A2 • Friday, April 16, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Seaside fi re marshal takes new role with state
By NICOLE BALES
Seaside Signal
Chris Dugan never envi-
sioned himself as a fi re-
fi ghter until he experienced
a house fi re.
It was Christmas Eve
and Dugan’s wife was due
to deliver their son. He was
working at Reed & Hertig
when he received an emer-
gency phone call.
“I thought, ‘Oh, we’re
going to have a baby,’” he
said. “No, ‘It’s your next
door neighbor. You have
smoke coming out all the
ends of your house.’”
When Dugan got to the
scene he was stunned.
“When you’re that age
and you got a fi re, you’re
thinking, ‘How am I gonna
pay for this?’” he said. “I
mean, I lost everything. I
got a family, two kids and
one on the way, it’s Christ-
mas and our house is on fi re.
What am I going to do?”
He remembers watch-
ing the fi refi ghters. Most of
them were his age and he
recognized them from dif-
ferent businesses around
town, but did not associate
them with the fi re depart-
ment. After the fi re was out,
he asked the chief who he
had to pay.
“He said, ‘Oh, you don’t
pay anybody. This is a vol-
unteer fi re department,” he
recalled.
The concept of a volun-
teer fi re department struck
Dugan. A couple of years
later, when he saw a sign
seeking volunteers outside
of the fi re department in
Seaside, he decided to help
out.
“I saw that and I go,
‘Wow. They must really be
hurting for people,’” he said.
“And they were there for me
when I needed it. Maybe I’ll
stop in and see if I can help
them out.
“That was a time in my
life, and it was a time in
Nicole Bales/The Astorian
Fire marshal Chris Dugan.
society where volunteers
were very strong.”
Dugan joined Seaside
Fire and Rescue in 1989 as
a volunteer, and in 2000 was
hired as the department’s
fi re marshal, which he saw
as a move to making his
hobby his work. He said he
never looked back.
Dugan began his new
role earlier this month as
deputy state fi re Marshal
for District 1, which cov-
ers Clatsop, Tillamook and
Columbia counties. The
position is based out of the
Oregon State Police offi ce in
Warrenton.
Seaside Fire and Rescue
has not yet replaced Dugan.
Fire marshals deal with code
enforcement, fi re inves-
tigations and fi re preven-
tion education, and Dugan
was the only one in Clatsop
County.
It has been a signifi cant
gap for fi re districts and
departments already operat-
ing with tight budgets. How-
ever, there are moves across
the county to fi nd additional
funding to hire fi re marshals.
Dugan sees the role of
deputy state fi re marshal
as a liaison between local
fi re districts and depart-
ments and the state, as well
as someone who can help
fi ll gaps. He looks forward
to working with people he
already has built relation-
ships with over the years.
Dugan described his
career in Seaside as at times
exciting, scary, tiring and
inspiring. He said seeing
people on their worst days
can weigh on emergency
responders. And, in a small
community, they often know
the people needing their
help.
He said watching kids’
learn at safety fairs and
school demonstrations was
a rewarding part of the job.
He will miss the camarade-
rie at the fi re department and
the shared sense of service.
“I’m still going to be
part of this fi re department,”
Dugan said. “I’m still going
to volunteer as long as my
health allows me to.
“This is a volunteer fi re
department that needs help.”
And it’s not just Sea-
side. Dugan said fi re dis-
tricts and departments in the
county are in a time of tran-
sition, where there are not
enough volunteers to man-
age increasing call volumes
and demands.
He said society has
changed in a number of
ways from when he started
volunteering, but he hopes
to see people continue to
carry on the tradition.
House fi re displaces two
Seaside Signal
An overnight fi re on 11th
Avenue displaced two in Sea-
side, Seaside Fire and Rescue
reported Sunday morning.
“At about 3:30 we got dis-
patched to a residential struc-
ture fi re,” Lt. Genesee Den-
nis said.
The north side of the
structure was involved, Den-
nis said. “Right as we arrived
also we had a downed power
line. That hindered access.”
Firefi ghters gained access
through neighboring yards
and “knocked down the fi re
pretty quickly,” Dennis said.
Residents were outside
the structure, he said, and
declined housing assistance.
Gearhart, Hamlet, Cannon
Beach, Warrenton, Lewis and
Clark fi re departments, along
with Seaside Police Depart-
ment, assisted in the response.
The fi re is believed to
have started in front out-
side the building, Dennis
said. The fi re remains under
investigation.
DEATH NOTICE
Walter ‘Walt’
Weber
April 7, 2021
Seaside Fire
Seaside Fire and neighboring agencies responded to an
overnight fi re on 11th Avenue.
WEBER, Walter “Walt,”
81, of Longview, Washing-
ton, formerly of Seaside
and Chinook, Washington,
died at home. Green Hills
Memorial Gardens in Kelso,
Washington, is in charge of
the arrangements.
OBITUARY
Katelynn Renee Tamez
Warrenton
June 17, 2003 — April 9, 2021
Katelynn Renee Tamez
was born on June 17, 2003,
in Granbury, Texas, and
was the beloved daughter
of Darla Bishop and Dan
Tamez, and died in Port-
land on April 9, 2021.
She had attended Sea-
side High School where
she was a cheerleader and
an awesome volleyball
player.
She loved music and
the outdoors. She was an
amazing mother, daughter
and granddaughter.
In addition to her par-
ents, she is survived by her
precious daughter, Aviana,
her brother, sister, grand-
parents, aunts and uncles,
as well as a large extended
family.
All are invited to join
her family for a graveside
service on Friday at 2 p.m.
at Evergreen Cemetery on
Beerman Creek Road in
Seaside.
Friends have estab-
lished a GoFundMe page
to assist her family with
memorial expenses for
those who would like to
contribute.
Ocean View Funeral
& Cremation Service of
Astoria is in charge of
the cremation and burial
arrangements.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
SEASIDE POLICE DEPT.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Seaside Signal
April 5
9:43 a.m., 2400 block
S. Roosevelt: A man who
came into the lobby asking
for food is not a guest at the
hotel. Police come. The man
is trespassed.
6:39 p.m., 12th and
Shore Terrace: A transient
camp reported in the area is
unable to be located.
April 6
11:16 a.m., 1100 block
Avenue E: Caller reports
unknown woman in her
neighbor’s yard. The woman
is contacted and advised to
stay off private property.
3:46 p.m., Beach and
Semaphore 9: Caller reports
13-year-old son missing on
the beach. Offi cers searched
the beach without fi nding
the boy but soon after learn
parent and child have been
reunited.
7:39 p.m., 1000 block
Fourth Avenue: Squab-
bling roommates are given
options and agree to stay
away from each other for the
rest of the night.
10:36 p.m., 1800 block
N. Prom: Caller reports
someone illegally entered
their vehicle.
April 7
2:23 a.m., 2500 block S.
Roosevelt: Police assist visi-
tors to the area locating their
hotel.
8:39 a.m., 3100 block
Sunset Boulevard: A person
reports their car has been
illegally entered.
18:24 p.m.,
Necani-
cum and Fifth: A person is
arrested on a warrant.
April 8
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