interna The district attorney’s office tional Airport for transportation said, however, that during the of the fish to out-of-state desti period the crimes are alleged to nations. have been committed — April The district attorney’s office through August of 1978 — the said William Robinson, Oregon total illegal sales amounted to Department of Fish and Wildlife more than $380,000. biologist, told the office that The indictments were ob out-of-season fishing reduces the tained under a new Oregon law number of fish that can escape passed by the 1977 Legislature past Columbia River dams to which makes it a Class C felony spawn. to catch or market fish out of An escapement of more than season. 120,000 fish past the Bonneville The spring Chinook salmon Dam is needed to sustain the season was closed in 1978 bet spring Chinook run at oDtimum ween April 1 and Aug. 15, when it levels. The 1978 spring Chinook is alleged the crimes were escapement past the dam was committed. slightly more than 120,000. But If convicted on all counts, with the 8,500 fish that were Ms. Settler could face a 75-year alleged to have been illegally prison term and fines up to processed and sold, the actual $37,500. escapement figure will be below “On felony fish cases, this the optimum level, according to office has a strict policy of no Third graders Flora Frank, Carla Tewee and Clint Switzler have been spending their free class time doing Seymour. plea bargaining,” said Multno “Evidence shows that (the) extra work in math. Their teacher Mrs. Cunnion has encouraged the fast workers to go beyond the regular mah County District Attorney operation was responsible for math program and while the rest of the class is catching onto multiplication, they are multiplying with Hari Haas. taking 7 per cent of the 1978 two digits. Mrs. Cunnion says that the extra work keeps the students from getting bored and the students “Spring run Chinook is be spring run of Chinook salmon,” are all for it, since math appears to be their favorite subject. coming nearly an endangered Spilyay Tymoo Photo by CDS the district attorney’s office said. Whiz Kids
