The Columbia Press
September 24, 2021
Senior Moments
7
Mayor’s Message
with Emma Edwards
by Henry Balensifer III
Perils of a deal that’s too good We should honor volunteers, not offend them
My mind is always alert to
information I can research.
So, research I did – again
-- on the saying “Your ac-
tions speak louder than your
words.” I had never heard the
expression attributed to any-
one, let alone one of my fa-
vorite authors, Ralph Waldo
Emerson.
The way Emerson worded
it is slightly different, but the
meaning is the same: “What
you are speaks so loudly in
my ears I cannot hear what
you say.”
On the same subject, I found
a 16th century French writer,
Michel deMontaigne, who is
generally credited with the
phrase “Saying is one thing
and doing is another.”
Once you get me started, it’s
hard to quit. What would I do
without access to my Google?
I spend enough time with
“him” that sometimes I think
if I saw him on the street, I
would know him! Or, is “he”
a “she”?
That reminds me of some-
thing one of our seniors
shared with me recently
about the narrow escape she
had from a financial scam-
mer.
Let me tell you the story as
I remember it. She saw some
ads while on her computer
of everyday things that ap-
peared to be amazingly good
buys.
This sweet little lady was
excited and ordered a few
things. Best thing about it
was that they didn’t ask for
any money or credit card. Pay
when you receive them, they
said. She awaited the arriv-
al, thinking of how smart she
was to make such a find!
The items arrived and she
wrote a check for them and
sent it off.
Meanwhile, she received a
letter announcing that she’d
won a large amount of mon-
ey.
In the letter was a check
substantial enough to get her
excited, but nothing com-
pared to the larger amount
she supposedly had won.
They suggested she take it
right to the bank and put it
in her account. She hastily
took it over to her bank and
deposited it.
Long story short, the check
was worthless, as you may
have guessed by now.
She called the company
that issued the check and
was told that, since they
were a new company, this
often happens.
So, could she please send
eight postal money orders
to them for $1,000 each and
immediately send it to cov-
er the processing fee for her
larger win.
Fortunately, this was when
red flags came up and she
vowed to never order from
that company again.
Meanwhile, her advice to us
is simple: “If anybody asks
you for money, don’t send it!”
Some may remember an ar-
ticle in this newspaper many
months ago covering a se-
nior gentleman who lost his
life savings through a similar
scam. It’s too bad such evil
continues to plague us se-
niors, but it is best to be to-
tally aware and seek counsel
if in doubt.
Isn’t there something in the
Bible about avoiding “a wolf
in sheep’s clothing”?
As your mayor, I have strived
to focus on political items when
they’re within my purview.
The city doesn’t have a hand
in setting public health policy as
it relates to the pandemic. Mask
mandates, business closures or
restrictions, quarantine rules,
vaccination requirements —
those are the purview of feder-
al, state and sometimes county
government. However, there is,
on occasion, a policy outside of
the city’s power that directly af-
fects the entire town. This is one
such occasion.
The pandemic has undeni-
ably become a political issue as
much as a public health issue.
The other reality is that the city
of Warrenton relies on citizen
volunteers to provide lifesav-
ing emergency medical services
(EMS). They are not employees
and respond to calls as they are
willing and able. It would be a
major mistake to confuse the
issue by comparing them to sol-
diers or employees.
Recently, the governor issued
a mandate that all health care
professionals be vaccinated by
Oct. 18 or be terminated and
potentially lose their certifica-
tions/licenses.
At first, we thought this would
only apply to hospital, nursing
home and ambulance person-
nel. After the state of Oregon
clarified its mandate, we real-
ized that this also applied to
volunteer firefighters providing
EMS. Federal mandates being
drafted right now do not pertain
to our volunteers.
To date, the brave men and
women of our fire department
have been on the front lines of
responding to COVID-19. When
a person with respiratory dis-
tress and COVID-like symptoms
needs emergency medical ser-
vices, our firefighters suit up in
full PPE and stabilize the patient
until they can be transported.
The system works, and it is
safe. Our volunteers have taken
precautions and have braved
the pandemic for more than a
year already. Unlike employ-
ees, where there are laws and
contracts that control the em-
ployer/employee relationship,
volunteers join of their own free
will and leave at their own free
will. There are no economic con-
siderations that drive their par-
ticipation.
Furthermore, the state and
federal certification standards
require volunteer firefighters to
meet the same training criteria
as paid professionals.
As a result, the city cannot
simply select people at random
and put them to use on the
force. Before a dedicated indi-
vidual can respond to any fire or
EMS calls, there is training and
certifications that can take six
months to a year for someone
to complete. Diabetic episodes,
trouble breathing, heart attacks,
or strokes — those are just a few
examples of EMS calls.
Ensuring that Warrentonians
receive prompt care to stabilize
them is critical to ensuring peo-
ple survive medical emergen-
cies. It is also a core function of
our Fire Department.
Recently, I received news from
city staff that we could lose over
half our volunteer firefighter
force, and most of our EMS re-
sponders. For those who may
be unaware, the Warrenton Fire
Department has three paid and
20 volunteer firefighters, not
all of whom are certified to re-
spond to EMS calls. There is no
conceivable way that the city of
Warrenton could provide fire
services, or emergency medical
services, without volunteers.
Fire Chief Brian Alsbury held
a meeting with his department,
outlined the new mandate and
solicited input on whether folks
would get vaccinated, leave or
continue until terminated under
the governor’s order.
I’ll skip the details, but essen-
tially after you factor in training/
certification status, availability
due to day job employment re-
quirements, and actual call-re-
sponse levels, the Warrenton
Fire Department will be deci-
mated. A mere 6 percent of its
force will be available to provide
EMS call support for the entire
city and the Warrenton Rural
Fire District. Simply put, while
it’s just over half on paper, the
actual availability is much less —
and EMS responses are the most
frequent type of call for our fire
department.
Whether you believe the gov-
ernment should force everyone
to get vaccinated, or if you be-
lieve the government needs to
end medical mandates, the re-
ality is people — especially vol-
unteers — have a choice and are
exercising that right to choose.
There was a volunteer firefight-
er shortage before the pandemic
and we are headed straight into
a full-blown crisis, one I’m do-
ing all I can to avoid.
Many other towns use emer-
gency declarations as a means
of political messaging. However,
just like when the tourist hordes
descended on our town last year,
I will not be declaring an emer-
gency until one exists.
However, the issue is so clear
and problematic that I am ac-
tively ringing alarm bells to the
governor and to you, the citi-
zens. If we are unable to get the
mandate lifted on firefighting
volunteers, or the volunteers
choose not to get vaccinated,
our city will be in grave danger.
Citizens who need emergen-
cy medical care will pay for it
with permanent damage to their
health or even death. That is the
cold, hard reality. I don’t like
it, I don’t want this to be reali-
ty — but there is no wishing this
away.
We’re headed for a deadline
and something has to give or we
all suffer the consequences. We’ll
keep working the problem, but
this is where we are right now.