Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2020)
6A | WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS FIRE/EMS from page 1A employees, overtime and how both districts can work together moving into the fu- ture. That discussion would lead to a third workshop sug- gested by Schick. “It would be to start a di- alogue about mergers and consolidations in the dis- tricts,” he said. “Just go over some very preliminary ques- tions about what a merger would look like and whether it’s beneficial and even fea- sible. It should also include concerns from staff and district employees — what bothers them, what do they think would be good. It’s not saying we’re going down that path. We’re not hiring any- body to do a consolidation study. This is just to start the dialogue to explore the top- ic.” The question of wheth- er or not the two districts should enter a full merger has been discussed for years, and while the two entities have been inching closer with cross training and com- munication, along with the creation of WLFEA to cen- tralize administrative work and costs, the decision on whether or not they should completely merge has never been decided. “We’re starting to reach out to our employees on what their hopes and con- cerns might be,” Schick said. “On the negative side, we might lose our health dis- trict, or we might lose SVFR and WLAD culture. I think those are things we would have to address. I’m not say- ing they would happen, but they are definitely a fear we have to address. We also have the PERS unfunded liability, which is much greater on the WLAD side. How would a merger affect that?” On the positive sides, Schick stated that it would be easier to share resourc- es, both with personnel and through finances. “There would probably be more advancement oppor- tunities in a larger district,” Schick said. “I know a lot of WLAD employees are inter- ested in becoming firefight- ers as well.” While there has been no decision either way, Schick wanted to move forward to getting to a final word on the discussion. “It’s been a little difficult getting input from employ- ees because they want to see what it looks like first, and I certainly understand that. But we want to at least start the initial dialogue on that so we can give them a more accurate picture of what that might look like,” he said. One of the major sugges- tions that the boards gave was to get a firm recommen- dation from staff before the board begins discussing the issue. “Some of my personal challenges with the prior leadership of this district was there was never a recommen- dation from management,” said SVFR director Ron Green. “I’d like to see that it gets vetted with staff before. This is too big of a deal based on one voice.” Murphey agreed, stating, “I think you can start a com- mittee by bringing in SVFR and WLAD staff, and you have a staff meeting, come up with the pros and cons, and make a recommendation to us.” Throughout the discus- sion, one of the issues that needed to be addressed was whether or not a merger was even possible under current laws and regulations govern- ing special districts. “What would be the legal structure? What would le- gally be possible to accom- plish?” Farnsworth asked. Schick stated that he would also look into that question as well. Once staff members an- swer the question of whether or not they actually want a merger, their recommenda- tion will be discussed pub- licly. “At this point it’s just ex- ploratory,” Hickson stressed. “We don’t want to give peo- ple the impression that we’re moving toward a merger or consolidation. But we need to at least ask the questions so that we can decide wheth- er it’s even worth pursuing at some point as part of long- term strategic planning.” The three meetings are tentatively planned to begin in August. The discussion then turned to House, who has been acting as the operations chief for both SVFR and WLAD since Jim Dickerson retired earlier this year. “When we first present- ed this, there was a request by the board to review after six months, and that’s where we’re at today,” Schick said. “For me personally, it is working fantastic. Matt has taken to it. He’s performing both roles flawlessly. He’s doing a fantastic job. He’s helped us push the fire de- partment in a great direction, without sacrificing the good things he was doing at West- ern Lane.” Schick also reported that of the operations chiefs he spoke with, all were unani- mous with praise of House. “They were also unani- mous that they don’t want him to become overwhelmed with doing two jobs,” Schick said. “Of course, that’s on my shoulders to make sure he has the tools and resources. … If there’s no comments, I’m looking forward to mak- ing this a permanent position until such time as we need to bring in additional help.” The boards did not object to the decision. Later in the meeting, Schick gave an update on COVID-19. “We’re starting to be noti- fied of multiple patients that are positive in our area. Most, if not all of the ones we’ve been notified about, are re- covering at home,” he said. “The county has been giving us some addresses. Those addresses are given to our dispatch center, with the idea that if we are dispatched to that address, our crews will be notified. They can take extra precautions and make sure everything is okay.” Schick also gave a remind- er that brush fire season has begun in the region. “With temperatures rising and the wind very strong in the afternoons, those are the conditions you get bad fires,” he said. “The Oregon Department of Forestry has been very active responding with us to fires in the area. That’s a good thing. The challenge is that it’s also the time of year we lose a lot of our more experienced fire- fighters to wildfire response in other parts of the state.” On that same subject, Schick also said SVFR was losing one of its most expe- rienced wildland firefighters with the retirement of Bat- talion Chief Dave Beck, who has spent 40 years in the re- gion’s fire service as the chief of Canary station (see feature on B1), as well as a wildland fighter over the summer. “It’s a big loss in our lead- ership that we have to look to fill,” House said. • HVAC A/C & Heating Duct Cleaning • Zonal Heater Cleaning Cadet Wall Heaters • Dryer Vent Cleaning • Gutter Cleaning • Screen Installation • Moss Removal & Treatment • And more... Dan and Teresa Lofy, Owners And Watson DIVERSIFIED Equipment Sales RV SALES & CONSIGNMENT TRAILER SALES & SERVICE AUTO DETAILING • AUTO ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT RENTALS • MOVING EQUIPMENT STEEL STORAGE BUILDINGS • WOODEN SHEDS SERVICES WE PROVIDE: TRACTOR SERVICES/SITE PREP SCISSOR LIFT SERVICES • PRESSURE WASHING SECURITY LIGHTS & CAMERAS • BRUSH CUTTING diversifi edmarineandequipmentsales.com Veteran Owned & Operated Jim & Bonnie Johnston, Owners 2350 Hwy. 101, Florence • 541-997-4505 Shorewood Senior Living Is about comfort, independence, laughter, good food, health and friendship. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU! FOR RENT: Two bedrooms with kitcheneƩ e, nice size living area, 6X6.5 walk-in closet in the PANDEMIC from page 1A Lane County Public Health authorities have con- firmed a total of 458 COVID cases in the county as of noon on July 28, resulting in 3 deaths due to the virus. The number of confirmed cases in the 97439 zip code rose from 12 on Friday to 15 on Monday, then 18 as of yesterday, with more test results being added daily to the county’s collected data totals. People can visit lan- ecounty.org/cms/One.aspx- ?portalId=3585881&page- Id=16503774 for a map of current virus counts by zip code. Lane County Health & Human Services Public In- formation Officer Jason Davis said he is not sur- prised that Florence has experienced an uptick in COVID-related closings. “Absolutely, we at Lane County Health feel and un- derstand that Florence has unique challenges as people go to the coast after being stuck at home for so long,” Davis said. “The coast is more and more of an option for people looking to get away for a few days. We have discussed in our meetings the number of cases being tracked by zip code — and we are well aware of what’s going on out there.” According to Davis, Lane County is “between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to modifying COVID protocols, as officials are striving to attain a balance between maintaining the health of the public and al- lowing for the reopening of businesses closed due to the pandemic. One of the local organiza- tions that has been proactive in addressing the new re- quirements is the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County. “Last Wednesday morn- ing (July 22), I got a call that one of our Teen Center em- ployees had been exposed to someone with COVID,” said Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Chuck Trent. “Out of an abundance of caution, we closed the Teen Center and sent the employee home for 14 days of self-quarantine. We had Cintas Corporation come in and disinfect both buildings top to bottom and all surfac- es with medical grade disin- fectant.” Trent said the Boys and Girls Club also contacted Lane County Public Health to inform them of the situ- ation and explain what the club was doing. “Everything they told us we should do had already been done,” Trent said. “We also contacted the Office of Child Care to let them know what happened and what we were doing. We got the ap- proval from both agencies to reopen the Teen Center last Thursday, based on the ac- tions we took as soon as we got the call. “Everything worked ex- actly the way it should work, which is why we were able to reopen.” According to Davis, other businesses, like Dutch Bros., have instituted a more ro- bust cleaning and disinfec- tant regimen than required in order to maintain the highest levels of safety. Davis added that the changing nature of COVID-related spread in coastal communities like Florence makes it difficult to combat, with vectors now including potential trans- mission from out-of-area contact in addition to resi- dents who become infected after leaving the area and returning. For the latest updates, visit lanecounty.org and or- egon.gov. Both sites have COVID-19 pages with the most current official data, reports and recommenda- tions from state and county health officials. Testing for COVID-19 is available in the Siuslaw re- gion at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center. For more information, visit www. p eacehealth.org/corona virus/Florence#testing or call 541-997-8412. hallway. Large bathroom with a step-in shower and lots of storage. 750 sq. Ō . of easy living. Rent includes uƟ liƟ es, cable, WIFI, three meals per day. FREE use of washers and dryers. Call me for more informaƟ on or a virtual tour. Ask for Niki at 541-997-8202. 541.997.8202 shorewoodsl.com Just off Highway 126 on Spruce Street 1451 Spruce Street, Florence Local Eats Your guide to great locally owned restaurants. Surfside Restaurant at Drift wood Shores Resort is off ering a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to go with curbside pick up, Wednesday through Sunday. We accept credit and debit cards for advanced purchase. Call 541-902-6447 and listen for the Surfside Restaurant prompt. Drift wood Shores Resort 88416 1st Avenue, Florence Get Results...List With Wendy. Open for take-out only! Wendy Krause Broker 541 999-7765 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Traditional English pub fare, clam chowder, salmon bisque along with cream teas, unique desserts and baked items. Join us in our re-designed dining room, coff ee and tea bar, or enjoy outdoor seating. All social distance appropriate. 9 201 VOTED F BEST O E 6825 North Fork Siuslaw Rd – Gorgeous home on 5 acres just 5 miles from Florence. 2013 Carter Brothers built home full of custom details. Open fl oor plan with custom built walnut topped island, rock fi replace and valley views. Guest retreat with bathroom, and a shop too. $595,000. #3103-20232488 195 Nopal St. 541-902-0502 Open Wed-Sat 11:00-2:30pm F LO E N C R We will be open every day from 11am-9pm. We are doing everything we can to safely serve our community. Thank you so much for all of the support and we will see you soon! 1285 Bay Street, Old Town Florence • (541) 902-8338 www.1285Restobar.com