COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL DECEMBER 27, 2017
7A
Cottage Grove crews return from CA in time for holidays
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
A little before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20, the Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue vehicle made
the turn from Gateway Blvd. towards Interstate-5. The deployment that saw two Oregon strike teams
sent to California's Thomas Fire wouldn’t be considered complete until they arrived home.
Siuslaw joined crews from McKenzie, Lane Fire Authority and South Lane County Fire and Rescue
(SLFR).
The strike teams rolled into the Cottage Grove station early Wednesday afternoon, greeted by a cam-
era crew and SLFR crew.
“It’s good to have everyone home in time for Christmas,” chief John Wooten said.
The Thomas Fire in California is being spurred on by Santa Ana winds and dry conditions. Nearly
100,000 people have been evacuated and the fi re is on track to become the largest wildfi re in state
history.
During a debriefi ng session, minutes after arriving home, the strike teams learned they were sent
home after a decision not to add an additional strike team from Oregon has previously planned. This is
the fi rst year, the state of Oregon has sent crews to California under a mutual aid agreement.
Fire offi cials asked for a moment of silence during Wednesday’s homecoming for Cory Iverson, 32
and a California fi refi ghter who lost his life on Dec. 14 in the Thomas Fire. He left behind a pregnant
wife and two-year-old daughter.
Offi cials also noted that the Thomas Fire was a unique experience, describing people coming up to
crews in the streets to hug them, thanking them for their service.
As of Sunday, Dec. 17, the Thomas Fire was 45 percent contained and is expected to burn until
mid-January.
This is the second time SLFR personnel and equipment has been sent to California this wildfi re sea-
son. However, due to mutual aid agreements and other contracts, SLFR is expected to earn an estimated
amount between $350,000 and $400,000 for fi ghting out-of-state wildfi res.
Crews from Lane Fire Authority, Siuslaw and McKenzie returned home to Oregon from California's wildfi res, landing
in Cottage Grove. Below, the crews are given a debrief before being released to return home in time for Christmas.
PHOTO COURTESY INCIWEB
The Thomas Fire in California has been burning since the start of December and isn't expected to be contained
until mid-January. Crews from Oregon were dispatched to the area, including personnel and equipment from South
Lane County Fire and Rescue. The two strike teams sent from Oregon returned home in time for the holidays on
Wednesday, Dec. 20.
SLSD signs new agreement
Welcome to Th e Relay Corner! Th is will
be a monthly section, dedicated to everything
Relay! Any events, fundraisers, and news re-
lated to Relay for Life of South Lane County
will be found here! You can also follow us on
Facebook- www.facebook.com/SouthLaneR-
elay/
Th e 2018 Relay for Life season is upon us!
Teams are being registered, events are being planned, and sponsorship op-
portunities are being taken. Th is year, our theme for Relay is the Sound of
Hope. It is scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2018 at Bohemia Park. We are
changing things up a little this year. It will be a 12-hour concert in the park,
from Noon to Midnight, with lots of fun family activities available! So mark
your calendars, and register your teams!
Visit www.relayforlife.org/cottagegroveor
Welcome to our already registered teams- Team Tuff , Team Ze-
bra, Vintage Visions, and Rise Up For A Cure!! Th is is a great start, but
don’t wait too long to form your team. If you have a registered team, and
are planning a fundraiser, you can add it to the relay corner by emailing
SouthLaneRFL@gmail.com.
Join us February 3, 2018 from 7-9pm for our annual Relay Kickoff event.
It will once again be held at the Cottage Grove Armory. Th is year we are
doing a Relay Rally!! It will be a simple event, free to attend, with the simple
goal of getting the community reignited and excited for Relay! We will have
lots of displays for you to learn about all aspects of a Relay for Life. Th ere will
be light refreshments, and a few speakers to discuss what Relay for Life and
the American Cancer Society has meant to them and their lives.
As we are moving forward, we want to take a fi nal look back at our 2017
season, and thank our amazing sponsors- Th e City of Cottage Grove, Th e
Cottage Grove Sentinel, Brad’s Chevrolet, Beach Poker Club, Starfi re Lumber,
Lincoln Middle School, Edward Jones, Boyce and Sons, and Rising Phoenix
Productions! Without your help, we never could have made it happen!
Be a Relay Warrior!! Are you a motivated sponsor or fundraiser? Not
wanting to wait until the last minute to raise those dollars? At our Kickoff
Event, we are going to recognize any Sponsors or Teams that submit at least
$500 prior to January 15th. If you want to be a sponsor for our 2018 Relay
for Life, contact Betty Heine- bettyheine1@gmail.com
Interested in being a part of our Event Leadership team, or maybe just
want to learn new ways to help? Join us at our Monthly Meeting the fi rst
Th ursday of every month at El Tapatio! We will be there January 4th at 6pm
in the back room!
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
At the December school board meeting, the
South Lane District school board unanimously
approved Lane Education Service District’s (Lane
ESD) 2017-19 local service plan.
The service plan was presented by Tony Scur-
to who serves as the superintendent of Lane ESD
and has been superintendent of the Pleasant Hill
School District since 2008.
“Just an overview is that just having the second
year of the two-year plan, that doesn’t mean that
it’s automatic, it has to be voted on annually. But
given it’s the second year of a two-year plan there
aren’t many changes from the prior year,” said
Scurto as he addressed the board at the December meeting.
“Just the overall look at this is that statutorily education service districts need to provide
four things: special need services for districts, improvements in technology, services in school
improvement and services in administration.”
Changes in the service plan included an additional math specialist. Potential changes in
funding included the “fl exibility to access Core Services and annually select the amount of
services needed to meet individual districts needs.”
Scurto has been in his position at Lane ESD since July 1 and recently had his six-month
review by the Lane ESD board of directors. This board is comprised with one member from
each of the seven school boards around the state.
Sherry Duerst- Higgins, the South Lane School District representative and vice-chair, said
in an email that “his performance was very good.”
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