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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2001)
Life savers honored by state, community Public Health provides biological info Although Columbia County is not a likely target, Columbia County Public Health has sent every physician and health care provider in the county a com plete description of all bacteria and viruses that could be used for biological terrorism. The descriptions should help health provider identifyif a client becomes infected. The descriptions are de signed to help providers identi fy the possible presence of these agents with detailed in formation on clinical effects, in cubation periods, where the agent is found (livestock, ro dents, etc.), occurrence loca tions, preferred treatment and other measures to take, i.e. no tifying Oregon Health Services with phone numbers. Included in the list of bacte ria is anthrax, as well as cholera, bubonic plague, etc. The list of viruses includes smallpox, an encephalitis agent and a hemorrhagic fever agent. There is very little likelihood of anyone in Columbia County coming in contact with these agents, according to Public Health A dm inistrator Karen Ladd, but it is important from a public health standpoint to be on top of even a remote possi bility. Information is crucial to relieving fears, and prepared ness is the best defense. Pub lic Health is one of the respon ders of the Columbia County Emergency Response Plan. If you think you may have re ceived a letter with anthrax, do not open it. If you have opened it already, wash your hands with soap and warm water, cov er the envelope and immediate area with plastic wrap and call the police department. Ladd re ports that several people have followed these procedures. They did not open suspicious letters, but called the police, who took care of the items. For more information, call Public Health at 503-397-4651. Darren Berg and Bill Jawors ki, both of Birkenfeld, received medals awarded by the state Emergency Medical Services System, at a ceremony Octo ber 18 in Mist. As Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District Chief David Craw ford said, the awards, which recognized life-saving ef forts after a m otor vehicle crash, were a “joyous occa sion." The crash occurred July 23, 2000, on Hwy. 202 near Ves per, when a pick-up truck dri ven by Joe Poetter of Vernonia, who was blinded by the sun, sm ashed into the back of Berg’s heavily loaded hay w ag on. The impact forced the pick up’s engine into the passenger compartment and sheared off the top of the carburetor, throw ing gas on the hot manifold and causing both vehicles to erupt in flames. Jaworski, a near-by resident and volunteer M-BRFPD Emer gency M edical Technician, called 9-1-1 for help, then rushed to the scene. He first moved Poetter, who was par tially thrown from the truck but unable to move, to safety. He then attempted to re move the passenger, Jared Busch of Mist, who was trapped in the already burning vehicle. Jaworski was unable to open the passenger side door, and ran for a fire extinguisher in an attempt to control the flames until emergency equipment ar rived. Berg left his truck and, ignor ing his own safety, forced open the pickup door and removed Busch as the flames were liter ally brushing his legs. Busch and Poetter both had broken legs and required hos pitalization. Berg suffered mi nor burns to his hands. The Civilian Service Medal was awarded to Berg for risking his own safety in order to save another person. It is the highest award the state gives to an in dividual who is not part of an EMS system, but who provides extraordinary service in the course of an EMS emergency. The Life Saver Medal award ed to Jaworski recognizes a volunteer EMT who makes a noteworthy contribution to ef forts which result in the saving of a life. “Thank God for this com mu nity,” said Jared Busch. “There are not many who would have done that to save another's life." Steve Poetter, Joe’s father and a W ashington County Deputy Sheriff, agreed. In his nearly 30 years in emergency services, an emotional Poetter said, he “had seen very few miracles, but this was one. We bless you from the bottom of our Measure 50 kicks in with tax reductions Though death and taxes re main inevitable, Measure 50 has taken a bite out of the prop erty taxes Oregonians pay. The market value of all tax able property in Columbia County has declined by 2.18 percent (due primarily to a re duction in the assessed value of the defunct Trojan Nuclear Power Plant) and the value of residential properties in the county is mostly unchanged. Two major exceptions are in side the City of Vernonia, where residential market val ues increased by six percent, and rural C latskanie, where market value has increased by eight percent. However, property taxes are not based on market values, but on assessed values, and in 1997-98, Measure 50 reduced assessed values to the 1995- 96 value less 10 percent, and capped the annual increase at three percent, with certain ex ceptions, one of which is bond ed debt. Good news or bad, the first installment on property taxes is due November 15.
