Irrigon and South MC to be served by Health
District, Boardman Fire to serve Boardman
-Continued from PAGE ONE ern ASA (Boardman) was bulance providers in the
tee met and reviewed ap-
plications on June 12 th and
June 17 th . Both applicants
were interviewed by the
selection committee on
June 21 st . The selection
committee met again on
June 25 th and June 26 th to
finalize scoring.
In his overview at the
July 3 rd BOC meeting, Jen-
sen said the committee
found strengths and weak-
nesses with both applicants.
MCHD had several
strengths in the application
and interview process, he
said, foremost being the
district’s 30-plus years of
experience in providing
ambulance services in the
county.
“That gives them a
great network of knowledge
and resources to pull from,”
he said, adding that MCHD
had a lot of support from
the community, as well as
a strong network of Quick
Response Teams (QRTs).
At the same time, Jen-
sen said he and the com-
mittee both had concerns
about the health district’s
consistency of leadership
approach and general staff-
ing.
“While their EMS lead-
ership had been consistent
and taken care of, there
has been some question on
turnover rates,” said Jensen.
He added that the health
district said the turnover
rate was less than the na-
tional average. “But it was a
concern that was presented
to them, and just leadership
decisions on those types of
things.”
One such leadership
decision that weighed heav-
ily, he said, was the decision
to cease ambulance opera-
tions in March.
“That put the county in
an awkward position as we
were nearing the finish goal
of making these consider-
ations,” he said, “and it is a
bit of a black eye.”
Jensen said the health
district also asked for an in-
tergovernmental agreement
between all five cities and
the county if MCHD did not
get the contract for all three
ASAs. Jensen said that
could prove “challenging,”
since multiple third parties
could then impact the de-
termination of ambulance
service providers.
Meanwhile, Jensen said
a strength of Boardman Fire
lay in its dual-role staffing
model, in which firefighters
are also EMTs and para-
medics. That could provide
cost savings if managed
correctly. However, Jensen
said, that could also be seen
as a weakness.
“It works for Board-
man because they have
the fire department,” said
Jensen. “In other areas of
the county, they don’t, so
using that staffing model is
a challenge.”
Jensen also said that
a drawback with BFRD
is lack of experience with
billing and financial pro-
jections, which he said the
health district “has down in
spades.”
Another area Board-
man Fire came up lacking
was in the area of volunteer
support such as the QRTs
MCHD had established.
“As we look at the ru-
ral nature of our county,
specifically the extended
distances in the Southern
ASA, the reliance on QRTs
is a lifesaving practice for
the county and for EMS,”
he said.
At the same time, he
pointed out that BFRD
had stepped in as interim
provider over the last three
months and had done an
“exemplary” job. Also,
though several areas of the
county have mixed feel-
ings at best about BFRD,
support for the fire district
is strong in the Boardman
area.
Jensen also shared the
composite scoring made by
the committee. The North-
scored overwhelmingly for
BFRD.
“I think that synergy
of their model with the fire
district there provides some
unique options and oppor-
tunities,” he said, “and a
lower cost response for the
Northern ASA.”
For the Southern ASA,
the committee swung in the
opposite direction, choos-
ing MCHD by a wide mar-
gin.
It was the Northeast
ASA, which includes Ir-
rigon and the surrounding
area, that proved to be a
sticking point. Jensen said
the committee was pretty
evenly split, seeing value
in both, and recommended
referring the decision to the
BOC.
Jensen said there was a
1.125-point difference be-
tween MCHD and BRFD,
with favor leaning slightly
toward Boardman Fire. Jen-
sen noted, though, that three
members of the committee
scored BRFD higher, while
five scored MCHD higher.
“So, we don’t have a
majority giving this opin-
ion,” he said.
Jensen pointed out that,
while Boardman Fire’s
quoted cost to serve the
north end was lower, he had
concerns over those projec-
tions since BFRD didn’t op-
erate the Irrigon fire depart-
ment. He also said letters
from Irrigon community
leaders weighed heavily in
his decision to recommend
MCHD as the provider for
the Northeast ASA.
While the work of the
ad hoc committee provid-
ed the groundwork for the
selection of ambulance
providers, the decision
ultimately rested in the
hands of the three coun-
ty commissioners. As the
commissioners questioned
Jensen on specifics, Mor-
row County Commissioner
Jeff Wenholz said he had
a problem with MCHD’s
proposed IGA.
“I don’t see how we
would enforce it,” he said.
“It enters third parties
into something that real-
ly has nothing to do with
having ambulance service,”
Wenholz added, saying the
proposed 20-year IGA was
also a concern when the
provider contract was only
for five years.
Jensen replied that the
health district had stated
it would be open to nego-
tiation on the IGA, which
could happen before final-
izing contracts.
Wenholz also asked
whether there would be a
mutual aid agreement be-
tween MCHD and Board-
man Fire for the Northeast
ASA.
“Now, if the Irrigon
ambulance is out, what is
the solution so that Irri-
gon isn’t without an ambu-
lance?” he asked.
Jensen said mutual aid
agreements would be re-
quired between all am-
county, regardless of who
was chosen.
“It is a requirement,”
he said, adding that part of
the role of the ASA advi-
sory committee is to make
sure such requirements are
followed and enforced. “If
we have a provider that’s
not responding to mutual
aid requirements, that will
put their provider contract
into question.”
The contracts will also
require two ambulances
based in each ASA, with
one full team staffed and
backup available on call.
In other business at
the meeting, Jensen report-
ed that the environmental
survey for the new circuit
court building is underway
at the proposed Kinzua
mill site. The geotechnical
survey was scheduled to
be on site July 9 th . He said
he anticipates both reports
coming in around July 23 rd .
Jensen said he hopes to
have a recommendation on
whether the site is feasible
for the circuit court build-
ing after that, hopefully
with a presentation to the
BOC by the first of August.
Send in
submissions
for the MC
Fair contest
-Continued from PAGE ONE
tion as possible about the
picture.
This photo from
Ione area of farmer Ken
Nelson, was taken in 1929,
and shows the first harvest
using a tractor to pull the
combine. Norman Nelson,
the father of the late Chuck
Nelson, and grandfather of
Morrow County District
Attorney, Justin Nelson,
is on the tractor, a model
30 gas Cat. Fred (Alfred
Nelson, Jr.), father of Ken
Nelson, is standing on the
front of the combine. The
sack sewer was “Porky”
Lyons, and Alfred Nelson,
Sr., father of Norman and
Fred, is on the separator.
Wheat farmers are
encouraged to enter this
contest, which hopefully
will show the grain harvest
through the years in Mor-
row County. Photography
department superintendent,
Tina Palmer, says: “Grow-
ing up I rode with my dad in
a combine with no cab, and
now our kids and grand-
kids, the next generations,
ride in an air-conditioned
combine and cut more acres
in a day than Dad did in a
week. Farming has come
a long way. It is important
that each generation real-
izes the importance of the
family farm in feeding the
world.”
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 10, 2024 --
SEVEN
MC Board of
Commissioners
approves
ASA awards
M o r r o w C o u n t y ’s
Board of Commissioners
acted on staff recommen-
dations and approved mov-
ing forward with notice
of awards for Ambulance
Service Areas (ASA) under
the new Ambulance Service
Plan that will be effective
on July 17, 2024. Board-
man Fire Rescue District
was awarded the North-
ern ASA while Morrow
County Health District was
awarded the Southern and
Northeast ASAs. Staff were
directed to finalize contract
negotiations and bring final
contracts back to the Board
for final approval. It is
anticipated that ASA pro-
viders will assume respon-
sibility for their respective
areas in late July or August,
depending on contracts
being settled and resources
being put into place.
The Board of Com-
missioners would like to
acknowledge the commu-
nity members that assist-
ed staff in reviewing ap-
plications and interview-
ing the applicants. These
individuals represented
not only their respective
communities but the entire
County and provided in-
valuable insight, comments
and questions during the
process. Their input was
an important factor in as-
sisting staff to make final
recommendations. These
individuals include Emi-
ly Jack (Heppner), Sheila
Miller (Lexington), Jerry
Rietmann (Ione), Brenda
Profitt (Boardman), and
Michelle Patton (Irrigon).
We also appreciate the as-
sistance of David Anderson,
the EMS Chief with North
Gilliam Medical District,
who provided specific EMS
experience and knowledge
for the Committee.
Governor Kotek
announces state
preparedness in
advance of
excessive heat warnings
Salem, OR – In ad-
vance of excessive heat
warnings for most of the
state this holiday week from
noon Thursday through
Sunday evening, Gover-
nor Tina Kotek is remind-
ing Oregonians to take
extra precautions to stay
safe. State agencies are
mobilizing resources and
standing up the state Emer-
gency Coordination Center
throughout the heatwave.
“Oregon will experience
record-breaking heat across
the state this holiday week,”
Governor Kotek said.
“While extreme heat can be
deadly for anyone, certain
groups – children, elders,
people with disabilities,
and people who work out-
side – face additional risk.
Also, remember to check on
your neighbors, especially
those who might not have
access to air conditioning.
“High heat can also be a cat-
alyst for wildfires. I strong-
ly urge all Oregonians to
practice extreme caution
this weekend, stay cool,
and take preventive mea-
sures to reduce the risk of
human-caused wildfires.”
Temperatures across Ore-
gon are expected to reach
near record-breaking levels,
with the Portland metro
area, Willamette Valley, and
parts of Southern Oregon
expected to hit tempera-
tures in the triple digits. The
heat risk levels and what
they mean for individuals
can be found on the Nation-
al Weather Service’s Heat
Risk map at www.wpc.
The Oregon Department of
Emergency Management
has activated the state Emer-
gency Coordination Center
in response to the heatwave.
Multiple partners including
the Oregon Health Authori-
ty, the Oregon Department
of Human Services office of
Resilience and Emergency
Management, the Oregon
State Medical Examiner,
the Oregon Public Utility
Commission and the Amer-
ican Red Cross are working
with local and tribal emer-
gency managers as they
prepare to open cooling
centers. State agencies are
providing support and re-
sources where requested.
The state Emergency Co-
ordination Center will meet
throughout the heatwave
to monitor the situation
and respond accordingly.
The Oregon Health Au-
thority is also encour-
aging people to take
steps to avoid heat-related
illnesses such as heat
stroke and heat exhaustion
as advisories predicting
triple-digit temperatures
go into effect this week.
Oregonians can find more
information about local
cooling centers from
211 at www.211info.org/
summer-and-heat-re-
leated-resources
Sign up for OR-alert at
(oralert.gov) and get life-
saving alerts and instruc-
tions during emergencies
to help you and others stay
safe in Oregon.
WWW.HEPPNER.NET
Information on the pro-
cess, including applica-
tions, forms, presentation
files, and other items, will
be made available on the
County’s website on Friday,
July 5, 2024.
Please direct inquiries
to: Matthew Jensen, Ad-
ministrator (541) 676-2529 177 N. Main
YOUR
AD
COULD
BE
HERE!
Call
ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk/
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
$395,000
Sold
541-676-
9228
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Or Email
graphics@rapidserve.net
80439 Black Mountain Ln Heppner
MLS#:23425595
Don’t Let Salem Dictate Morrow County’s Future!
VOTE NO on Recall!
If Recall is successful
Governor Tina Kotek
will choose our next County Commissioners
Do the citizens of Morrow County want Salem politicians deciding our future? If this recall is
successful, Oregon Law says Governor Tina Kotek will choose our next board of commissioners.
And Tina’s hand-picked people will serve two-and-a-half years!
Keep Local Control
VOTE NO
on Recall
Is this what Morrow County wants?
Don’t leave Morrow County’s governance in the hands of valley
politicians. Keep local control and Vote Down this misguided and
unwarranted recall/power grab!
Paid for by David Sykes