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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
6 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018 Firefighters from 1A Captain Andy Gray was the leader of the second team dis- patched to California. His team was involved in all three of the California fires. “California wanted 15 strike teams,” Gray said. “There is a dif- ference between a strike team and a task force. A task force is more versatile and a strike team is more jobs-specific. So, we were pretty much the insurance policy for the local departments.” Gray’s team went from the Creek Fire in Los Angeles to the Lilac Fire in San Diego, and then back to the Thomas Fire. They assisted with structural protection. “We bounced around quite a bit, but it worked out that we were able to provide some needed back- up for local departments,” Gray said. Both team leaders said that sup- porting the California firefighters during this emergency has multi- ple benefits for SVFR moving for- ward. Not only will California fire- fighters make their way here more readily to assist with emergency situations in Oregon, but the opportunity to work under differ- ent fire conditions adds to the experience for local firefighters. “The fuel here in our fires is Robbery from 1A When the man ran out the door with the money, Kaushik tried to rinse the pepper spray out of his eyes so he could call the police. “I called the Oregon State Police and reported the robbery, and they were here in about 10 minutes,” he said. The police took Kaushik’s state- completely different than it is in California. The trees and the other debris have an extremely different fire behavior. It moves a lot faster and the winds were crazy and very unpredictable,” Larson said. Gray agreed. “Exposure to the different envi- ronments and the different fire behaviors was really helpful. The fuel model is different, but not that different, from a windy summer day at the coast with the beach grass, so there are some compar- isons there,” he said. “The other thing that was important was the scale of the logistics of the whole effort. So it was a learning experi- ence in a lot of ways.” In addition, the deployment affected SVFR’s finances. “Our apparatus also made money for us. We received $100 an hour for the engine and $50 an hour for the Quick Attack (brush engine),” Gray said. When asked to summarize their time in California, both Gray and Larson said the experience gained by district members and volun- teers was valuable from a training perspective, but also from a team building perspective. “It was a great opportunity to talk with firefighters from other areas, to share common experi- ences and to build communication among the different organiza- tions,” Larson said. “SVFR was glad to be able to send the crews to assist the fire- fighters and continue to build our volunteer ranks to meet such requests, as well as offer unin- terrupted quality service,” SVFR Operations Chief Jim Dickerson said. “The strike team leaders sent accolades to our crews for hard work, profes- sionalism and dedication.” Dickerson characterized the California deployment as suc- cessful. “The seven firefighters that deployed worked a grueling ‘24 on, 24 off’ schedule and worked side by side with many other agencies within the ICS system that helps our community when disaster strikes,” he said. “The experience that crews gain in these deployments further solid- ifies our training and communi- ty preparedness programs.” To date, the Thomas Fire has burned 281,893 acres and has led to the destruction of 1,063 structures. One firefighter has been killed due to ther- mal injuries and smoke inhala- tion. As of Jan. 1, the California Office of the State Fire Marshall and the U.S. Forest Department reported that 92 percent of the Thomas fire had been contained and personnel on scene had been reduced to 508. ment and proceeded to search for the robber. They were unsuccessful and, at this time, the suspect remains at large. Kaushik’s uncle purchased the Riverside Market in 2015 and Vedpal has been running the busy Mapleton store since that time. The robbery has been a traumat- ic experience for Kaushik, who shared that he is still in shock about the incident. “My family is from India and I have not seen my wife and kids for four years,” Kaushik said. “I start- ed thinking of them after this hap- pened, and I just started crying. And then I was thinking, ‘Well, at least he didn’t shoot me and maybe I will get a chance to see them again.’” Anyone with information per- taining to this crime should call the Oregon State Police. Development from 1A Henry said, “Our job is to try to make Florence attractive and visible. We have to get out there and market Florence, so people in turn will come and get it done. “I do think our city can grow, and can grow economically. We’re just getting started.” In October 2015, RAIN began holding regular meetings in Florence. RAIN itself is a startup founded by the governor’s Regional Solutions Office to launch high-growth companies in the Lane, Linn, Lincoln and Benton county region. Venture Catalyst Caroline Cummings said her job is to “catalyze other people’s innova- tions.” “Oregon is really good at growing its own companies,” she said. Job creation is one facet of a “three-legged stool” that eco- nomic development movements target. This also includes recruit- ing companies to move to the area, retaining and expanding existing businesses and bringing in entrepreneurs and innovation. Reynolds said, “While we are very caring about our existing businesses ... this is really look- ing at how we can grow and encourage a new way of think- ing.” Florence Urban Renewal Agency retained Leland Consulting Group in 2015 to develop an economic opportuni- ties strategy and to identify key development sites. Chris Zahas, president of Leland Consulting Group, said, “I think you are in the pretty for- tunate position that you have a lot of assets that are attractive. You have the ocean, river, lakes, an actual authentic vibrant downtown — with the restau- rants and retailers as healthy as they are — and you’ve got the dunes. The list goes on and on of exciting things. If they’re mar- keted, packaged and presented well, they would make a really compelling case why a sole-pro- prietor business or small entre- preneur would think about Florence.” He said that the economy is shifting to be more talent-based. “We are depending on a knowledge-based economy, where ideas are driving our economy forward. The jobs are following the talent. What you need to be doing as a communi- ty is attracting the talent,” he said. 2016 — ‘W HAT ’ S N EXT ?’ January 2016 kicked off with a continued partnership with RAIN and its resources. With its motto being “What’s next?,” RAIN pulled in local entrepre- neurs Carl Hulan, who wants to connect technology with the local foods market, and Jayne Smoley, a glass artist with an innovative idea to connect high art with low-cost, replaceable products. “I believe that we live in an amazing time because technolo- gy enables us to build almost anything imaginable, so let’s get together to figure out our goals and how to achieve them,” Hulan said. Throughout the year, RAIN partnered with the city, Lane Community College Florence Center and the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. Meetings were held at City Lights Cinemas, Siuslaw Riverside Eats & Drinks, Homegrown Public House, Beachcomber Pub and Ocean Dunes Golf Links. Also in January, Henry gave his next State of the City Address, this time to a crowd at the Florence Events Center. “In my first State of the City Address, I told you of a great many things to come. It is deeply fulfilling to be able to say we have accomplished many, if not most, of the goals we presented last year,” Henry said. “A sneak peek into the City Council’s goals for 2016 will be a continu- ation of the 2015 goals in a more condensed and focused manner. We expect 2016 to be filled with staff activity focused on com- pleting the work that was start- ed.” His address also encouraged the community to get involved. Florence’s goals for 2016 were city service delivery; liv- ability and quality of life; eco- nomic development; communi- cation and trust; and financial and organizational sustainability. In February, Florence Urban Renewal continued to move for- ward with what would later be called the ReVision Florence Streetscaping Project on Highway 101. “We promised you a year ago that we would be a city in mo- tion. I think especially recently See DEVELOPMENT 7A Let me Showcase your property. 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