NEWS BlueMountainEagle.com Wednesday, January 9, 2019 A3 The Eagle/Richard Hanners Ken Kirby is the new manager at the Les Schwab Tire Centers store in John Day. John Day tire store has new manager Contributed photo Brad Clemens of B & M Timber LLC fells a tree. His company was named Eastern Oregon Area Operator of the Year for 2018. Burns logger named Operator of the Year By Blue Mountain Eagle Harney County logger Brad Clemens of B & M Timber LLC in Burns has been chosen as 2018 Opera- tor of the Year for the East- ern Oregon Area. The Ore- gon Board of Forestry will honor Clemens at its March 9 meeting in Salem. Other awardees are Jay Browning, J.M. Browning Logging Inc. of Astoria, for North- west Oregon and Dave Wilkerson, Dave Wilker- son Logging LLC in Eagle Point, for Southern Oregon. The board gives the Operator of the Year awards to recognize those who, while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work, protect natural resources at a level that goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Prac- tices Act. That law requires people to harvest respon- sibly and protect streams and water quality, protect and enhance habitat and reduce landslide risks. The law also requires landown- ers to replant forests after harvesting. Private Forests Division Chief Lena Tucker said, “These operators have shown how they can har- vest needed wood prod- ucts in Oregon forests while protecting natural resources. We’re pleased to honor the excellent care and diligence they demon- strate, often in challenging circumstances.” Clemens earned the Eastern Oregon Operator of the Year award for min- imizing soil disturbance during a winter harvest in a narrow valley while also protecting a fi sh-bearing stream that runs through the valley. Clemens has also been recognized for helping multiple land- owners by careful salvage logging of their proper- ties after a devastating 2015 wildfi re in Eastern Oregon. Contributed photo Grant County Search and Rescue trains with their side-by-sides last summer. Search and rescue team keeps busy in Grant County Deputy Dave Dobler is SAR coordinator By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Search and Rescue team of the Grant County Sheriff’s Offi ce has had a busy winter. In December, the group responded to six incidents, locating an overdue wood- cutter and snowmobiler, a motorist stuck in the snow, an overdue hunter and an injured hunter. On Dec. 6, SAR located the body of a missing hiker who was new to the area. The call to fi nd Lucas Cavalle came Dec. 4 after he’d already been missing overnight in subzero tem- peratures near Fields Peak, west of Mt. Vernon. Deputy Dave Dobler was hired on in August as the SAR coordinator and as a part-time forest patrol dep- uty for Grant County, work- ing under Sheriff Glenn Palmer. “For this size of a com- munity, I think people would be stunned by the number of incidents that occur,” Dobler said. He brings a wide range of experience to his work in search and rescue and law enforcement, includ- ing several years with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Offi ce where he was an SAR coordinator and training offi cer. He also spent time there as a canine supervisor, forest patrol offi cer, arson investigator and SWAT team member, he said. His work history, dat- ing back to 1982, includes stints with the Port of Port- land Police and, later, Port- land Police Bureau, working as a fraud and identity theft investigator. Most recently, Dobler was a deputy and undersheriff and SAR coor- dinator at the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Offi ce. His work as the local coordinator includes admin- istrative duties, such as reporting on the unit’s mis- sions, including how they deployed, and evaluations once incidents conclude. He also submits state reports, summarizing personnel hours and how far a missing person was located from the point last seen. While he is usually man- ning the incident command Contributed photo The Search and Rescue unit of the Grant County Sheriff ’s Offi ce and mutual aid searchers meet at Fields Creek Road and Highway 26 during their mission to locate missing hiker Lucas Cavalle on Dec. 6. The SAR team had mutual aid from Deschutes, Morrow, Crook and Baker counties during the search. In the photo, Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer is fourth from right and SAR coordinator Dave Dobler is second from right. post for most missions, Dobler is also on the ground for some searches. As busy as they’ve been, he said they are seeking more SAR members. They have a roster of about 25 volunteers, with about a third of those active and another third as active as work will allow, he said. He added there are many different parts to keeping the search and rescue running — more than just strong hikers who search in brutal weather conditions. “Resource management is a big part of SAR — making the most of limited resources,” Dobler said. He said people who work in the background, including those who operate radios, shuttle people around and bring food supplies, play an important role. “It’s a good team to be on,” he said. “It’s nice to work together and see the fruits of your labor and be able to help people in the community.” He said SAR teams are tight and, when they operate as a unit, are more than the sum of all their parts. “It’s kind of a synergy,” he said. “It doesn’t take too many missions where you’ve helped someone or saved a life to be hooked.” He said regular trainings are improving, and the group is working more closely with Grant County Air Search and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service), plan- ning a coordinated training mission in the spring. Michael B. 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Gabby is a long-haired Ger- man shepherd trained in scent-specifi c trail, which means she can search for a specifi c individual. Mr. Oak is a 6-month-old German shepherd and Dutch shep- herd mix in training. Kim Kell, also an SAR member, helps Lemcke train the dogs. “(Gabby) doesn’t have to follow every footstep a missing person left,” Lem- cke said. “She’s trained to follow the scent, so her goal is to get to the missing per- son the closest and fastest way.” SAR members deploy when a rescue is needed, and they also spend time educating the public on safety measures to avoid sticky, even dangerous, situations. Dobler said they are planning a Lucas Cavalle Initiative, reaching out at snowparks and trailheads with basic safety tips as well as sharing information with local students and commu- nity groups who would like training tips and techniques. Some of these safety tips include: • Use the buddy system when exploring. Don’t hike or snowmobile alone. • Let someone know your travel plans, and if those plans change, notify them. • Prepare for the condi- tions, such as winter travel. • Keep emergency sup- plies, including blankets, fl ashlight, batteries, food, water, proper clothing and fi re starting materials. • Travel with a full tank of fuel. • Know how to use a map and compass. • Know how to make a fi re. • Carry a strobe light or a brightly colored military signal tarp or panel, which helps Air Search locate missing people. • Consider purchasing a satellite-based emergency locator device. Dobler said when Cavalle went missing, tem- peratures dipped to a minus 12 degree windchill. “Unless you have train- ing and the mindset and the right equipment, your chance of survival is low,” he said. “Mindset is your biggest tool — keep your head in the game and don’t panic.” People, ages 18 and up, interested in volunteer- ing for SAR can pick up an application at the sheriff’s offi ce. Volunteers need to have a good driving record and the process includes a questionnaire, interview and background check. For more information, call the sher- iff’s offi ce at 541-575-1131. 98784 Ken Kirby has taken over management of the Les Schwab Tire Cen- ters store in John Day. He replaces Cork Humphrey, who retired after 41 years. Kirby grew up in Fos- sil. After graduating from Wheeler High School in 1997, he spent six years at Treasure Valley Commu- nity College in Ontario and then went to work for Les Schwab in Bend. “I’ll have 21 years with Les Schwab in April,” he said. The company has roots in Central Oregon, and the John Day store is the fi fth in the corporate chain, open for business since May 1, 1957. Les Schwab was born in Bend in 1907. He founded the tire company shortly after he bought OK Rub- ber Welders in Prineville in 1952. That little tire shop grew to a chain of 488 stores by 2018 operating in eight states with more than 7,000 employees. Schwab died in 2007. The company moved its headquarters from Prineville to Bend in 2008. The company conducted more than $1.8 billion in annual sales in 2018 and was the second largest inde- pendent tire retailer in the U.S. The company is well known for hosting sporting events and sponsoring char- itable programs. The 23rd annual Les Schwab Invi- tational basketball tourna- ment featuring NBA stars was held in December 2018 in Hillsboro. “We like anything to do with youths,” Kirby said. Locally, Les Schwab has partnered with the Oregon FFA for the Drive Away Hunger food drive, hosted the annual Icebreaker Tour- nament for high school baseball teams, offered a rifl e to the winner of the Big Buck Contest and co-sponsored a tractor pull at the county fairgrounds. 98773 By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710