SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Mack Holman to speak at
next City Club meeting
Tsunami Gallery owner
Mack Holman will be the guest
speaker at the next City Club
meeting, when he’ll talk about
public art and casting and creat-
ing sculptures.
The meeting will take place
Friday, Nov. 4, at the Ocean
Auction
from 1A
The two development sites
are being offered as part of
the
Realty
Marketing/
Northwest Fall 2016 Auction,
with sealed bids due Tuesday,
Nov. 15.
Operations
from 1A
“We want to give everybody
the opportunity to come in on
Dunes Golf Links at Munsel
Lake Road at noon.
Lunch will be catered by
Marianne, owner of Waterfront
Depot, and served from 11:30
to noon.
For reservations, call 541-
305-9003.
Interested parties can view
the Florence properties at
www.rmnw-auctions.com.
For additional information,
contact Marti Cohn with
Realty Marketing/Northwest
at marti@rmnw-auctions.com
or call the auction informa-
tion office at 800-845-3524.
Friday,” said Fire Chief Jim
Langborg. “Then, on Saturday
we’re going to do a formal
retirement with a few surprises
to honor the traditions of the fire
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Tuesday 10/25
Sea squirts
from 1A
without fear.” he said.
The creature is classified as
a Tunicate, because of the
tunic like outer sheath that
individual animals have and
which they join together to
form long groups or colonies
of the creatures.
These tunicate colonies
float far out to sea to feed and
procreate.
And while it is a close rela-
tive to fish and birds, it doesn’t
have a backbone. This means
it is classified as an inverte-
brate.
“Water currents are difficult
to interpret so the exact reason
for their appearance is
unclear, but it’s reasonable to
district.”
Perhaps no one else embod-
ies the “traditions of the fire dis-
trict” like Tipler.
He was born in the old
Western Lane Hospital and has
lived in Florence his whole life,
along with many members of
his family.
Tipler
graduated
from
Siuslaw High School in 1982.
Before he graduated, however,
he was already an active mem-
ber of the rural fire department.
“When I joined in 1981, you
could join at the age of 16 — I
was 17 then — and be a full-
fledged firefighter. I joined in
my junior year of high school
and started out as a firefighter,”
he said. “When I turned 18, I
learned how to engineer all the
vehicles, so I became an engi-
neer and then got promoted to
lieutenant, then captain. About
22 years ago, I got promoted to
assistant chief.”
In 1986, he started working at
Western Lane Ambulance
District as a paramedic. He
worked simultaneously at the
ambulance and fire districts
until 5 years ago.
“I was working way too
many hours for almost 20
years,” Tipler said. “Chief John
Buchanan brought me on full-
time here. I’d set up myself and
my family where I could do that
no problem financially.”
As someone who had been a
volunteer firefighter, the shift to
a fulltime position at the fire
department was odd.
“It was really weird going
from shift work to 9 to 5
Monday through Friday. That
was kind if a difficult change,
but I loved it. It was great,” he
assume that the
recent
large
storms we have
experienced
along the coast
maybe responsi-
ble.” he said.
Perhaps the
most intriguing
part of this story
has to do with
the
animal’s
name.
Curtis said,
“Pyrosoma
means fire body
in Latin. The
\animals were
given this name
because they are
bioluminescent:
they glow bright-
ly in the dark.”
9 A
PHOTO COURTESY SANDY RAMSEY
Sea squirts such as this one have been spotted on nearby beaches.
They are not poisonous.
said.
Most of Tipler’s training has
been regional and through the
emergency services districts.
“My training file is very
thick. I support training. The
more training and the more edu-
cated you get, the safer you’re
going to be. I always felt that
being in a lead role I needed to
be educated and trained so I
could pass that on,” he said.
“And it’s only because I had the
opportunity to train that way as
a volunteer.”
He also used to train two
nights a week.
“Chief John Carnahan and I
worked closely with both rural
and city fire through the ambu-
lance service. As that relation-
ship developed with Carnahan,
myself and the city department,
we started attending their fire
drills. We couldn’t be members,
but we could help them,” Tipler
said. “Carnahan and I were the
first two rural firefighters to
ever be voted into the city fire
department and allowed to be
on both departments. We both
served with both departments
for 6 years.”
Other members followed to
join both departments before the
departments merged to form
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue.
“I don’t know if my wife was
too excited about me having fire
drills two nights a week, but it
worked out,” Tipler said.
His extra training over the
years paid off during some of
the most difficult calls he had to
attend.
In one, he had to rappel over
the cliffs above Sea Lion Caves
to help rescue two women. In
another, his partner, a pilot and a
patient died in a late-night heli-
copter accident on the way to
Eugene. Tipler and a representa-
tive from Bohemia Lumber
Company hiked into the woods
at daybreak to find the downed
helicopter.
“I had to pronounce all three
of them dead, which was a pret-
ty tough call. I was going to quit
then, quit emergency services.
My boss told me, ‘No, you
don’t have to. You never have to
fly in a helicopter again,
Marvin. It’s not part of your
job.’ So I stayed on,” Tipler
said.
His fear of flying lasted for
another 5 years, before a similar
accident a mile away from the
helicopter crash necessitated
that Tipler take to the skies.
“The Coast Guard helicopter
lowered down this horse collar
(a rescue sling) and I put it on
with my backpack full of equip-
ment. I could barely stand on
my feet. It was a mile away
from where my partner had got
killed in an accident. My knees
started giving out and I was
shaking. But I put that horse
collar on. As soon as I left the
ground, all those fears went
away,” Tipler said. “It was prob-
ably the coolest experience I’ve
ever had in my life.
“I have video evidence that I
did that call. That was one of the
coolest rescues that I did, and I
no longer have a fear of helicop-
ters.”
There are so many stories.
In his 35 years, he has never
crashed a vehicle or had an acci-
dent with an emergency vehicle.
He has also never witnessed any
other major injuries of his crew.
“Knock on wood — I’ve got
four days left,” he said with a
laugh in an interview on
Monday. “I want to pass on
those good habits.”
Tipler continues to pass on
those habits to new recruits and
current volunteer and career
firefighters and staff. Over the
years, he estimates that he has
encouraged hundreds of people
to consider becoming firefight-
ers.
“My love for the department
and the community obviously
shows,” he said. “I probably am
recruiting 50 percent of the time
when I’m out in the community.
Whether it’s a football game or
a basketball game, if I see a
potential candidate, I’m recruit-
ing. Pete Warren is a more
notable person I can remember
recruiting.”
Ten years ago, the two men
had children on the same sports
teams. Tipler convinced Warren
— now captain of Siuslaw
Valley Station No. 2 in Old
Town Florence — to spend his
time volunteering at the fire
department.
Tipler said, “I told him, ‘You
need to join the fire department.
We’re the good guys!’”
Although the nature of a vol-
unteer fire department means
that people don’t always stay for
long, he believes the “longer
you can keep them the better it
is.”
In his many roles, Tipler has
helped secure federal grants for
the department and coordinated
several projects, including the
180-foot radio tower used for
police, fire, ambulance and trib-
al police.
He also was the unofficial
project manager on building
Siuslaw Valley’s main station.
“With my construction back-
ground, Chief Buchanan had me
here almost every day making
sure we were getting what we
wanted,” he said.
Tipler used to build houses
and cabinets with his father. He
also built four homes for his
family members in the past 25
years.
While he learned some skills
on his own, he took drafting and
construction classes at Siuslaw
High School. Mr. Dave
Rankin’s class of eight students
built an entire house during
Tipler’s senior year.
He looks forward to relaxing
and continuing his hobbies.
“I’m going to go ahead and
continue to help the community
and fire service. Actually, I’m
going to run for the board this
May. I’m hoping to get elected
and continue my service to the
community and the fire area for
more than these 35 years,” he
said.
Langborg said, “I’ve learned
a lot from Marvin. He’s been
here a long time, he’s got a
wealth of knowledge and a lot
of information about the history
of the district that’s been
extremely useful. It’s been
great.”
Tipler also hopes to put his
emergency services knowledge
to work by volunteering with
Florence Police Department
with its radio communications.
To hear more of Tipler’s sto-
ries, attend his open house this
Friday.
Verna Habian
Donna Randall
Florence
Florence
Grocery Outlet
Safeway/Florence
Siuslaw News
Wednesday 10/26 Pattie Panther
Pat Smith
Florence
Florence
City Lights Cinema
Safeway/Florence
Photo Gallery
Thursday 10/27
Bear McDaniel
Marge Eichenberger
Westlake
Florence
City Lights Cinema
Ron’s Paint & Supply
Friday 10/28
Jean Raabe
Dan Wilhelmi
Eugene
Florence
Three Rivers Casino Resort
Safeway/Florence
Saturday 10/29
Dan Wilhelmi
Donna Bourne
Florence
Florence
Safeway/Florence
Safeway/Florence
Sunday 10/30
Joanne Holloway
Jolie Charles
Florence
Corvallis
Grocery Outlet
Safeway/Florence
Monday 10/31
Brenda McDaniel
Shirley McGrew
Westlake
Florence
Safeway/Florence
Safeway/Florence
NOW SHOWING THESE GALLERIES AND MORE
Power of Florence
Fourth of July Celebration
Florence Green Fair
View at
www.thesiuslawnews.com
Photos available for purchase*
5x7 – $5 00 • 8x11 – $7 00
Rhododendron Festival
Rhody Court Showcase
Oregon Dunes Triathlon
Purchase at 148 Maple St. 541-997-3441
*Photos online are reduced quality –
Actual photos purchased are
high resolution, high quality.