Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2006)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 2,2006 - THREE Equal under fire continued from page 1 season and is a permanent employee of the U.S. Forest Service. L ike the other women, going out on initial attacks is Harvey’s favorite part of the job, but when rappelling into a fire, the 125-pound and 5-foot, 5- inch firefighter has to carry a pack weighing between 85 and 1(X) pounds with all the gear and food she will need for a few days while on the scene. Staying fit is a big part of the job and Mendo, 24, said she spends all winter staying in shape. D uring the fire season, Hedman said the trucks carry free-w eights and there's always push-ups and sit-ups to keep in shape, as well as not eating too much food. “You’ve gotta watch it or you can pack on the pounds,’’ Hedman said. O ne o f the hard things about the work during the fire season is being away from loved ones plus the fact that the jo b - w ith the dangers of fighting fires and rappelling out of helicopters - can make family members nervous. Mendo said it’s hard being away from her family and fiance - all in California - but she said her family is supportive and the job is good experience, even if her m other d o e s n 't know exactly what she is doing. “She knows I’m in fire but she doesn’t know ex actly w h a t,” M endo, whose helitack team also rappels, said with a grin. H edm an said her summer job makes her mom nervous, but her dad thinks it’s cool while Harvey has the opposite problem. “My mom is really supportive and is probably the biggest fan of Smokey the Bear,” Harvey said with a laugh. “My dad wants me to be a bank teller.” Like Mendo, while aw ay from her hom e in Alpine, Harvey misses her dog Hector but has good neighbors who take care of her special pooch while she is away. Being aw ay from hom e, the hard physical labor and long hours may not be for everyone, but Harvey, w ho spends the w inter m onths doing law enforcement work such as enforcing winter closures in the national forest on skis or sn o w m o b ilin g , said the training opportunities are terrific. “The forest service offers up a lot of training,” Harvey said. M endo alw ays wanted to work for a fire department and then found out about the seasonal jobs with the forest service. She has spent three seasons with the forest service and two with the helitack crew. She still plans to e v en tu a lly w ork for a municipal fire department but said she is gaining some good experience with the seasonal job. All three women said they love hiking and being outdoors. Harvey said she gets to meet a lot of people, plus she en jo y s the camaraderie - or what she calls a b u ilt-in support system with her group. The women all say the men on their respective teams are great and they enjoy working with them and that the feeling is mutual. L e o n a r d D im aculan g an , one o f M endo’s team m em bers, said having a woman on the crew kind of evens things up He said Gabby pulls her own weight. “Down in the south zone region, it’s difficult to get on a fire crew. So the fact that she (Gabby) is here, m eans a lot a lre ad y ,” Dimaculangan said. H elitack m anager Brad Koeckeritz, with Teton Helitack, said he has worked with Harvey for six years and said having women on the crew adds more diversity to the group. “It builds a better crew when you have people from all w alks o f life," Koeckeritz said. "We don’t view the women crew any different - they are kind of, sort of, one of the guys.” M att S chutty has only worked with Hedman this year but said working with her is “a blast.” “Tiffany keeps us all in lin e ,” S chutty said. “Sometimes she treats us like third-graders, but sometimes we deserve it.” CXBKM BttNERS Any Size Lots of Colors Logos & Graphics Heppner Gazette 676-9228 Firewood cutting prohibited on Umatilla National Forest Campfire, smoking and off-road travel restrictions also in effect Firewood cutting on the Umatilla National Forest is now prohibited due to increased fire danger and the potential for large wildfires, announced Bill Aney, Forest Fire and A viation S taff Officer. “C a lcu la tio n s are made each day to predict the fire danger ra tin g ,” said Aney. Daily temperatures, wind speeds, humidity, fuel m oisture and short-term weather forecasts are used to formulate the fire danger rating. “The current fire danger rating is EXTREME, the highest rating in the four- step rating system ,” said Aney. "Firewood cutting will resum e when conditions improve.” Woodcutters can call the toll-free number at (877) 958-9663 for current restriction information. In a d d itio n to firew ood cu ttin g re stric tio n s, p u b lic-u se restrictions on campfires, smoking and off-road travel are also in effect. Current restrictions prohibit the building and tending of open campfires, in clu d in g charcoal briquettes, cooking fires and warming fires until further notice, except in fire pits at designated recreation sites (recreation sites are listed below). Permissible sources of heat include pressurized gas stoves and space-heating devices for those rare cool nights. Sm oking is only allow ed w ithin enclosed v eh icles, b u ild in g s, developed recreation sites or when stopped in an area clearekJ of all flammable material. Generator use is still permitted at this time though may be restricted as the potential for wildfires increase. Travel restrictions p ro h ib it all m o to rized vehicles from traveling off of developed Forest roads and tra ils, ex cep t for the purposes of going to or from campsites located within 300 feet o f an open road. Vehicles must still abide by all laws and regulations pertaining to the area of travel. All fo rest users should carry an axe, shovel and an 8-ounce or more Sheriff’s Report The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office reports han dling the following business: July 25: M CSO receiv ed a rep o rt from Pendleton that Alex Lee Ahumada, 21, was arrested on an Irrigon Justice Court warrant for Failure to Pay F in e/P o ssessio n o f a Controlled Substance Less T han O ne O unce o f Marijuana. He was already capacity fire extinguisher when visiting the Forest. Several local land m anagem ent ag en cies, in clu d in g the O regon Department of Forestry and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, have similar restrictions in effect. If unsure o f w hich restrictions apply, please c o n tact the land management agency or call the Umatilla National Forest Office at (541) 278-3722. Specific regulations are also av ailab le o n lin e at www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma. C am pers are cautioned to be extremely careful when using fires ONLY in the follow ing designated recreation sites on the Umatilla National Forest: North Fork John Day Ranger District: Bear Wallow Campground; Olive Lake Campground; North Fork John Day C am pground; F razier Campground; Lane Creek Campground; and Winom Creek Campground. Walla Walla Ranger District: Jubilee Lake C am pground; W oodland C am pground; T arget M eadow s C am pground; M ottet C am pground; W oodward C am pground; U m atilla Forks C am pground; and Approved Campfire Pits in the Spout Springs and Tollgate Summ er Homes Tract. Heppner Ranger D istrict: Bull P rairie Campground. Pomeroy Ranger D istrict: B oundary C am pground; Panjab C am pground; T ucannon C am pground; G odm an Campground; Big Springs C am pground; Teal C am pground; M isery S prings C am pground; W ickiup C am pground; Spruce Springs Campground; Alder Thicket C am pground; Lady Bug C am pground; Pataha C am pground; Panjab Trailhead; Teepee Trailhead; Meadow Creek Trailhead; Clearwater Cabin Rentals; G odm an Cabin R ental; Wenatchee Cabin Rental; and Approved Campfire Pits at Summer Homes. lodged at Umatilla County Jail. MCSO received a report from a c a lle r in Lexington that wheat trucks were not topping at the stop sign at the corner of E and Arcade streets. The caller requested extra patrol. MCSO received a report from a caller in Irrigon that she would like to get her things from a residence that she is on the lease. A person staying there will not let her have her things because she is holding them in lieu of H ost an Exchange Student Today! Make a lifelong friend from abroad. Enrich your family with Oregon Housing and C om m unity S erv ices (OHCS) will hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 7, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. for the review of the state plan for the 2007-2009 Community S erv ices B lock G rant Program for Oregon. The purpose of this hearing is to obtain public comment on the proposed 20 0 7 -2 0 0 9 C om m unity S erv ices B lock G rant P rogram state plan for Oregon. The hearing will take place at O regon Housing and Com m unity Services, North Mall Office Building, Conference Room 321,725 Summer Street NE, Salem, OR. OHCS in v ite s p erso n s in te re ste d in com m enting on the state plan are invited to attend the public hearing. If no one has show n to m ake public comments by 12 p.m. on Monday, July 31, 2006, the hearing w ill be clo sed . OHCS will accept written comments if postmarked by Friday, Aug. 11 2006. Visit the public notices page on the OHCS w eb site at w w w .o h c s .o re g o n .g o v / COM_PublicNotices.shtml to view a copy o f the p ro p o sed state plan. Beginning July 31, 2006, p lease send all correspondence and request for copies of the plan to OHCS at: Oregon Housing and Community Services, Attn: Janet Gilbertson, 725 Summer Street NE, Suite B, Salem, OR 97301. OHCS can also be reached at (503) 986-2067. OHCS is the State's housing finance agency and co m m u n ity serv ices programs administrator. The D ep artm en t p ro v id es fin an cial and program su p p o rt to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of lower and m oderate incom e, and administers federal and state a n tip o v erty , h o m eless, energy assistan c e and co m m u n ity serv ices pro g ram s. The OHCS mission to “Reach out for o p p o rtu n itie s to create partnerships that improve Oregonians' lives, and the quality of our communities.” For more information, visit o ur w eb site at www.ohcs.oregon.gov. Americans almost finished paying for Spanish-American War H.R. 1898, which would repeal the 3 percent federal ex cise tax on telecommunications, a 108- year-old “tem porary" tax enacted to fund the Spanish- American War, gained its 218th co-sponsor this week. A majority of the House is now c o sp o n so rin g the legislation. While the Spanish- A m erican War tax was originally billed as a luxury tax in 1898, when only the wealthiest Americans had telephones, the telephone has long been a necessary part of American life. The tax is also highly regressive, as it represents a greater share of the income of low- incom e and m inority households. Consumers can find this tax listed on their phone b ills as “F ederal Excise Tax.” The T reasury Department recently ended the tax on long distance service, but according to the co n g ressio n al Joint Committee on Taxation, this still leaves approximately 80 percent of the tax in place. “Americans should not have to look at their phone bill every month and see a charge for “Federal E xcise T ax ,” the c le v e r government description for the Spanish-American War tax,” said Americans for Tax Reform president G rover Norquist. “Now a majority of the House would not only vote to repeal the tax, but have proactively signed on as cosponsors. This is a real benchmark in the battle to finally end this tax.” The Senate companion to H.R. 1898, S. 1321, sponsored by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), has been reported favorably by the Finance Committee and awaits a full Senate vote. However, the Constitution requires that the House pass tax legislation before the Senate may act. Further information can be found at ww w.atr.org. rent. The c aller was inform ed it was a civil matter. MCSO cited John C annon W ilbur, 70, for Violation of the Basic Rule, 75 mph in a 55 mph zone. M CSO arrested Brent C. Paradiso, 34, on an Irrigon Ju stice C ourt warrant for Failure to Pay F in e/D riv in g w hile Suspended. He was lodged at Umatilla County Jail. MCSO received a report from a c a lle r in B oardm an that the neighbor's dog had puppies, but the owner had left town and the caller was concerned that the owner had left them. MCSO received a report from a c a lle r in H eppner that his d igital cam era was sto len . A suspect had been calling him and saying that he would never get the camera back. A deputy retu rn ed the cam era. It had not been stolen, as the subject had permission to use the camera for a wedding. M CSO received a report from a caller in Irrigon requesting an ambulance. An eight-month-old child was not breathing. Upon deputy a rriv a l, the baby was b reath in g with som e blueness around the lips. It was determined that the baby was choking on a pepper. BUCKNUM’S CATERING p resen ts the jivxhrr indurr Now uhi cm hou à high vchnul exchange vocimi (girt or hoy)fnnn trance («ermany xeandinacia spam Influx] Japan. Urial luh or ocher couniricx Hemming j hov in i young international vndor » an experience of a Mctime' 5th Annual Wine-Tastinq Dinner at the M.C. 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