Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2004)
Page 24 The INDEPENDENT, September 16, 2004 Mist-Birkenfeld Fire District celebrates 25th year of volunteerism Most people can only imag- ine what it would be like to wait three hours for an ambulance, or 45 minutes for a fire engine. But residents in the sparsely populated Nehalem Valley area of Mist and Birkenfeld weren’t using their imaginations—it was reality! In the late 1970s, they decided it was time to take care of the problem. A Quick Response Team was formed, whose members took a crash injury manage- ment class, then continued studying to become state certi- fied Emergency Medical Tech- nicians (EMTs). The medics were “equipped” with a lime green 1969 Pontiac ambulance donated by Rainier Fire. Volunteer firefighters ac- quired a 1942 Ford pumper with a 250 gallon tank from Elsie-Vinemaple. Others re- searched a fire dis- trict that Norm Mueller Can’t beat salmon smoked on a Traeger! had been formed in the 1950s and found three board mem- bers of the dormant district. Norman Mueller started to work and, with help and encour- agement of many, the dis- trict was reactivated in 1979. The new board of direc- tors – David Crawford, Sr., Amos Cutright, Art Laubach, Ralph Learn- ed and Larry Oblack – appoint- ed Mueller as Fire Chief, a vol- unteer position. From that renewal, the peo- ple of the district continued to work hard, improving their skills at every opportunity and seek- ing funds to provide the servic- es needed. Olympic Forest Products gave $1/99-year lease for a fire hall – built mostly with donated materials and labor. Used turnouts were acquired, along with a 1956 American La France engine. When the Mist gas fields were developed, Arthur Lau- bach started working on a for- mula that would allow more money to come to the district. It was hard, it required an act by the legislature, but it was ac- complished. Terry Bair took over as chief in 1981, followed by Randall Hansen in 1984. M-BRFPD be- came the first all-volunteer dis- trict to qualify every firefighter as a Firefighter 1. Dave Crawford, Jr., became chief in 1986 and, in 1988, Northwest Natural provided an endowment that pays for a full- time fire chief. In addition to its main station on Hwy. 202, the district now has four substations – and their out- standing training efforts continue. There was a lot to celebrate last Saturday. Per- haps Terry Bair said it best: “Service is the Assistant Fire Chief Sally Smith, Colum- best gift you can bia 9-1-1 Communi- give to your com- Mary Lou Busch cations District. munity.” Couple sets hard- to-beat standard with 25 Years of volunteer service with the M-BRFPD Ann Berg Nick Berg PROUD SPONSOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 60 YEARS 2008 Main Street • Forest Grove • 503-357-6011 M-F 8:30-5:30 • Sat 8:30-5:00 • Closed Sunday Bill De Jaeger, chairman of the M-BRFRD, and Fire Chief David Crawford, Jr., display 9/11 tribute art donated by Haakinson-Groulx .
