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Siuslaw News
A special
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SPECIAL SECTION
INSIDE!
Siuslaw News
Improving EMS response times at Siuslaw Valley
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
Fire department adds certified paramedic to Advanced Life Support team
VOL. 131, NO. 25
M ARCH 27, 2021
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By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue
(SVFR) has added a significant new
level of service for district residents
with the addition of medical equip-
ment, and a certified paramedic, to
the firefighters assigned to an Ad-
vanced Life Support Engine housed
at Station 1, 2625 Highway 101.
Fire and EMS Chief Michael
Schick announced the change, not-
CEDC finalizes
workplan for
submission to
City Council
ing that the certification of firefight-
er Colten Griswold as a paramedic
will add a layer of medical expertise
to SVFR first response teams.
The assignment and training of
Griswold also furthers the inte-
gration of the Western Lane Am-
bulance District and SVFR, which
began more than two years ago and
continues under the Western Lane
Fire and EMS Authority (WLFEA).
The cross training of personnel
from both organizations is a main
part of the ongoing merging of ser-
vices provided by the two emergen-
cy response agencies.
Paramedics provide Advanced
Life Support and, traditionally, this
role has been provided by WLAD
personnel. Now, SVFR’s paramedic
can initiate care and then prepare
to turn over patient care to WLAD
personnel.
“We hope that this will improve
our EMS response times, which are
already excellent and far better than
required for our ambulance district.
That is why you may now see a fire
engine responding to a medical
call,” said Schick. “With ambulance
and fire crews spread out across
the city, we can have a firefighter or
paramedic at your door more quick-
ly than ever before. Until recently,
the firefighters were only trained to
the Emergency Medical Technician
(EMT) level, which made them Ba-
sic Life Support medical providers.”
See FIRE/EMS page 5A
SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE Officials urge
caution as
area’s COVID-
19 cases spike
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 16 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2021
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
By Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
On March 18, the City of
Florence Community and
Economic
Development
Committee (CEDC) met
with a brief agenda for the
evening. There were only
two action items considered
and both had to do with the
structure and work product
of the committee.
The first was a review of
the committee’s workplan,
which will be submitted to
the Florence City Council
at its April 15 meeting. The
second was the appointment
of ex-officio representatives
from CEDC to other com-
mittees, which was tabled for
further discussion at a later
meeting.
In a memorandum for-
warded to the city council,
the CEDC offered its sugges-
tions and goals to councilors.
“The CEDC understands
the large scope of work that
they have been tasked with
by the city council and has
many different ideas on how
to focus on the committee’s
strengths and interests,” the
workplan stated.
The committee has iden-
tified several projects for
inclusion in the upcoming
City of Florence Workplan.
The CEDC’s proposed proj-
ects have been broken into
four subsections including
economic
development,
housing, community devel-
opment and parks.
In economic development,
the CEDC proposes working
with Connected Lane Coun-
ty to recruit and manage
businesses to participate in
virtual business tours, in-
formational interviews and
career discovery programs.
Committee members also
wanted to work on a Busi-
ness Retention & Expansion
Program, including business
outreach and action plan-
ning with Rural Develop-
ment Initiatives.
See COMMITTEE page 5A
On March 23, Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown issued a
statement commemorating
one year after she signed
Oregon’s “Stay Home, Save
Lives” executive order.
“One year ago, Oregonians
stayed home and worked to-
gether to protect our loved
ones from a disease we were
just beginning to under-
stand. Thanks to your smart
choices over the last year,
Oregon continues to have
some of the lowest numbers
for COVID-19 cases and
deaths in the nation,” she
said.
The governor also released
a new vaccination timeline,
which could see more people
eligible for the COVID-19
vaccine by April 5.
“Each day, we are steadily
gaining ground, but we must
continue to wear masks, main-
tain physical distance, and
get vaccinated,” Brown said.
See CASES page 6A
F
lorence joined communities
around the U.S. in lowering its
flags in recognition of the lives lost
during the shootings in Atlanta, Ga.,
where eight individuals were killed
during a shooting spree on March
16. Among those killed were six
women of Asian descent. In addition,
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared
that flags would remain lowered
through March 27 due to another
shooting, this time in Boulder, Colo.,
on March 22. “Together we mourn
this tremendous loss, and we stand
in solidarity with those fighting
against unspeakable and senseless
acts of violence,” she said.
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Planning Commission approves accessibility
request for Harbor Vista Campground
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
The Florence Planning Commis-
sion met March 23 for a regularly
scheduled session with a short agen-
da of action items to consider.
To begin, Chairperson Phil Tarvin
called the group to order, with all
commissioners in virtual atten-
dance, and turned the meeting over
to Florence Planning Director Wen-
dy FarleyCampbell for a review of
the particulars of the first action
item, PC 01 CUP 01.
The agenda item was a request for
approval of a conditional use permit
application submitted by Michelle
Hunt on behalf of Lane County.
The request was for authorization
to construct three 16-by-12-foot
cabins with attached 6-by-16-foot
decks, one 4-foot concrete ramp to
allow for ADA accessibility, paved
pathways and installation of five ad-
ditional parking spaces at the Har-
bor Vista Campground off Rhodo-
dendron Drive.
The application for this construc-
tion was assessed by staff and a rec-
ommendation for approval. Farley-
Campbell did have some conditions
for the Planning Commission to
consider in reviewing the specifics
of the project and timeline.
Primarily these conditions had to
do with parking spots, which would
need to be repainted and presented
in a way that meets applicable city
code. There was also the need for
the applicant to ensure the property
met all ADA standards.
The discussion of the topic in-
cluded the opportunity for public
comments. One speaker, Michael
Allen, shared his concerns that there
would be a loss of native vegetation
in the construction and develop-
ment process. He asked the commis-
sion to require the applicant to re-
place all vegetation removed during
construction.
The commissioners had few ques-
tions regarding the application and
the applicant’s representative, with
Hunt accepting the conditions sug-
gested by staff.
There were no commissioners op-
posed to the final requirements at-
tached to the request and the action
was approved unanimously.
The second item tackled by
commissioners was PC 21 02
VAC 01, which was a petition by
Simone Calfee to vacate a 15-by-
135.42 feet of public pedestri-
an walkway/right-of-way owned
by the City of Florence, located
See PLANNING page 5A
During this turbulent and uncertain time, we are humbled by the compassion and
generosity of our community. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the steadfast support from
you, our neighbors has lifted our spirits and buoyed our strength so we could keep going.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Kurt, Mercedes and Mike
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