October 25,2008 Cloverdale Volunteer Fire
Fighters Association, clean up the highway...
Seven Members of the CVFFA were out bright and early Saturday
the 25th of October on their, bi-annual, Adopt- A -Highway Clean up. Thank
you to Captains Rex Parks & John Thomas, Lt. Michael Valoppi, FF. Deanne Dement,
FF. Shawn Smith, FF. John Downs and FF. Bill Farley for keeping our community
litter free.
Association Meeting 8-25-08
Support Services Member Awarded by the State Fire Marshall...
Bill Johnson, a Support Services member of CRFPD, was recognized and
awarded by the State Fire Marshall Nancy Orr for his involvement in the State
Communications Overhead Team which he is a member. Bill and his team have been
instrumental in the ability to command and mitigate incidents throughout the
state. Most recently, the Egley fire, in Eastern Oregon. Bill's wife, Wilma, was
also in attendance to witness the event. We are honored as a Department to have
Bill Johnson affiliated with us.
The Nugget / August 18, 2008
Lightning sparked a
fire in the Squawback area some 10 miles northeast of Sisters on Sunday night.
photo by Gary Miller
Windy conditions on
the Summit Springs Complex stirred the fires and kept firefighters busy trying
to hold containment lines.
The fire complex is considered 30 percent contained, according to the incident
management team battling the series of blazes sparked by lightning last Sunday.
Firefighters worked throughout the day Thursday to strengthen containment lines
established by night crews. A few spot fires broke loose on the Green Ridge and
Summit Springs Fires but crews were able to quickly reestablish the lines.
Helicopters continued to provide critically important support for firefighters,
though air tankers were grounded by the high winds. The eastern flank of the
Summit Springs Fire, which has seen acreage growth due to the high winds of the
last few days, was held in check this yesterday.
Fire
consumes home on Fadjur Lane
A raging fire driven
by stiff winds consumed the home of Jim and Becki Neal on Sunday afternoon.
The fire call came in at
3:12 p.m., according to Cloverdale fire district assistant chief Thad Olson. The
Neals had been napping when they awoke to find the TV had gone off. A visiting
grandniece smelled smoke. Becki went outside to check the cable and saw the roof
on fire. Jim went into the home's furnace room and saw fire in the attic. When
the couple tried to call 911, they found their phone line dead and they rushed
outside to call from cell phones. The first unit responded within five minutes,
Olson reported, but the fire was already venting through 25 percent of the roof.
"It was fully involved within three minutes of the first crews arriving," Olson
said. "Wood shake shingles really helped the progress of the fire, and we had
very strong winds - about 25 miles per hour out of the northwest - which pushed
the fire throughout the building."
Despite the raging progress of the fire, the Neals were able to get out safely,
though they could not salvage any possessions. The home, valued at $350,000, was
a total loss. The home's destroyed contents were valued at roughly $100,000,
including irreplaceable antiques and rodeo memorabilia.
The Neals were insured. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading
to outbuildings, though the wind created several spot fires in surrounding
brush. Two fire engines, two tenders and two brush trucks responded from the
Cloverdale firehouse, and Sisters backed them up with two engines and a water
tender. Olson thanked Sisters for assisting in the battle.
Ironically, the wood shake
roof that fed the fire was a requirement when the home was built in 1980. The
shingles were called out to conform with neighborhood standards. Wood shake
roofs are now considered a serious fire risk. "It's like having kindling on top
of your house," Olson said.
Sisters Rodeo Association is opening accounts at U.S. Bank and Bank of the
Cascades for donations in the name of the Neals.
New Assistant Chief Comes to Cloverdale Fire:
Thad Olsen has stepped into the role as Assistant Chief for the Cloverdale Rural
Fire Protection District. With 20 years of experience Asst. Chief Olsen was
selected through a rigorous selection process, where applicants applied and
tested from as far away as Illinois. Asst. Chief Olsen says he is excited to be
here, and we are happy to have his experience in our midst.
8/14/2007 5:31:00 PM Cloverdale
fire district seeks volunteers
By Jynx Frederick
The Cloverdale
Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD) is seeking new volunteers to participate
in Central Oregon's firefighter recruit academy. The training program will take
place beginning in September and will last until December.
The recruit program consists of a number of classes, taken every Saturday for
the four-month period (September-December). These classes are comprised of
training courses to certify participants as a National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) Firefighter 1. A Firefighter 1 certification is the next step
above a basic firefighter.
Volunteers must be residents of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District.
The Cloverdale RFPD area includes approximately 40 square miles within which lie
about 1,500 homes, between the Sisters, Bend and Redmond fire districts.
CRFPD Chief, Chuck Cable, says that he is looking for two kinds of volunteers.
"We are looking for those who want to become active firefighters and we are also
looking for those who wish to serve just as drivers and apparatus operators," he
said. "This gives those who may be unable to physically fight fire a chance to
serve the fire district and their community, as well. If you already possess a
Commercial Driver's License (CDL), that's even better, though not required."
A volunteer must be able to respond at all hours of the day or night to any
number of emergencies if necessary.
"Being a volunteer is a time commitment. Once the initial training is over,
ongoing training is essential to remaining ready to respond," said Lt. Michael
Valoppi.
Volunteer training and equipment is paid for by CRFPD.
Cloverdale RFPD holds training drills Monday nights at 7 p.m. at Station 601
located at 68787 George Cyrus Rd.
For more information visit www.cloverdalefire.com or call 548-4815 Monday
through Friday.
68787 George Cyrus Rd. Sisters, OR 97759-9788
