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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
LOCAL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 New nonprofi t kicks off with appreciation dinner for veterans By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Boardman Fire Chief Marc Rogelstad addresses the Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District board on Wednesday night as part of an independent investigation into the loss of their brush truck in a fi re early in the summer. Investigation completed into loss of fi re truck By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Boardman Fire Chief Marc Rogel- stad reported his fi ndings to the Uma- tilla Rural Fire Protection District board on Oct. 2 after completing an independent investigation into a brush truck that burned up during a fi re in July. The district responded to a natural cover fi re started by a cigarette, near the intersection of Highway 730 and Highway 395 on July 21 at approxi- mately 1 p.m. During that incident, a fi re truck known as Brush 11 caught fi re while unattended. “People there didn’t fully rec- ognize the danger,” Rogelstad said, chalking the incident up to inexperi- ence and “tunnel vision.” According to Rogelstad’s report and an internal report by Umatilla Fire Chief Steve Potts, responding person- nel parked Brush 11 in tall grass. “It was not a real good place to park, but there were not a lot of good options,” Rogelstad told the board. The truck’s crew stretched 250 feet of hose through trees to reach the fi re, according to the report Potts wrote. At some point while they were all up fi ghting the fi re, a spot fi re ignited and moved under the truck, which suffered “signifi cant damage” as the crew tried to wind the hose through the trees back to the truck. The 2018 brush truck was valued at about $150,000, Potts said, and has already been replaced using a combination of insurance money and contingency funds. Potts wrote in his report that inex- perience led the crew to make mis- takes, including parking in the grass and not maintaining suffi cient sit- uational awareness of the fi re’s behavior. They believed parking far away from the fi re was safest, he said, when in fact it would have been more prudent to park close to the fi re and use a short length of hose so that they could maintain contact with the apparatus and move it out of harm’s way quickly if needed. He also noted that the grass they were risking the truck to defend was not valuable. Rogelstad echoed many of Potts’ points in his own written and verbal report, noting the heavy grasses and swirling winds that day made it easy for spot fi res to fl are up. He said the Boardman district hadn’t lost a fi re truck during his tenure there, but a truck he was on while working in Montana caught fi re once. “This is a bad deal that hap- pened,” he said. “There are a lot of lessons learned out of it. The chief gave his report and the young guys will learn. This could happen any- where. It could happen in Hermiston. In fact, it opened my eyes a little bit, and it will be a topic of conversation around the table tomorrow.” Rogelstad conducted his inves- tigation last week after fi re board member Mark Keith stated at a pre- vious meeting he felt it was inappro- priate to only have an internal inves- tigation into the loss of an expensive piece of taxpayer-funded equipment. Keith told the Hermiston Herald on Thursday he felt that Rogelstad was chosen because he might give a more positive report than someone at the state level. He said in an email he was also dissatisfi ed that formal disciplinary action wasn’t taken against the fi re- fi ghters involved, and criticized the fi re district for using “untrained low level responders.” “Our city is in a desperate situa- tion with volunteers, paid staff and leadership,” he said. Potts told the Hermiston Herald he considered more punitive actions against the fi refi ghters involved, but decided against it. He said they were all “extremely remorseful” and seemed willing and able to learn from their mistakes. He felt that pun- ishing them further might discour- age them from continuing to serve as fi refi ghters at a time when the dis- trict is struggling to recruit and retain experienced personnel. He also noted July was a diffi cult time for them, as a member of the staff had just been killed in a drowning accident. Potts said additional training and refresher courses are being imple- mented to address the problems seen on July 21, and he is asking experi- enced offi cials from neighboring fi re districts to help with the training to provide diverse perspectives. As for the district’s problems keeping staffed, Potts told the fi re board last Wednesday that he is look- ing at new ways to handle the short- age, which is a nationwide problem for fi re districts. Ideas he is working to implement include more collaboration with the neighboring districts, call response pay and creating a program where city of Umatilla staff could get trained as volunteer fi refi ghters and remain on the clock for the city while respond- ing to fi res during their normal work hours. “We’re trying to think outside the box and look at all options in order to boost our response,” he said. As Sue Long-Hosek watched veterans bond with each other after a golf fund- raiser last year, she knew she wanted to create more opportunities like the one unfolding before her eyes. Long-Hosek’s fi rst hus- band was a Vietnam vet- eran who struggled with severe post-traumatic stress disorder from the time he returned home up to when he took his own life in 2014. Afterward, she tried to do what she could to help vet- erans like him by hosting golf tournament fundraisers to benefi t national veterans organizations and the local American Legion. “That’s why this is a pas- sion of mine,” she said. “That’s why I want to help in any way I can.” She and her current hus- band, Ron Hosek, have started the Conrad Skin- ner Veterans Memorial Pro- gram, with the goal of acting as a “stopgap” for veterans and their families in Uma- tilla, Morrow and Union counties if they have needs that aren’t being met by other organizations. Their mission statement says they plan to provide “opportuni- ties and support for Veterans and their families in time of crisis or need.” “This is not in conjunc- tion with the VA, it is not to take the place of the VA, but it is kind of a supplement for things that the VA might not be able to address on an immediate basis,” Long-Ho- sek said. They will announce spe- cifi c services they have in mind at a Veterans Appreci- ation Dinner cosponsored by the new nonprofi t, American Legion Post #37, Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce and Herm- Awnings · Patio/Sun Shades Pergolas ·Patio Covers · Solar Shades Solar Screens & More! Ask about our Monthly Specials! 509-308-1354 FREE ESTIMATES! www.nwshadeco.com Parking problems frustrate business owner By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR If you’ve ever argued with your neighbor before, it may have been over parking. Frustrated residents sometimes call the police or city hall to complain about someone parking in front of their home or business, but there isn’t much to be done. Unless it’s blocking a fi re hydrant, driveway or other no-parking zone, anyone can legally park on the street in front of your property. “On-street parking is for everyone,” Hermiston City Planner Clint Spencer said. Trying to use signs or paint to prevent people from using public, on-street park- ing is against the city’s code of ordinances. Cynthia Traner owns the mercantile Her Shabby Shed at 165 S.W. Third St., on a block that contains sev- eral former homes that have since been turned into busi- nesses, including a salon and law offi ces. She said most of the older homes where companies are now operating out of don’t have driveways or parking lots, causing their employees and company vehicles to take up on-street parking in front of neighboring businesses. “I have lost business as several of my custom- ers said they came by and (there) was no parking like before, and furthermore I can’t even park in front of my shop to load or unload merchandise,” she wrote in a message to the Herald. She said she understands that the on-street parking is public, but she wishes the city would increase its park- ing requirements for busi- nesses operating in mixed commercial and residential areas. Spencer said there are requirements for businesses to have off-street parking, but the city passed an ordi- nance in 2017 stating that businesses within 500 feet of certain municipal park- ing lots can count that park- ing as their off-street park- ing. The neighborhood where Traner’s business sits is near a city-owned lot on Orchard Avenue, which allows them to count those spaces as their own off- street parking. “The city passed the res- olution to encourage some of those houses to convert to commercial use,” Spen- cer said. iston parks and recreation department. The dinner is on Sun- day, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Hermiston Community Cen- ter, 415 S. Highway 395. It is free for all veterans and their immediate family, and com- munity members who wish to attend and show their appreciation for veterans are asked to make a donation in an amount of their choosing. Everyone planning to attend is asked to RSVP to Herm- iston Parks and Recreation, 541-667-5018 or gwicks@ hermiston.or.us. The Conrad Skinner Vet- erans Memorial Program is run by a board of 11 peo- ple, most of which are vet- erans or their spouses. It is a 501©3 nonprofi t that accepts tax-deductible contributions. Conrad Skinner grew up in Hermiston and served in the United States Marine Corps before taking his own life in April at age 23. Hosek said two of Skinner’s rela- tives sit on the nonprofi t’s board, and he and his wife met with Skinner’s parents and grandparents to get their blessing before dedicating the project to his memory. “We are losing 20 to 22 veterans a day to PTSD and suicide,” Hosek said. He said he and Long-Ho- sek and other members of the board want to reduce those numbers locally, and also support family mem- bers who may be at a loss to know how to deal with their love one’s struggles. Hosek said they already have books they can loan out to help children understand that “mom or dad are not angry at them, it’s an illness.” Long-Hosek said she is open to suggestions for what needs are not being met else- where, and how they can best help veterans with their limited resources. 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick 99336 License #188965 HUNTING SEASON IS UPON US! • Complete wild game processing • Custom processing: Beef, Pork, Lamb • Retail processing: including Small beef and/or pork boxes • Smoked products EASTERN OREGON MOBILE SLAUGHTER 541-567-2011 • 253 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston PET OF THE W EEK Blackie is a young minpin chi mix. Great with kids and dogs, no cats. Needs a secured fence. Crate trained, leash trained and mostly potty trained. He was hit by a car and has healed from a back fracture and is ready for his forever home. BLACKIE Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 MEET 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com PLACE YOUR AD HERE! Contact Audra at 541.564.4538 Today! If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
