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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2021)
6A | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS SARAH from page 1A certification, she was hired as a partner with us.” According to Lowell RFPD, Susman became a firefighter in 2018, joining to gain experience in emergency medicine. “I think her plans were to go to med school at some point in the future,” Schick said. “Part of her being was that she really wanted to help people. … It’s something that was very important to her.” In a time when volunteer num- bers are dwindling, Susman was an example of someone who went out of her way to help oth- ers. “Those are the type of people you look for — ones that have a passion for it and are committed to it, and are willing to take those extra steps to help out your agen- cy,” Schick said. The news of Susman’s death has affected crews at both West- ern Lane Ambulance and Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue, since the two emergency response agen- cies work so closely together. SOCIAL from page 1A On his inspiration for starting Nextdoor, co-founder and CEO Nirav Tolia stated in a Jan. 18, 2018, article in Entrepre- neur that his main goal is “Creating things that make the world a better place with good people. I like to build things from scratch. It’s why I like to start com- panies.” He has also highlighted the potential for securi- ty improvement through such a localized discussion board as one of the prima- ry advantages of Nextdoor. Members of the Flor- ence-adjacent community Shoppe LOCAL #MyFlorence Shop. Eat. Support. SAVE. SHOP The “Western Lane Ambu- “It’s been extremely difficult. kich had injuries. A fellow Western Lane para- lance Paramedics/EMTs Local She touched a lot of lives. Even though it’s only been about six medic also drove the route and 851” posted about her life, show- months as an employee, she was came across the highway clo- ing photos and talking about her well known, worked well with sure after the four-vehicle crash plans for the future. “(Sarah) was incredibly in- the crews. They all really liked occurred on Highway 126 near milepost 37. telligent with a pure, happy and her,” Schick said. “He was stopped with traffic compassionate heart. Our family On Monday morning, Western Lane first realized something was and went up to see if there’s any- and community had lost a beau- tiful young star. Our wrong when Susman hearts are broken did not arrive in time for work. She com- “Live and treat others like tomorrow isn’t and our profound muted from Spring- promised. Like Sarah, dream big and contin- condolences for all of her family and field. ue to work at making a difference.” friends,” the post Oregon State Po- — Western Lane Ambulance Paramedics/ stated. “Live and treat lice’s preliminary in- EMTs Local 851 others like tomorrow vestigation revealed a isn’t promised. Like Kenworth log truck, Sarah, dream big and operated by Shane McVay, was eastbound when the thing he could do to help. And he continue to work at making a dif- loaded trailer tipped over. The didn’t know Sarah was there, but ference.” Both Western Lane and Siu- trailer struck a westbound Toy- he saw the car that was involved,” slaw Valley were able to provide ota Prius, operated by Susman, Schick said. Once he was through the ac- counseling to crews through the and a Dodge Ram towing a boat, operated by Randall Tokich. The cident area, he notified Western medical crisis response team. Dodge Ram then struck an east- Lane, who reached out to state “We reached out to all our em- bound Ford Mustang, operated police for information. ployees to get them to talk about Western Lane and Siuslaw Val- things. And we have a lot of re- by Jordyn Tippett. Susman sustained fatal inju- ley posted some of the first re- sources available,” Schick said. ries and was pronounced de- ports that Susman had been the “We see so many things like this ceased. McVay, Tippett and To- fatality in the accident. in our regular their duties. It’s seem to similarly recognize the security benefits of the platform. In response to a post ask- ing about users’ favorite as- pects of the platform, one user responded, “I find it valuable that pictures and information can be post- ed right away to be on the lookout for home and car intrusions. Most recently, 35th and even Florentine have had multiple cars bro- ken into.” Other users prefer the social interaction that Nex- tdoor enables and how it strips away some of the po- litical contentions so often seen on other social media platforms. “I like that the Nextdoor platform doesn’t invite na- ked politics on its newsfeed and helps us see our neigh- bors as something other than the political opposi- tion. Instead as people part of something larger than ourselves,” another user posted. Nextdoor also has a large influence in the wild- life-watching community, as it ensures that all view- ers of the post are within a reasonable distance of the sighting. A new Florence resident posted, “I just moved here so I appreciate all the in- sight about the wildlife that I am not accustomed to. I have received lots of advice on the recent bear activity in our neighborhood.” Many communities tend to have high concentra- tions of people with certain interests and Nextdoor al- lows them to communi- cate and collaborate with other local enthusiasts they would likely not have met otherwise. Outside of Flor- ence, the Newport Next- door group has a small as- tronomical community in which members exchange advice on identifying plan- ets, star identification apps, and even used telescopes. Additionally, the feature of being able to view the bulletins of neighboring areas can encourage resi- dents to expand their typ- ical area of familiarity and to visit nearby towns, cities, and natural features. In terms of localized important that we talk about it and get our feelings out, and then address those early and of- ten to help the crews. But they’re all professionals, and I’m very proud of them. But it’s him home when we lose a member of our family.” While a memorial service has yet to be announced, the City of Lowell and the Lowell RFPD will be hosting a “Bells Across Amer- ica” and a “Sounds of the Sirens” on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m. at the fire department, 389 N. Pio- neer St. in Lowell. This is to hon- or firefighters who died in the line of duty, as well as Susman. Lowell RFPD Fire Chief Lon Dragt released a proclamation, saying, “Toll a bell, pause for a moment of silence, or read a spe- cial passage to honor the sacri- fices of these public servants and their families. I encourage our citizens to honor fire and emer- gency personnel, past and pres- ent, who, by their faithful and loyal devotion to duties, have rendered invaluable service to our community and its citizens.” community-building, Nex- tdoor is a refreshing new interpretation of social media and how it can be used to build real bonds between those living in close proximity. It also is evidence to the fact that technology can be used to foster community and re- store tight-knit neighbor- hood connections with- out the divisive content of more traditional social platforms. Ferris Haukom journalism, he is interest- ed in quantum physics, programming, entre- preneurship and music, specifically violin, viola, orchestral conducting and classical composition. Ferris Haukom is a Haukom and his family sophomore at Stanford reside in the Florence Online High School who area, and he often travels is a new intern for the as a member of the Los Siuslaw News and an Angeles Philharmonic associate editor at the Composer Fellowship OHS Observer. Aside from Program. Florence Senior Center’s Adult Social Daycare resumes After a year and a half interruption, the Adult Social Daycare Program, i.e. Coffee Club, will re- sume in Florence. The program will be located in a designated area of the Florence Senior Center. There is a small cost to attend, but scholarships are available to defer cost if needed. Under the direction of Juels Larson, a board of directors and a team of enthusiastic, caring vol- unteers has been assem- bled and are busy pre- paring for an anticipated re-opening in late Octo- ber. Adult Social Daycare is designed for seniors with memory deficits to be able to meet and en- joy each other’s company in a safe and secure en- vironment. It also allows those who care for them a few hours of time to run errands, make appoint- ments or just relax. The Adult Social Day- care Program will open one day a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering qualifying seniors time for socialization, lunch, exercise, games and crafts. Committed volunteers are needed to open additional days. Interested families/ caregivers as well as vol- unteers can get an appli- cation by emailing Lar- son at memcarerespite@ gmail.com. Due to COVID restric- tions, the Adult Social Daycare Program will only be taking six appli- cants at this time. C elebrating over 30 Years in Real Estate LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED 9 201 VOTED F E BEST O F LO E N C R Submit your community, entertainment, arts and other events and news to Editor@TheSiuslaw News.com • RESIDENTIAL • LAND • COMMERCIAL • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • 1870 Hwy. 126, Suite A • PO Box 3040, Florence, OR JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner • • • Jim & Jerry Neil’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 541-997-3825 Visit us on the web T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM 541.997.7653 Fax: 541.997.7654 Certifi ed – Bonded – Insured Property Services Contractor #39458 • SAM: #831298500/7E6J9 City License #2578 VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW . JIMHOBERG . COM “Our commitment is to our customers cleaning needs with honesty and integrity” We are open and ready to assist you! ESTATE JEWELRY AND ANTIQUE FURNITURE!!! We buy, sell and consign quality estate/heirloom jewelry & furniture. 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