Smoke signals., April 01, 2025, Page 10, Image 10

10
APRIL 1, 2025
SMOKE SIGNALS
Barry started on the Tribe’s wildland fire crew
BARRY continued
from front page
Community Response Teams to
train and prepare for responding
to emergencies of all sorts within
the Grand Ronde area.
“We live in a community that does
such an awesome job of sticking to-
gether and creating such a healthy,
successful life for our people and
something that protects that is
safety preparedness,” she said.
More details about that program
will be forthcoming.
“We’re still just crafting this posi-
tion,” Barry said. “Obviously there’s
a goal and a direction we specifical-
ly want it to encompass, that’s kind
of vague, so I can assess what the
needs are in the community that
can slip through the cracks, and
then go out and assist with that in
any way.”
Barry said she got her start at the
age of 20, working on the Tribe’s
wildland fire crew for a season. In
December 2020, she transferred
to the Tribe’s Emergency Services
Department, went through the fire
academy and obtained training to
become an EMT. She loved all of
TERO individual funding
spotlight: Alan Cureton
Alan first came to TERO seek-
ing assistance with his Class B
commercial driver’s license in
2023, which he obtained and
began utilizing.
In 2024 Alan came back to
TERO looking to upgrade to his
Class A CDL. After quickly com-
pleting the program, Alan went
to work immediately and says
that he is, “very thankful to the
Tribe and TERO for the assis-
tance and I have been working
Alan Cureton
for more than six months now
enjoying my new career as a truck driver.”
Alan first heard that TERO was able to assist with the funding
for his CDL course by speaking with TERO Director Harris Reibach
and then working directly with TERO Training and Development
Coordinator Jacob Boekhoff to get the course set up and funded.
The TERO staff thanks Alan for his hard work and representation
of the program!
For more information on the TERO Skills Bank
Individual Funding Opportunities and other TERO
opportunities, contact the TERO office or the TERO director.
TERO Office: 503-879-2188 or tero@grandronde.org
it, she said. When the department
started talking about using grant
money for a new position focused on
prevention, rather than response,
she was immediately interested
and began her new role in June
2024.
“I’ve been on the ambulance for
three years, so it’s been interesting
switching to preparedness, from
acting as the emergency is unfold-
ing,” she said.
While not every emergency can be
prevented, Barry said taking steps
to prepare ahead of time can make
a world of difference.
“It’s super fun and really reward-
ing to feel like I can really impact
my community with safety prepa-
ration,” she said. “It’s really open
for any direction we want to take
it, so it’s exciting.”
With spring underway, she’s en-
couraging homeowners within the
department’s response area to call
for assessments of their properties’
defensible space. The wildland in-
terface, which is the term used by
firefighters for areas where homes
are located in or near forests and
wild lands, is particularly vulnera-
ble to the dangers of wildfires.
Increasingly, fire departments
are asking residents in such areas
to focus on making their homes and
properties better able to withstand
wildfires. That can include work
such as cutting tree limbs around
the house higher to prevent fire
from racing up into the crown of
the trees, being careful about what
kind of vegetation is located near
homes, making sure that drive-
ways won’t be engulfed by fire if
residents need to flee and similar
considerations.
Department members will visit
the property, Barry said, and pro-
vide an assessment.
“So, I’m really hoping more people
reach out this year,” to request the
service, Barry said.
Elders who have physical or
financial limitations can also ask
for assistance in carrying out the
advice they receive on improving
their property’s defensible space.
“We have in the past hired a
couple of seasonal employees to go
out and help with that,” Barry said.
“It’s increasingly important to con-
sider wildfire susceptibility. In the
past, Oregon hasn’t had the same
risk of fire that we do now. People
are so used to this not happening
to us; now we are faced with edu-
cating people on what it looks like
to start prepping in late winter and
spring, so that when summer comes
and that fire risk goes up, you’re
not trying to backtrack dangerous
situations.”
Although it was late March when
Barry was interviewed by Smoke
Signals, she said that she had al-
ready responded to a wildfire.
“A field was on fire,” she said.
“And it’s March and it’s been rain-
ing, and it rained all day today,
which is good for that property
owner, but it goes to show that
it’s never too early to start pre-
paring.”
Barry said it’s important to keep
aware of various potential hazards.
“This time of year, it’s always
like, making sure you’re prepared
because our weather is changing
really quickly; it could be raining
today and snowing tomorrow …
keep in mind to be prepared to drive
in different conditions,” she said.
“Ready go bags (should be packed)
because we’re always under threat
of an earthquake.
She encourages people to reach
out to her with questions on how
to start planning and preparing
for earthquakes or talk to family
members about creating a plan.
For more information about the
defensible space program or emer-
gency planning, email Kaylene.
Barry@grandronde.org or call 503-
879-1701. Email is preferred where
possible, she said. n