Cloverdale Fire District seeks bond funding

Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District is asking its constituents to approve a general obligation bond on November 4 to fund upgrades in vehicles and equipment as well as construction and remodeling of apparatus bays.

If approved, this measure, not to exceed $2,475,000 of general obligations bonds, provides funds for capital expenditures including:

Replacement of front-line fire engines and emergency vehicles;

Replacement of the Cloverdale Road fire station with a new fire station;

Renovation of the George Cyrus Road fire station;

Replacement of emergency response equipment.

Bonds would mature 20 years from the date of issuance.

The estimated cost to taxpayers is an average of 46 cents per thousand of assessed value each year. Estimated average cost would be $7.66 per month, for a home with a $200,000 assessed value.

The Cloverdale Fire District covers approximately 50 square miles between Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. The fire district operates from two fire stations and is staffed with 25 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel (who serve without pay), one full-time fire chief and one full-time training officer. The district provides structural and wildland firefighting, emergency medical, rescue and fire-prevention services.

The station on George Cyrus Road was built in 1967. The station at Cloverdale Road and Highway 20 was built in 1974. Neither fire station has been certified as meeting current building or seismic standards. Several vehicles have less than 18 inches clearance when in the bays. Garage doors and bays were sized for smaller equipment of 35 years ago and do not accommodate today's larger fire engines.

The replacement and renovation of the two fire stations would provide full-size apparatus bays that accommodate modern apparatus, a training room, indoor storage for equipment/supplies and emergency generators.

The district has two front-line fire engines which are 31 and 25 years old. Because of age and condition, the district reports, they fail to meet current nationally recognized safety standards. Another engine - 31 years old - was taken out of service due to safety and reliability issues. Funding would provide two new replacement engines designed for structural and wildland firefighting, rescue, and all-weather/off-road operation. The new engines would provide reliability and required safety features for the volunteers, (enclosed cabs, anti-lock brakes, three-point seat restraints, and all-wheel drive). Funding would also provide two new command/utility vehicles used for emergency response and support, replacing vehicles 13 and 25 years old.

In addition, funding would also replace some of the primary safety equipment: two-way radios, which meet newly mandated FCC standards, and air bottles for self-contained breathing apparatus.

Measure 9-103 Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District Ballot Title 9-103

Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District General Obligation Bond Authorization

QUESTION: Shall the District issue general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding $2,475,000? If the bonds are approved,
they will be payable from taxes on property or property ownership that are not subject to the limits of Sections 11 and
11b, Article XI of the Oregon Constitution.

SUMMARY: If approved, this measure would provide funds for capital costs including:
- Replacement of front line fire engines and emergency vehicles;
- Replacement of the Cloverdale Road fire station with a new fire station;
- Renovation of the George Cyrus Road fire station;
- Replacement of emergency response equipment;
- Pay bond issuance costs.

Bonds would mature in 20 years or less from the date of issuance and may be issued in more than one series. The
measure is estimated to cost taxpayers an average of $ .4598 per thousand of assessed value each year. For the owner of
a home or property owner, the estimated annual average cost would be $45.98 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value. The
estimated tax cost for this measure is an ESTIMATE ONLY, based on the best information available from the county assessor
at the time of the estimate.

Explanatory Statement

If approved, this measure not to exceed $2,475,000 of general obligations
bonds, provides funds for capital expenditures including:

Replacement of front line fire engines and emergency vehicles;

Replacement of the Cloverdale Road fire station with a new fire station;

Renovation of the George Cyrus Road fire station;
Replacement of emergency response equipment.

Bonds would mature twenty (20) years from the date of issuance.
The estimated cost to taxpayers is an average of $.4598 per thousand of assessed value each year. Estimated average cost would be $7.66/month, for a home with a $200,000 assessed value. Tax cost for this measure is an estimate only, based on the best information available from the County Assessor.

The Cloverdale Fire District covers fifty approximately (50) square miles between Sisters, Bend and Redmond. Organized in 1963, the District is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the voters of the District.
The Fire District operates from two fire stations and is staffed with 25 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel, (who serve without pay), one full time Fire Chief and one full time Training Officer. The District provides structural and wildland firefighting, emergency medical, rescue and fire prevention services.

The station on George Cyrus road was built in 1967. The station at Cloverdale Road and Highway 20 was built in 1974. Neither fire station has been certified as meeting current building or seismic standards. Several vehicles are less than 18 inches clearance when in the bays. Garage doors and bays were sized for smaller equipment of thirty-five years ago and do not fit today's larger fire engines.

The replacement and renovation of the two fire stations would provide full-size apparatus bays that accommodate modern apparatus, a training room, indoor storage for equipment/supplies and emergency generators.
The District has two front-line fire engines which are 31 and 25 years old. Because of age and condition, they fail to meet current nationally recognized safety standards. Another engine (31 years old) was taken out of service due to safety and reliability issues. Funding would provide two new replacement engines designed for structural and wildland firefighting, rescue, and all weather / off-road operation. The new engines would provide reliability and required safety features for our volunteers, (enclosed cabs, anti-lock brakes, three-point seat restraints, and all-wheel drive). Funding would also provide two new command / utility vehicles (used for emergency response and support) replacing vehicles 13 and 25 years old.
In addition, funding would also replace some of our primary safety equipment: two way radios, which meet newly mandated FCC standards, and air bottles for self-contained breathing apparatus.

These improvements would aid in recruiting and retaining a professional volunteer firefighting force.

Respectfully,
Thad Olsen, Fire Chief
Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District
(This information furnished by Thad Olsen, Fire Chief, Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District).

7/29/2014 12:39:00 PM
Busy July for local firefighters

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Cloverdale firefighters knocked down a truck fire last week. The vehicle was a total loss. photo provided

Things have been hopping east of town.

The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District's volunteer firefighters have been very busy over the last couple of weeks. Since the thunderstorms and lightning strikes that rumbled through the area on July 13, the volunteers have responded to 34 calls through Friday morning the 25th.

These calls included a structure fire, two motor-vehicle accidents (one of which involved cutting the driver out of the car on Highway 126 in Dry Canyon), a car fire, a field fire, 10 brush fires, four medical calls, two illegal outdoor burns, as well as various other calls for service.

A parked truck was completely destroyed in Panoramic last Wednesday morning. Friends of the truck owner believe it was struck by lightning. Cloverdale fire officials said the vehicle was too severely damaged to determine a cause of the fire.

To handle these calls, the Cloverdale volunteer firefighters logged over 175 hours of service during the last two weeks.

District Fire Chief Thad Olsen reminded residents that all outdoor burning is closed within the fire district. The rain showers that sometimes occur do not provide enough moisture to fuels in the area to lessen the fire danger. Embers from even small fires can travel quite some distance and start fires in grass, brush or other debris.

7/15/2014 1:18:00 PM
Firefighters knock down garage fire

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Firefighters have to battle heat as well as flames. photo provided

Local firefighters battled hot temperatures as well as flames knocking down a structure fire east of town last week.

At about 1:20 p.m. on July 7, Cloverdale firefighters were dispatched to a reported structure fire on Highway 20 near Rabbitbrush Dr. Firefighters arrived to find a 1,500-square-foot wooden garage ablaze, with flames extending out of a side door.

With help from Sisters-Camp Sherman fire personnel, firefighters saved the building and a majority of its contents. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters endured 90-plus degree heat to fight the fire, and crews had to be rotated out to rest, cool off, and re-hydrate on a regular basis.

Cloverdale and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire crews were assisted at the scene by Oregon Department of Forestry, Deschutes County Sheriff, ODOT, and Central Electric Cooperative personnel. Crooked River Ranch Fire District personnel staffed the Cloverdale Fire District during this incident.

At about 1:55 p.m. while overhauling this fire, Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire personnel were dispatched to a brush fire near the end of Lake Drive, in Whychus Creek Canyon.

A Cloverdale crew left the scene of this fire to assist Sisters and ODF crews with the brush fire in the canyon. Cloverdale crews left the scene and were back in their station by 4 p.m.

Fire destroys small home in downtown Sisters

1929 home total loss; no injuries; cause under investigation

By KTVZ.COM news sources POSTED: 1:18 PM PDT July 13, 2014

Ashley Hixon

Fire tears through the back of a home on Spruce Street in Sisters early Sunday morning

SISTERS, Ore. -

Investigators are looking for the cause of a fire that tore through a small, 85-year-old home in downtown Sisters early Sunday morning, despite the efforts of nearly two-dozen firefighters.

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews responded shortly after 6:30 a.m. to several calls about the fire at 250 North Spruce Street, said Fire Chief Roger Johnson.

Firefighters were on scene within five minutes and worked to keep the fires from spreading to a neighboring home and large Ponderosa pine tree, Johnson said.

Crews were on scene for several hours, extinguishing hard-to-reach, smoldering areas of the 664-square-foot home, owned by Kenneth and Connie Chin of Yorba Linda, Calif., according to Deschutes County property tax records.

The home, valued at $65,000, was a total loss, but there were no civilian or firefighter injuries, the fire chief said.

One person was home when the fire broke out, apparently the homeowners' son, the fire chief said.

Sisters-Camp Sherman firefighters were assisted by crews from Cloverdale and Black Butte Ranch fire districts, for a total of 23 firefighters who worked to put out the blaze, Johnson said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, as well as Deschutes County sheriff's deputies and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire personnel. Black Butte Ranch police also assisted at the scene.

7/8/2014 12:14:00 PM
Sisters man seriously hurt in crash

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Cloverdale firefighters cut a Sisters man from the wreckage of his car. photo courtesy Matt Cyrus, Cloverdale Fire

A Sisters man suffered life-threatening injuries in a single-vehicle crash east of Sisters on July 6.

The crash occurred at about 5:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find that a Ford Explorer had left the roadway and struck a tree on the driver's door, pinning the driver in the vehicle. With help from Sisters-Camp Sherman fire personnel, Cloverdale firefighters used a recently purchased Holmatro hydraulic rescue tool to remove the vehicle's doors and roof to extricate the driver, identified as 46-year-old Cory Lee Madsen of Sisters.

Once Madsen was extricated, he was transported by medics to St. Charles-Bend, where he was admitted with life-threatening injuries.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports that an "investigation determined Madsen's vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed as he was driving southbound on West St. and left the gravel roadway. Madsen's vehicle drove through a wire fence and struck the juniper tree. Alcohol and high speeds were both contributing factors in this crash."

The crash is still under investigation.

Cloverdale Fire Chief Thad Olsen credits inter-agency training and teamwork between Cloverdale and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire departments with the safe and rapid removal of the trapped driver from the vehicle.

6/24/2014 11:20:00 AM
Cloverdale volunteer tapped for state post

On June 20, at the annual conference of the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association (OVFA) Lieutenant Rex Parks, Sr. of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District was sworn in as president of the state association.

The OVFA works at the state legislative level in order to provide guidance to legislators on behalf of the states' volunteer firefighters. The OVFA also provides training to volunteers at their annual conference, which was held at the Chinook Winds Resort Hotel in Lincoln City this last weekend.

An Oregon native, Lieutenant Parks works as a heavy equipment mechanic for the Oregon Department of Transportation assigned to Santiam Junction. He became a volunteer firefighter in 1996, when he moved into the Cloverdale area. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2001 after attending the National Fire Academy in Maryland.

Lieutenant Parks attended his first OVFA conference in 1998, and has attended every conference since. In 2002 he became an Ambassador for the OVFA Board of Directors and has been involved with the board since then. He served as Director and Vice-President before being elected to the position of President this year. His initial goal as president is to work to obtain a tax check-off for Oregon volunteer firefighters. The funds raised would be used to provide more training opportunities for volunteer firefighters beyond what can be offered at the annual conference.

Lieutenant Parks continues to serve as a Cloverdale firefighter in addition to his new duties as OVFA President.

STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

REGULATED CLOSURE PROCLAMATION

Effective 6:00 a.m., PDT, June 21 , 2014

By virtue of the authority vested in me under the provisions of ORS 477.535 to 477.550, I hereby proclaim a Regulated Closure to be in effect in the following subject area:

All lands protected by the Central Oregon Forest Protection District, and all forestland within one-eighth mile thereof.

Under this Regulated Closure, except as to the owner’s legal right of entry upon their land, entry to all forestland is unlawful unless entrants comply with the following restrictions:

· Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads.

· Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except in designated areas. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed. Open fires are allowed if conducted in compliance with a valid Burning Permit issued pursuant to ORS 477.515.

· Chainsaw use is prohibited, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Chainsaw use is permitted at all other hours, if the following fire fighting equipment is present with each operating saw: one axe, one shovel, and one operational 8 ounce or larger fire extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch is required at least one hour following the use of each saw.

· Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. At all other times the area is to be cleared of flammable vegetation and the following fire equipment is required: one axe, one shovel, and one operational 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher in good working order.

· Use of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved roads and except for vehicle use by a landowner and employees of the landowner upon their own land while conducting activities associated with their livelihood.

Possession of the following fire fighting equipment is required while traveling in a motorized vehicle, except on federal and state highways, county roads and driveways: one shovel and one gallon of water or one operational 2½ pound or larger fire extinguisher, except all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles which must be equipped with an approved spark arrestor in good working condition.

· Mowing of dried grass with power driven equipment is prohibited, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., except for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops.

· Use of fireworks is prohibited.

· The release of sky lanterns is prohibited.

· The discharging of exploding targets or tracer ammunition is prohibited.

· Blasting is prohibited.

· Any electric fence controller in use shall be: 1) Listed be a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services; and 2) Operated in compliance with manufacturer’s instructions.

The State Forester or an authorized representative may, in writing, approve a modification or waiver of these requirements.

These restrictions shall remain in effect until replaced, suspended, or terminated by an additional proclamation of the State Forester or an authorized representative.

Maps of the subject area may be viewed at the State Forester's Office, in Salem, Oregon, and at principal offices of the Forest Protection District.

Definitions of words and phrases used in this proclamation may be found in ORS 477.001, OAR 629-041-0005, at:

http://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/closures/definitions.pdf

Tom Fields, Fire Prevention Coordinator

ODF Fire Protection Program

June 23, 2014

6/19/2014 10:35:00 AM
Rifle raffle raises funds

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Ginger Evans of Sisters bought the winning ticket for the .30-06 rifle held by Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association President Damon Frutos.

photo provided

The Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association ran their annual rifle raffle during rodeo this year.

Working out of the first aid booth, in addition to providing medical and fire protection services for the crowd, the volunteers, along with help from their wives, children, and girlfriends, raised $8,913 for their equipment fund by raffling off a Howa Legacy .30-06 rifle with scope.

The volunteers recently depleted their equipment fund to help the Cloverdale Fire District purchase a "Jaws of Life" hydraulic rescue tool.

During intermission on Sunday, rodeo queen Brooklyn Nelson picked the winning ticket which had been purchased by Ginger Evans of Sisters.

Evans met with fire fighters on Monday morning and graciously donated the rifle back to the Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association. Evans said that she and her husband have been involved with volunteer fire departments in the past and know about the difficulty of providing these services with limited budgets.

The Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association thanked Evans for her generosity, the Sisters Rodeo Association for making this event possible, and everyone at rodeo who helped out by purchasing a raffle ticket or T-shirt.

For more information on supporting the fire department, contact cvffa@cloverdalefire.com

to purchase a Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Supporter T-shirt, or call the fire department at 541-548-4815.

www.nuggetnews.com
6/3/2014 1:15:00 PM
Cloverdale firefighters put rescue tool to immediate use

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Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association President Damon Frutos displays the “Jaws of Life” recently acquired ... and put right into action.

photo provided

The Cloverdale fire district recently acquired a new rescue tool for cutting into vehicles - and they deployed it almost immediately in a serious wreck on Highway 20.

Several months ago the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District announced the acquisition and deployment of a hydraulic rescue tool, commonly called the "Jaws of Life." Since being placed in service, Cloverdale firefighters have employed this tool on two separate motor-vehicle collisions in which patients were trapped in their vehicles. Prior to this tool being acquired, firefighters in Cloverdale had to wait for the Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD, or another agency, to respond with equipment capable of freeing trapped occupants from their vehicles.

About six weeks ago Cloverdale Fire's tool developed a hydraulic leak. Due to the tool's age - almost 30 years - repair and replacement parts were not available and repair was not possible. This left the Cloverdale firefighters with limited rescue capabilities yet again.

A new set of hydraulic rescue tools would cost the Cloverdale fire district approximately $35,000, money not available in the districts' budget. Cloverdale Fire Chief Thad Olsen searched for a replacement and was able to locate a newer used hydraulic tool for sale in Chicago for the price of approximately $7,200.

This sum of money was also not available in the current Cloverdale fire district budget, but Chief Olsen approached the Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association President Damon Frutos, and explained the available opportunity and the lack of funds. The Volunteer Fire Fighters Association immediately voted to donate $4,000 of fundraiser contributions to the district so these tools could be purchased.

This newer tool is much more powerful than the tool it replaced, and is capable of cutting the newer metals that are currently being used in automobile manufacturing.

Late on Friday, May 23, the new tools arrived. On Monday and Tuesday of the following week the new tool was tested and placed into service.

Almost immediately, on Thursday, May 29, the tool was used at a collision on Highway 20 and Fryrear Road to remove the occupants of two vehicles (see story, page 1).

Cloverdale firefighters are proud to have these new tools available, and credit the community for its generosity during their recent fundraisers. The Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association has not only solicited donations from local residents through its annual sticker campaign, but has also conducted raffles at the Sisters Rodeo for the last two years. Funds from these events have been paid back to the community with purchases of emergency equipment such as this hydraulic rescue tool, scene lighting, medical equipment and much more. The volunteer association is planning another fundraising raffle at this year's Sisters Rodeo as well as this year's Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

Frutos said "It is truly an honor to serve in a community which cares so deeply about its neighbors. I would like to thank everyone who has so generously contributed to our organization and made this purchase possible."

For more information visit www.cloverdalefire.com or "Like" them on Facebook.

5/30/2014 9:49:00 AM
Fatal wreck on Highway 20 - UPDATED

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Firefighters extricated Cody Herburger from his wrecked pickup after it was struck by an SUV careening across the double-yellow line on Highway 20 at Fryrear Road. photo by Sue Anderson

A woman died Thursday evening in a wreck on Highway 20 just east of the intersection with Fryrear Road. According to Oregon State Police, a 1992 Ford Explorer driven by April Lois Jegglie, age 39, from Bend, was traveling eastbound on Highway 20 near Fryrear Road on Thursday, May 29, when it crossed the centerline and collided nearly head-on with a westbound 1999 Dodge Dakota pickup occupied by Cody Herburger and Nick Newport of Sisters. After impact, the Ford Explorer continued for a brief distance and then left the highway, rolling over.

Jegglie, who was driving with a suspended operator's license, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nugget freelancers Jim and Sue Anderson witnessed the accident.

"Cody Herburger (driving) and Nick Newport (passenger) in Cody's little black pickup were struck by a lady driving a Ford Explorer going east and who was careening around the curve at an excessive rate of speed and lost control of her vehicle," Sue Anderson reported. "After she hit Cody she flipped on her roof and slid by us and ended up on the opposite embankment."

Firefighters extricated Herburger from the wreck and he was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Newport was treated at the scene. Oregon State Police is continuing to investigate the accident, which blocked the highway for period of time, with traffic rerouted onto Fryrear Road

Cloverdale Fire gets 'Jaws of Life' in nick of time

Uses new tool to free injured passengers after fatal crash

By Kandra Kent

POSTED: 8:32 PM PDT May 30, 2014 (Click to follow link.)

4/29/2014 12:46:00 PM
Caution needed in burning season

Burning season is on in the Sisters Country - but spring conditions can make burning dangerous.

On Tuesday, April 22, Cloverdale Fire District responded to a report of an open debris pile burning next to a building in windy conditions. Five firefighters responded with a brush truck and a water tender to extinguish the fire.

According to Fire Chief Thad Olson, this was the third fire of this type firefighters from Cloverdale responded to that week. An additional similar fire was reported last week.

Recently, Olson reported, an escaped burn pile pushed by high winds destroyed two utility trailers and was dangerously close to the home when firefighters arrived.

Cloverdale Fire District reminds property owners to follow all burning regulations and that no burning is allowed during windy conditions. Contact your local fire district if you have any questions and to make sure burning is open prior to burning.

4/29/2014 1:05:00 PM
Firefighters burn to learn

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The Cloverdale fire district hosted other local agencies for a two-day live fire exercise last weekend. Crews from Sisters, Cloverdale, and Black Butte Ranch worked on a variety of structure firefighting techniques on buildings donated by a property owner. photo by Gary Miller

Local firefighters put in two days of live fire training hosted by the Cloverdale fire district last weekend.

On Saturday, April 26, members of several local fire departments met on the north end of Quail Tree Lane in Cloverdale to hone their skills. Firefighters from Bend, Black Butte Ranch, Cloverdale and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire departments learned about fire behavior and experienced live fire in a controlled environment.

Late last year Mary Jo Swaner contacted the Cloverdale Fire District and offered three unused buildings on her property that could be burned for training purposes. After checking the buildings, Chief Thad Olsen of Cloverdale fire district approved the training, and the process began. Over the past several weeks, members of the four departments spent countless hours preparing the buildings and plans for this training. Preparations consisted of removing all fixtures in the buildings, covering windows and doorways, removing window glass, and adding an extra layer of sheetrock to each room to slow the fires' spread into the structural members.

Firefighters were able to practice a variety of situations, including safely moving into a burning room, attacking a fire in a building's interior, and learning how quickly temperatures increase and form dangerous layers of superheated toxic gases that move downward from the ceiling as the fire burns.

In order to ensure the safety of all of the firefighters involved, even in these controlled training events, seven chiefs and fire officers supervised different aspects of the training.

Training officer Michael Valoppi from Cloverdale said that teamwork was essential in this event. Captain Richard Cearns of Black Butte Ranch fire district and Deputy Chief Ryan Karjala of Sisters-Camp Sherman fire district spent countless hours helping to prepare both the buildings and the plan for the day's training, as well as scheduling and logistics.

Firefighters were able to extinguish six different fires in the garage before the fire moved into the structural members and compromised the safety of the structure. At that point the fire was allowed to burn and consume the building.

On Sunday firefighters planned to burn two other structures on the property, but had to cancel that training due to the high winds the area experienced. The training staff hopes to be able to complete that training in early May.

Captain Cearns from Black Butte Ranch fire district said that the trainers were able to meet all of their objectives during the day of training.

Most of the firefighters and instructors that attended the training were volunteers, students in one of the departments' fire training programs, or firefighters attending training on a day off from work.

Firefighters from Cloverdale fire district stayed at the site for several hours Saturday night to ensure that there was no possibility of any of the burned materials rekindling or spreading.

Chief Thad Olsen of Cloverdale fire district thanked Swaner for her donation, as well as Matt Cyrus, Ranch Country Outhouses, and Home Depot of Bend for their donations of materials and services to make the training a success.

For the full story and video, click the link below.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/sistersarea-firefighters-raise-funds-for-slide-victims/25352514

Sisters-area firefighters raise funds for slide victims

"Fill the Boot" effort aims to help those in need

By Femi Abebefe

POSTED: 8:05 PM PDT April 6, 2014

C.O. firefighters help slide victims

SISTERS, Ore. -

It's been 15 days since a mudslide hit the town of Oso, Wash. On Sunday, Sisters-area firefighters reached out to the community to help raise money for the victims.

The Cloverdale, Black Butte and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire departments held a "Fill the Boot"-style street-side fundraiser to help the hard-hit Washington community.

The volunteer firefighters were stationed in Sisters at Ray's Food Place, Chevron and at the corner of the Sno-Cap Drive-In to ask the community and passers-by to help the victims up north.

"I mean, that's just the great part of the community that we're in," said Cloverdale fire volunteer Lt. Damon Frutos. "Its neighbor helping neighbor, so even though they're in Washington, it's a neighboring state, and people understand that."

During the four hours they were out on the streets, the fire departments raised over $4,000. That money will be sent Monday to the coastal community bank in Darrington, Wash. All proceeds will go to the victims of the mudslide.

www.nuggetnews.com

3/25/2014 2:03:00 PM
Local firefighter takes up battle against cancer

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Damon Frutos with Holly Davis. photo by Kit Tosello

By Kit Tosello

As a fireman, Damon Frutos makes his living by saving lives. On Sunday afternoon, he'll exchange his fire hose for an acoustic guitar to help save the lives of children suffering with blood cancer. Frutos will perform at Sisters Coffee Company to raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

His goal is twofold. Frutos must first raise $1,000 in donations in order to earn the privilege of raising more funds; the $1,000 mark qualifies him to register early for the 2015 Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle, an arduous competition which supports the mission of LLS by raising funds through sponsorships.

Frutos gained inspiration when he met a young leukemia survivor who attends Sisters Elementary School with his son Brennan.

"I was reminded of the impact The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has had in the lives of those suffering from blood cancer," said Frutos. "Her name is Holly."

Holly Davis, now a first-grader, underwent rigorous treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has remained cancer-free since 2011.

Holly's mother, Darcy Davis, noticed the "Firefighter Stairclimb" emblem on the jacket Frutos was wearing, leading to a conversation in front of the elementary school about how, during Holly's fight against leukemia, she had been an honored patient at the Stairclimb. Holly had been amazed to see so many men and women who didn't even know her, fighting to help her win her battle.

Every March, Stairclimb competitors, loaded down with their fire gear, scale the 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the observation deck of the 788-foot-tall Columbia Center in downtown Seattle - the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. Frutos had hoped to participate in this year's Stairclimb, but the event has become so popular that registration fills up in less than 15 minutes.

"I was not able to pull on my gear and participate along with my fellow firefighters this year," said Frutos.

Hence, he tuned his guitar and planned a series of performances. Last Sunday his efforts netted enough to put him over the original $1,000 goal for early-bird registration. During the concert, he introduced Holly, who proclaimed the concert "cool."

Encouraged, Frutos has now raised his goal to $1,500 and scheduled an encore performance. On Sunday, March 30, from noon to 3 p.m. at Sisters Coffee Company, he'll perform some of his original compositions and cover many of his favorite contemporary worship songs.

For more information or to donate online, visit www.llswa.org/goto/damonfrutos2014.

www.nuggetnews.com

3/13/2014 9:15:00 AM
Cloverdale firefighters mark 50 years

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Cloverdale firefighters demonstrated extraction and dousing a vehicle fire in a special event at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds last weekend. Photo by Jerry Baldock

The firefighters of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District took over the Sisters Rodeo Grounds on Saturday, March 8, to display fire and emergency equipment to the residents and visitors of the community.

The public was invited as fire equipment from Bend, Crooked River Ranch, Sisters, and Cloverdale were displayed. Also on display was the marine unit from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Life Flight and AirLink helicopters, and BrightSide Animal Center with adoptable animals.

Smiles abounded as kids, big and little, took the opportunity to climb on the shiny red trucks, helicopters, and other displayed equipment. Several door-prizes were awarded with donations from Sisters Cascade of Gifts, Sisters Mainline Station, and Sisters Market. The volunteers also ran a 50/50 raffle, in which Ginnie Patskowski of Sisters won the prize of $100.

Volunteers demonstrated the extrication of a trapped patient from a vehicle by cutting the roof and doors off a car. Later the car was set on fire and the volunteers demonstrated how they would go about extinguishing that fire.

The volunteers thanked the Sisters Rodeo Association for the use of their facility, and Sara Marcus, this year's Miss Rodeo Oregon, for helping with the door-prize drawing.

This event was organized by the Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association to thank the community for all of its help throughout the years as they complete their 50th year of service. Volunteers thank local residents and visitors for their support and look forward to serving into the future.

For more information visit www.Cloverdalefire.com, or find them on Facebook by searching for Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association.

www.nuggetnews.com

3/11/2014 1:46:00 PM
Cloverdale fire offices under construction

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New facilities will help with response times in the busiest part of Cloverdale fire district.photo provided

Travelers along Cloverdale Road and Highway 20 east of Sisters have probably noticed the construction activity at Cloverdale's Fire Station No. 2 at the junction of Cloverdale Road and Highway 20.

This work is the installation of the new administrative offices of the fire district. The new building will move the Monday-Friday daily operations closer to the majority of calls for help that the district receives. The buildings will have space for volunteers to sleep at night, allowing firefighters to respond more quickly to emergencies.

The new building will not house equipment or apparatus.

Over the last two years fire district staff has analyzed the calls they respond to. They found that over two thirds of the district's calls come from the south end of the response area, which is served by volunteers from Station No. 2. In light of this information the district board of directors voted to construct a new office building to move the paid staff and daily operations to Station No. 2.

Fire Chief Thad Olsen took this opportunity to improve the district's response times by building living quarters into the new facility. This will allow the district to add to the number of volunteers that are on the roster. With sleeping quarters, volunteers who live outside of the response area can respond and serve the people of the district by spending nights at the station. This will allow the district to get a fire truck headed to an emergency faster than if volunteers are responding from their homes and have to first drive to the station to get a fire truck.

Chief Olsen was able to get this project underway with a loan through the Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO). He used the limited funds available to have a modular building constructed by the Building Trades Program at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon. This program gives inmates some work skills and also saved the fire district thousands of dollars. The building was built in four sections, and they were trucked in two weeks ago, and placed on the foundation by crane on March 6.

Chief Olsen says there are still a few things to do before they move into the building. The roof has to be finished, utilities have to be hooked up, and furnishings need to be installed.

This construction project included the installation of a septic system at Station No. 2. Station No. 2's volunteers have for years been using a porta-potty donated by Ranch Country Outhouse, with no facilities to wash their hands or clean up after a call. The new building has two bathrooms and laundry facilities.

Board President Jerry Johnson said that this is the first major step in moving the Cloverdale Fire District into the future. The project will allow for future 24-hour coverage beyond what the volunteers can currently provide, and will allow the department to move forward with its goal to provide safer equipment, more modern multi-purpose apparatus, and energy-efficient facilities.

Cloverdale fire district marks 50 years

Children get to feel like firefighters for a day as part of the celebration

By Scott Hammers / The Bulletin

Scott Hammers / The Bulletin

Cloverdale firefighers work to remove a car door during a mock rescue, staged Saturday at the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District's 50th anniversary celebration at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.

Published Mar 9, 2014 at 12:01AM

SISTERS — The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District celebrated its 50th birthday Saturday, inviting the community to the Sisters Rodeo Grounds to see an array of emergency vehicles up close and in person.

A couple dozen small children, many in plastic firefighter helmets, spent the day racing from vehicle to vehicle, crawling up the high steps to take a turn sitting behind the wheel and meeting firefighters from various local agencies.

Beside a Crooked River Ranch Fire District truck, Kai Spencer, 4, of Sisters, looked puzzled as Assistant Chief Mark Wilson tried to explain why the brim should be worn facing backwards. Given an opportunity to try on Wilson’s helmet, Kai staggered, reeling under the weight as the helmet settled onto his head.

The actual date the Cloverdale department was formed is a little hazy, but it was sometime in 1963, said volunteer firefighter Sam Sellers. For much of the past year, the department has been marking its 50th anniversary and working to boost its public profile.

With two paid staff and 22 volunteers, the Cloverdale district serves a 50-square-mile triangle, with a population of around 3,500 mostly south and west of Sisters. Even after 50 years, though, the department is still largely unknown, Sellers said.

“A lot of people in our district don’t even know we’re here,” he said. “They think we’re part of Sisters.”

The 50-year milestone has also brought some significant upgrades for the department.

At the station on George Cyrus Road, new offices are under construction, as well as sleeping quarters to allow volunteers on an overnight shift to stay close to the vehicles and equipment. Sellers said the department also recently acquired its first rescue vehicle, complete with all the equipment needed to dismantle a car or truck and free a trapped occupant.

Cloverdale firefighters put that new equipment to use Saturday in a mock rescue staged for an audience, chopping off the roof of a car to remove one of their fellow firefighters playing the role of injured victim.

Several surrounding agencies joined Cloverdale for Saturday’s event, with the Bend, Crooked River Ranch and Sisters departments bringing their own firetrucks, and LifeFlight and AirLink each bringing a helicopter.

Maddox Spencer, 6, of Sisters, joined his younger brother and a group of friends, crawling through the cab of every vehicle at the rodeo grounds multiple times.

Pressed for his favorite fire vehicle, Maddox ticked off Bend’s ladder truck, the Sisters-Camp Sherman off-road truck, Cloverdale’s new rescue unit and more, until he’d listed nearly every vehicle on site.

“Everything is awesome,” he said.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com

Cloverdale Fire District celebrating 50 years

Saturday event seeks to raise awareness, funds for district (Click Link below for video).

http://www.ktvz.com/news/cloverdale-fire-district-celebrating-50-years/-/413192/24868640/-/yor56dz/-/index.html

By Alicia Inns

POSTED: 6:45 PM PST March 7, 2014 UPDATED: 7:55 PM PST March 7, 2014

50th anniversary flyer.jpg

http://nuggetnews.com/SiteImages/Article/OriginalSize/21939a.jpg

Click link for photo.

Mary Smith donated a quilt for firefighters to raffle to fund new equipment. Damon Frutos was happy to accept on behalf of the fire district. photo provided

____________________________________________________________________________
Renowned quiltmaker Mary Dement Smith of Sisters has donated a quilt valued at $1,500 to the Cloverdale Volunteer Firefighters Association to help raise funds for equipment.

After seeing an article in The Nugget last fall about the volunteers' raffle of a rifle at the Sisters Rodeo, and the equipment that they

purchased with those funds, Smith thought that she could use this as a way to support their organization.

Mary is a longtime quilter and lives in the Cloverdale Fire District.

Mary says the volunteers have been a great help to her family in the past, and it is comforting to know they will always be there when needed.

Smith has been a quilter for many years, and has in the past 10 years designed many landscape or pictorial quilts and quilt patterns. She and her late husband traveled to many quilt shows around the country and in Sisters as vendors selling her quilts, patterns, T-shirts, etc. She entered quilts in many of the shows, donated quilts to several organizations as fundraisers, and often received awards and ribbons on her quilts. She was the Featured Quilter at the Roseburg Quilt Show in 2009 and has won numerous prizes at the Pendleton Quilt Show Challenges.

Mary assembled the five-foot-square quilt over a period of approximately two months, and presented it to the firefighters on January 16 at the Sisters Library, where the quilt is currently on display during the Friends of the Sisters Library Art Show.

Tentatively, the firefighters plan to raffle the quilt during the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July. Raffle tickets will be available for sale after February 1 at the Cloverdale Fire District office (541-548-4815).

The volunteers tentatively plan to use the funds to purchase additional Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to assign EMT/firefighters, enabling EMTs to respond to medical calls directly from their homes without having to first go to a fire station to pick up this lifesaving equipment.

12/23/2013 12:58:00 PM
Volunteers fit out new emergency rig

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Cloverdale volunteers put hours and hours into outfitting a new (to them) truck. photo provided

Volunteers with the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District recently put a newer, safer, emergency vehicle on the street.

Sisters Country folks may have seen the yellow four-wheel-drive 1997 International truck in the area. It was in this years' Rodeo parade, as well as the Christmas parade. The newer truck has allowed the volunteers to put a set of Holmatro hydraulic rescue tools (commonly referred to as the "Jaws of Life") in service. These tools were used for the first time on Friday, December 13, to extricate a patient trapped in a car at a collision on Fryrear Road.

The district has relied on used and donated equipment for many years. Since the appointment of Thad Olsen as fire chief, the district has purchased some new equipment, including two new brush trucks that are actually designed to carry the weight of equipment that is needed for firefighting, while improving the safety of firefighters and increasing firefighting capabilities.

In January 2013 the district suffered a major loss when its 2003 Ford brush truck, used by the duty officers to respond to virtually all calls during nights and weekends, caught fire. A short in the electrical system of the 10-year-old truck caused a fire that resulted in the total loss of the truck.

With the insurance settlement, and $20,000 from the district's reserve fund, Chief Olsen located and was able to purchase a 15-year-old used fire truck from a fire district in Pennsylvania that had a new truck on order. This truck could replace the destroyed truck and improve upon its capabilities.

The fire district board of directors approved the purchase and the truck was trailered out to Oregon. The volunteers have spent hundreds of hours since the arrival of the truck equipping it and training on its use.

According to Chief Olsen, all of the mounting and installing of equipment on this truck was done by volunteers.

This truck has a much larger 750-gallon-per-minute pump, a five-person enclosed cab, and carries more water, hose, and equipment than the truck it replaces. The burned truck was basically a pickup chassis with a utility bed that had a 300-gallon water tank and small pump. The new truck carries 100 more gallons of water, a 650-gallon-per-minute increase in pumping capability, and structural as well as wildland firefighting equipment. Although the new truck does not meet standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for a Type 1 structural fire engine, the truck can be used to fight structural fires as a Type 2 engine.

The new truck will be based at station No. 2, on Cloverdale Road and Highway 20. Chief Olsen says that while this truck meets 90 percent of the needs on 90 percent of the calls in station No. 2's response area, there will still be an older (1981) NFPA Type 1 engine at that station for those times that it is needed. The new truck will also respond to all vehicle accidents in the fire district.

The district is in the process of addressing the needs of station No. 1 on George Cyrus Road Currently the district relies on two 1981 Pierce Type 1 pumpers that were purchased from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue at a cost of $5,000 each.

The volunteers are extremely happy with the newer truck's safety features, as it has an enclosed cab, where all of the firefighters can ride inside. This is quite an improvement over riding in the open back seat of one of the 1981 engines during winter weather.

Firefighter Sam Sellers, currently taking an EMT class at COCC on his own time, says that he can still remember riding into Bend at about 3 a.m. last March to help with several fires there. He remembers looking down at the snow and ice rushing by on the road at his feet, as the engine drove into town at about 35 miles per hour due to road conditions, trying to keep warm in the below-freezing temperatures.

The 1997 engine also is equipped with three-point shoulder restraints, a major improvement over the lap belts that the 1981 engines have. It has seats that allow for the mounting of breathing apparatus so that all of the firefighters can put on this equipment while en route to the emergency.

Other equipment this truck features is class A and B foam, emergency medical gear, a 12,000-pound winch, a 10-kilowatt electrical generator to supply electrical power at emergency scenes, as well as the six floodlights that are mounted on the truck, and a digital pump control that automatically maintains water pressure. The four-wheel-drive allows firefighters to more easily access areas of the district when roads are snowed-in.

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12/17/2013 11:16:00 AM
Firefighters rescue man trapped in wreck

Cloverdale firefighters extracted a 53-year-old man from his vehicle after it was involved in a collision on Fryrear Road east of Sisters on Friday.

Michael Wilson of Bend was acting as a postal delivery driver in his white 1991 Subaru wagon late Friday morning when the accident occurred. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Wilson had his vehicle facing northbound on the northbound shoulder near two mailboxes. Tygh Redfield, 63, of Sisters, was driving his Toyota truck southbound on Fryrear Road approaching the area of Wilson's vehicle, when suddenly for an unknown reason, Wilson's vehicle lurched forward and to the left, into Redfield's lane of travel.

Redfield did not have time to react and his truck collided with the right side of Wilson's Subaru on the southbound shoulder. Both vehicles continued west of Fryrear Road, crashing through a fence. Wilson's vehicle came to rest jammed head-on into a tree. Redfield's truck came to rest nearby. The Toyota truck sustained major front-end damage and was towed from the scene by Davis Towing. The Subaru was totaled, sustaining major front and right-side damage and was towed from the scene by Consolidated Towing.

Cloverdale firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools that have recently been put into service to gain access to the patient for Sisters-Camp Sherman fire department paramedics.

Wilson was extricated from the vehicle and transported by Life Flight helicopter to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

No citations have been issued.

10/29/2013 12:34:00 PM
Rifle raffle yields fire equipment

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The Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association presented the district’s board of directors with thousands of dollars worth of new equipment at the district board meeting on Wednesday, October 16. The equipment included rescue stabilization struts, scene lighting, and back-up cameras for six trucks. photo provided

The Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Fighters Association presented the district's board of directors with thousands of dollars worth of new equipment at the district board meeting on Wednesday, October 16. The equipment included rescue stabilization struts, scene lighting, and back-up cameras for six trucks.

At this year's rodeo the volunteers raffled off a rifle and scope combination that raised nearly $10,000. The volunteers obtained the rifle through a donation from Cloverdale Fence Company, and the rifle scope through a donation from Leupold & Stevens.

The volunteers used these funds to purchase stabilization struts purchased from Rescue 42, a Chico, California company. The struts are used to support cars or other heavy objects, so that rescuers can remove trapped victims without having the car or object move and further injure the trapped victim or the rescuers.

According to the fire district, this particular brand was purchased not only because it is an excellent product, but because it allows for easy inter-operability with surrounding fire agencies such as Sisters Camp-Sherman and Bend fire districts, which use the same rescue strut. The set of two struts and ancillary equipment cost the volunteers in the neighborhood of $3,000.

The volunteers also purchased three large pole-mounted LED scene lights to the tune of approximately $3,200. These will be mounted on three of the district's trucks that do not have adequate area lighting for night operations. Each light emits 14,000 lumens of white light, using power from the trucks' standard electrical system.

The volunteers have also purchased six backup cameras for trucks that are regularly operated with one person and have restricted rear visibility. The cameras allow the driver to see directly behind the truck, when a second person is not available to guide the driver while backing. Costs for the backup cameras run approximately $2,000.

The volunteers have used the remaining funds from the raffle to purchase medical supplies for the district.

Clinton Weaver, president of the Cloverdale Volunteer Firefighters Association, says that the volunteers "would like to say a hearty thank-you to all of the people who have donated to the volunteers' fundraisers this year that have made these purchases possible. We run a couple of fundraisers each year, and direct the funds in a variety of directions. This year, we had several extra equipment needs that the district could not fulfill, and were able to supply them all."

9/24/2013 12:21:00 PM
Firefighters train for vehicle fires

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Cloverdale firefighters train on a simulated vehicle fire. photo by Jesse Gardner

You are driving down the highway and see a car pulled over to the side of the road on fire. Perhaps it has been involved in an accident, or the fire was caused by a mechanical or electrical malfunction. Many thoughts may go through your head such as "hopefully no one is hurt" or "that's terrible" - but how about the danger to the firefighters responding to put the fire out?

Firefighters face many dangers when trying to extinguish a car fire: The explosive capability of the hydraulic struts that hold your car's hood or rear hatch open; the shock absorbers that allow the bumpers to collapse in a collision that can blow up and throw shrapnel for over 100 feet; the air bags that may deploy without warning due to excessive heat as a firefighter reaches into the car; the carcinogens that are produced when the plastic in the car burns.

On Monday, September 16, firefighters from the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District met at the Northwest Transfer Station with trainers from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) to practice their techniques of fighting vehicle fires.

The DPSST provided a simulator, a welded steel shell shaped like a car and equipped with propane burners and igniters. This allows new firefighters to learn, and more experienced firefighters a chance to practice, their skills against real fire. The simulator burns propane, which does not cause the environmental problems that an actual burning car produces. The flames can also be remotely stopped instantaneously in event of a problem, which lowers the potential for injury to the firefighters during training.

This training was supervised by trainers from DPSST as well as Cloverdale fire's training officer Michael Valoppi, and Fire Chief Thad Olsen.

Chief Olsen said that this type of training provides many advantages to firefighters, besides the obvious benefit of learning the proper techniques of putting water or another extinguishing agent on a fire. Using actual fire adds stress to the firefighters, beyond normal training, forcing them to work through the physiological responses that they will encounter in a real fire. This especially gives newer firefighters confidence in their equipment, in that they know that it works and will protect them, and training, in that they learn that the theories taught to them in a classroom actually work in

practice.

Chief Olsen thanked the Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste for allowing the fire district to use their facility for the training.

8/27/2013 1:03:00 PM
Teen acts quickly in home fire incident

A Sisters teenager took the right steps and likely saved the family home late Friday night.

The teenager was home alone Friday evening at her home on Bluegrass Loop in Crossroads

when she heard the sounds of a smoke alarm. She quickly went to her bedroom,

where she saw her mattress burning. She closed the bedroom door, called 911 and exited the house.

Firefighters with the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire district arrived to find the fire had spread from the bed

to some furnishings in the room. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire through the bedroom

window and then confirmed the fire did not spread to the walls and attic of the structure. Sisters-Camp Sherman

fire district was assisted by firefighters from Black Butte Ranch fire district and Cloverdale fire district.

Fire Chief Roger Johnson stated; "The occupant did everything right by having working smoke alarms,

closing the door as she left, and immediately calling 911."

Having a working smoke alarm is essential in alerting residents of fires while they are small.

Working smoke alarms also double your chance of getting out of a fire alive.

By closing the door to the bedroom the fire was contained in a small area and actually starved for oxygen.

Smoke damage to the rest of the structure was also reduced due to the closed door.

A fire investigator with the Office of State Fire Marshal responded to the scene the next morning to assist

with the fire cause investigation.

The fire was caused by a lamp that fell onto the mattress, catching the bedding and mattress on fire.

http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=21414&TM=51653.81

Firefighters' procession honors Hammack

A procession of firefighters escorted by Deschutes County Sheriff's Office units rolled through Sisters with lights on Friday afternoon, in honor of John Hammack, a timber faller who was killed by a falling snag on Thursday morning.

The procession provided an escort of honor for the fallen firefighter's remains, recovered today from the site of the incident and transported to Redmond Memorial Gardens. The procession included his family and members of law enforcement and wildland and structural fire agencies from throughout the area.

Hammack, a Madras resident, was 58.

Norman Jay Crawford of Sisters, age 48, was injured in the incident. The incident occurred on a lightning-sparked fire north of Highway 242 in the Mt. Washington Wilderness near Dugout Lake.

The firefighters were reportedly struck when a snag burned through and fell Thursday morning, shortly after 9 a.m. Hammack was struck by the tree and killed. Crawford was struck by falling tree limbs and received serious injuries to his shoulders. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, he was able to notify U.S. Forest Service employees of the incident, who in turn notified Deschutes County 911. Crawford was transported by ambulance to an AirLink helicopter and flown to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. He was released from the hospital on Thursday.

Dave Vitelle of Bear Mountain Fire told The Nugget that he has worked with Hammack in the past.

"He was by far one of the most skilled fallers that I've ever had the opportunity to work with," Vitelle said. "He lived and breathed the woods."

Fallers cut down dangerous snags (standing dead trees) in fire areas to allow firefighters to work safely.

Hammack was raised in Sisters, where he was known as an outdoorsman and "a heck of a cowboy." Hammack competed in bareback bronc riding and bulldogging (now known as steer wrestling) in the Sisters Rodeo, where he won the all-around in 1974, '77, ' 80, and '84, according to Sisters Rodeo Association President Glenn Miller.

Hammack competed on the IPRA (International Professional Rodeo Association) circuit for many years. Miller said that he won the all-around at Madison Square Garden in New York in the '70s, but he was not certain of the year.

"He was a friend of mine, too, for years," Miller said. "He was a good guy."

Pay it Forward: Cloverdale firefighters need medical gear

Link to Video:

http://www.ktvz.com/news/pay-it-forward-cloverdale-firefighters-need-medical-gear/-/413192/21119320/-/b7vj90z/-/index.html

The Cloverdale Fire District's been busy all weekend, working on the Sunnyside Turnoff fire near Warm Springs.

They've also been called to big fires out of their district, like the church fire in downtown Bend back in March. But a majority of the time they are actually helping the community with medical calls -- one volunteer at a time.

"We have to have volunteers. Our tax rate is the lowest in Central Oregon and there's no way we could possibly pay a firefighter, let alone 19 that could respond at a moment's notice to take care of an emergency," said Clinton Weaver, president of the Cloverdale Volunteer Firefighters Association.

In the past few years, the volunteers have raised nearly $10,000 for outdated equipment.

Now, the department needs new blood glucose meters to determine a patient's blood sugar level and devices to show a patient's pulse rate while an ambulance is on the way.

The new meters cost about $100 apiece and will save the crew time --potential life-saving seconds.

"You can get a lot done in that 30-40 seconds," Weaver said. "These monitors are going to help us get even more done in that time period."

That's why the Volunteer Association is this month's Pay it Forward winner and on behalf of Mid Oregon Credit Union, Co-Energy Propane and NewsChannel 21, we surprised the fire chief with $500.

"This is a huge deal for us, and it's a great benefit to our community. And without the volunteers, we would be paralyzed," said Fire Chief Thad Olsen.

Olsen and Weaver say their success depends on the volunteers who do it all for the love of the job -- paying it forward to the community.

"Virtually all of us live in this district," Weaver said. "We are helping out our neighbors and our friends. And this $500 is going to help us do that even better."

The district is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested, call 541-548-4815 or visit cloverdalefire.com

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The Oregon Dept. of Forestry issued this news release today.

ODF tightens fire prevention restrictions in Central Oregon

For immediate release Local media distribution

July 2, 2013 Contact: Tracy Wrolson, 541-447-5658 ext 227

Rapidly increasing wildfire danger has prompted Oregon Department of Forestry to tighten public fire prevention restrictions in its Central Oregon District. Effective at 6 a.m. on Thursday, July 4. These restrictions apply to private and non-federal public forestlands in 12 counties including Harney, Morrow, Grant, Wheeler, Gilliam, Hood River, Wasco, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson, along with small portions of Umatilla and Lake counties.

Assistant District Forester Tracy Wrolson said that the current hot weather is drying vegetation quickly and as a result fire danger levels are increasing dramatically.

“Last week’s rains helped delay the onset of severe burning conditions, but this heat wave has erased those benefits,” Wrolson said. “Fine fuels like grass and brush will easily ignite now. People need to be extra careful when recreating or working in the forests.”

The following activities are restricted or prohibited:

Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads.

Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except in designated areas. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed. Open fires are allowed if conducted in compliance with a valid Burning Permit issued pursuant to ORS 477.515.

Chainsaw use is prohibited, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Chainsaw use is permitted at all other hours, if the following firefighting equipment is present with each operating saw: one ax, one shovel, and one 8-ounce or larger fire extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch is required at least one hour following the use of each saw.

Cutting, grinding and welding of metal are prohibited between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. At all other times the area is to be cleared of flammable vegetation and the following fire equipment is required: one ax, one shovel, and one 2-½ pound or larger fire extinguisher in good working order.

Use of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved roads and except for vehicle use by a landowner and employees of the landowner on their own land while conducting activities associated with their livelihood.

Possession of the following firefighting equipment is required while traveling in a motorized vehicle, except on federal and state highways, county roads and driveways: one shovel and one gallon of water or one 2-½ pound or larger fire extinguisher, except all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles which must be equipped with an approved spark arrestor in good working condition.

Mowing of dried grass with power driven equipment is prohibited, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., except for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops.

Use of fireworks is prohibited.

The release of sky lanterns is prohibited.

The discharging of exploding targets or tracer ammunition is prohibited.

Blasting is prohibited.

· Any electric fence controller in use shall be: 1) Listed be a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services; and 2) Operated in compliance with manufacturer’s instructions.

These restrictions apply to private and non-federal public lands protected by the Department of Forestry. Visitors to National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands should check with the U.S. Forest Service or BLM to see what fire safety restrictions apply.

Providing fire protection on a budget

By Jim Cornelius 4/16/2013 1:52:00 PM
News Editor

Keeping Sisters Country properties safe from fire requires skill, training and dedication. When it's done on a tight budget, it also requires creativity.

The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, with two paid staff members and 19 volunteers, has the lowest tax rate of any district in Central Oregon, at $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The larger and more complex Sisters RFPD operates on $2.73 per $1,000.

That gives the department about $330,000 per year in budget. The Cloverdale RFPD board of directors has held the line on that tax rate and budget, not wanting to increase the burden on local residents during tough economic times. That means that the board and Fire Chief Thad Olsen have to find extremely cost-efficient ways to deliver fire protection and keep 19 volunteer firefighters and medics safe as they respond to calls.

"The board has chosen not to go to the voters to ask them (for more)," Olsen said. "We try to live within our means. To do that, we have to be creative."

An example of creativity is found in the way the fire district obtained pumpers to replace aging units that Olsen noted "were very unreliable and unsafe."

There was no way to purchase two new engines at a price tag of $350,000. But the district searched out a pair owned by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue.

"They had two engines that were slightly older, but they had excellent maintenance records on them," Olsen said. "We were able to purchase those two trucks for $10,000 total."

The trucks have served the district well, but they are now showing their age and use.

"They're still serviceable," Olsen reported. "Maintenance issues are starting to come up. We're looking at options to replace them, but funding is an issue for us."

There have been other bargain purchases of quality equipment to improve performance and safety without breaking the bank.

Two new quick-response vehicles/brush trucks went into service during the summer of 2012. The new trucks are built on 2012 Ford F550 extended-cab four-wheel-drive chassis with a gross weight rating of 19,550 pounds. The trucks are designed to handle a variety of emergency calls, from motor vehicle wrecks to brush fires to medical emergencies.

The district is also looking to shift its presence to the south end of the district, where 70 percent of calls originate. The problem is that there is only a small garage at Station #2 at the Cloverdale Road/Highway 20 intersection.

Building a new station there would cost $1.5 million -out of the question for the district.

The district decided to build a separate building to house offices and sleeping quarters (which will allow the district to attract much-needed students and out-of-district volunteers). Olsen got in touch with the Treasure Valley Community College Building Technologies department and the district is crafting an intergovernmental agreement that will get the building up for the cost of materials - and the educational value for the college.

"Hopefully by the end of the summer we'll be in a new building," Olsen said.

The cost will be a fraction of the price of a new station, and improve response time to that end of the district.

Part of the cost of fire protection is the price paid by homeowners for fire insurance - a price determined by ISO rating. Cloverdale has trained hard to attain the lowest rating possible.

The Insurance Services Office is the entity that rates fire departments throughout the U.S. On a scale of 10, with 1 being the best rating, Cloverdale received a 6 for all homes in the fire district and a 3 for homes within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant, which includes all of Aspen Lakes, a portion of Panoramic View Estates, and the homes near the end of Ponderosa Cascade.

According to district officials, these ratings are almost unheard of in a rural fire district and are among the lowest in Central Oregon.

The combination of low tax rates and a good insurance rating means that residents of the Cloverdale district are getting a lot of value out of their fire department.

4/2/2013 1:05:00 PM
Cloverdale firefighter set to retire

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Look for John Thomas on the river, fly rod in hand. photo by Jim Cornelius

By Jim Cornelius
News Editor

For the past 18 years, Deputy Chief John Thomas has been training volunteers for the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District. It's an important job; the district only has two paid staff members - to serve the community, the district relies on volunteers (see related story, page 6).

Thomas served in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War and had 25 years in the restaurant business before coming to Sisters. He volunteered with Cloverdale while managing Lutton's Ace Hardware for eight years. When the position of deputy chief and training officer came up, Thomas became a full-time firefighter.

"In all the things I've done, this is the most fulfilling part of my career," he said.

Under Thomas' program, Cloverdale has added qualified volunteer EMTs and kept a level of training and readiness that helps the district maintain low insurance ratings for a rural, mostly un-hydranted community.

Two elements of the work give Thomas particular satisfaction. One is the relationships he's built in the community through serving its residents, sometimes in the worst of circumstances. The other is seeing volunteers fulfill dreams of being firefighters and progressing in their skills and abilities.

The deputy chief admires the volunteers.

"They sign on and they make a commitment to respond," he said. "It doesn't make a difference what day of the week or day or night, if they're available, they're going to respond."

Thomas acknowledges that he's going to miss the work. He won't be sitting on the couch, though. An avid fisherman, he plans to spend a lot more time on the rivers of Central Oregon, tempting fish to strike his hand-tied flies. He also enjoys backpacking with his wife, Ann. He's also started restoring a '57 Chevy pickup.

Chief Thad Olson told The Nugget that training duties will be taken on by firefighter and EMT Michael Valoppi. Cloverdale is working to coordinate its training program with that of the nearby Sisters fire department, with whom the district has a mutual-aid agreement.

Volunteers are always welcome. It's a big commitment, requiring 150 hours of training before a firefighter is ready to respond to a blaze, but the satisfaction of the work is considerable.

Thomas knows that satisfaction well. He says, simply, "I am proud to be a firefighter."

3/26/2013 12:32:00 PM
Crash sends man to hospital

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A Portland man crashed his Porsche into several trees along Highway 126 late Monday afternoon. photo by Gary Miller

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The driver was transported to the hospital via Life Flight, suffering serious injuries. Speed was believed to be a factor in the wreck.photo by Gary Miller

A Porsche traveling at a high rate of speed careened off Highway 126 Monday evening and crashed into roadside trees.

According to sheriff's office reports, the driver, 58-year-old Grant Prentice of Portland, was seriously injured and transported via Life Flight air ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

The sheriff's office reports that Prentice was driving westbound in a blue 200 Porsche Carrera and narrowly missed a westbound cyclist. Hitting the curve near Buckhorn Lane, the vehicle left the roadway on the westbound shoulder. The vehicle hit the cinders and continued off road until it struck two pine trees. The vehicle then struck a third pine tree with the driver's side of the vehicle. The pine tree broke into pieces and the vehicle came to rest facing south on the north side of the highway.

Life Flight landed at nearby Aspen Lakes to transport the driver to the hospital.

The sheriff's office notes that the investigation is continuing. Any witnesses to this crash are encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at 541-693-6911.

The Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted at the scene of the crash.

3/19/2013 12:41:00 PM
Brush fire a sign of the season

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A Cloverdale firefighter helps knock down the first brush fire of the season. photo provided

The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District responded to the first brush fire of the year on Thursday, March 14.

A field fire grew out of control in the 18000 block of Highway 126. Although attended, the reported 10-mph winds in the afternoon quickly blew the fire out of control. The temperature was 62 degrees at the time.

Smoke temporarily obscured traffic on Highway 126 as firefighters quickly controlled the blaze. Cloverdale firefighters responded with two brush trucks, one water-tender, and six firefighters. The district was assisted by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.

The fire burned about two acres of grass, several fence posts, and was stopped just before it crossed onto a neighbor's field, which contained a wooden storage shed.

Thad Olsen, chief of Cloverdale Fire District, reminds residents that no burning is allowed during periods of high winds, and persons conducting burns should do so during the morning hours, when humidity is high, and the normal afternoon breeze has not kicked up.

"Winds at the time were reported by the National Weather Service as being 10 miles per hour," Olsen reported. "Although this does not sound high, it was enough to blow this fire out of control, and nearly onto a neighboring property. Although it is still very early in the year, weather conditions have been such that light flashy fuels, such as grasses, can be dry and easily ignitable."

Senate Bill 360 makes property owners responsible for any fire which escapes from their property. Chief Olsen reminds everyone to be especially cautious during this time of year when contemplating burning, whether it is a burn barrel or a field.

(Click Story title for Video)

String of likely arson fires hit two Bend churches, homes.
Suspects sought in at least five blazes at S. end of downtown
By Barney Lerten
Alicia Inns
POSTED: 4:56 AM PST March 6, 2013 UPDATED: 6:04 AM PST March 6, 2013

NewsChannel 21's Alicia Inns was on scene as fire crews from across region were called in amid string of suspicious, possible arson fires in downtown Bend.
BEND, Ore. -

Firefighters from across Central Oregon rushed to downtown Bend early Wednesday morning to help battle a string of at least five apparent arson fires that hit two churches, two homes and a garage. At least one home was reported fully engulfed, while police tracked footprints in the snow in a hunt for suspects.

The string of incidents apparently began shortly after 2 a.m., as police were responding to a possibly unrelated reported disturbance involving several people near the M&J Tavern on Greenwood Avenue.

Smoke was soon spotted coming from the Trinity Episcopal Church at 469 NW Wall Street, on the other (south) end of downtown.

Fire crews arrived to find smoke billowing from an open door at the church and sparks coming from the roof of the roof of that building and the church's second, adjacent building, initial reports monitored by KBND indicated.

Police called to the scene also said rocks apparently had been thrown through the church's windows.

As police and fire units arrived, another report came in of a fire at the nearby Grace Bible Church (formerly First Lutheran Church) at 500 NW Wall Street.

A short time later, dispatchers received a report of a home engulfed in flames on Broadway Street. As police made sure it had been evacuated, a string of fires broke out in the alley near the Episcopal Church, apparently debris and trash cans set ablaze.

A garage fire was reported in that alley, with flames spreading to the adjacent house.

Then came a report of a fire at a home on Jefferson Place, where police reportedly used fire extinguishers to douse that blaze. Another fire was reported at a home on St. Helens Place.

Fire officials soon sounded the alarm for a Central Oregon structural protection task force, reporting a total of five structure fires at that time.

Fire crews from as far away as La Pine and Redmond were called in, as well as others from the Sisters, Cloverdale, Black Butte Ranch and Sunriver fire departments, both to relieve Bend crews and also help staff fire stations.

New snowfall also challenged the called-in fire crews. A Sisters fire captain said they had to drive close to 20 mph at times for safety reasons.

There were no reports of injuries.

Meanwhile, Pacific Power and Cascade Natural Gas crews were called in to help get lines shut off in the area, and the Red Cross was called in to assist affected residents.

Numerous streets in the south end of downtown Bend and the adjacent Old Town neighborhood were closed for the fire cleanup and investigation.

Larry Medina, deputy chief of fire prevention, said roads were blocked off heading into the morning commute in an area from Louisiana Avenue on the north to Georgia Avenue on the south and to Broadway Street to the west.

He asked that anyone with information that could help in the investigation contact Bend police through Deschutes County dispatchers at (541) 693-6911.

Medina told KBND five structures had been involved, including the two churches, with extensive damage to Trinity Episcopal Church and damage to the adjacent kitchen/dining hall.

Trinity Episcopal, a Gothic-style church built in 1929, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We'll have more details as they become available, and a full report on NewsChannel 21 at Sunrise.

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District hosts multi- fire agency burn to learn. 2-9-2012

Cloverdale Fire District, along with Black Butte and Sisters Camp Sherman fire districts, participated in a "burn to learn" training opportunity hosted by the Sisters Camp Sherman Fire District. 55 firefighters had taken part in this multi-level training exercise to hone their skills in fire behavior knowledge and fire suppression response. Our thanks goes out to Doug Myers, interim Training Chief, and Fire Chief Roger Johnson for inviting us to the well planned and executed event.

(Click Here for Pictures)

12/18/2012 2:30:00 PM
Fire claims lives of four dogs

A fire at a dog kennel on Gist Road at 1:30 a.m. Monday, December 17, took the lives of four AKC registered Maltese dogs.

According to Deputy Chief John Thomas of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, the cause of the fire was likely electrical.

Units from Cloverdale hit the scene quickly, backed up by an engine from Sisters, and were able to keep the fire from doing even more damage. One of five kennels was destroyed.

"We were able to extinguish it very quickly and prevent the high winds from pushing it into any other exposures, like the house it (the kennel) was attached to," Thomas said.

Nuggertnews.com

10/30/2012 12:26:00 PM
Cloverdale fire district earns new rating

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The Cloverdale fire district is proud of their work to attain a better ISO rating. photo provided

After a year-and-a-half of waiting, the results are in. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) has released its newest rating for the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD).

ISO is the entity that rates fire departments throughout the U.S. and directly influences homeowners' fire insurance rates.

On a scale of 10, with 1 being the best rating, Cloverdale received a 6 for all homes in the fire district and a 3 for homes within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant, which includes all of Aspen Lakes, a portion of Panoramic View Estates, and the homes near the end of Ponderosa Cascade.

According to district officials, these ratings are almost unheard of in a rural fire district and are among the lowest in Central Oregon. According to ISO, only 3.4 percent of fire departments nationwide have attained an ISO rating of 3 or better and only 39 percent have attained a rating of 6 or better.

ISO rates fire districts in three categories and assigns points. Ten percent of the score is based on how well alarms are dispatched and received by the County 911 Center. Fifty percent of the score is based on a fire department's station distribution, personnel, equipment, and training. Forty percent of the overall score focuses on water delivery.

The volunteers - as well as their equipment, training, and water supply - are crucial to the rating.

"Without a dedicated group of volunteers, the district would not be where it's at today," said Fire Chief Thad Olsen. "We have a great group of men and women who donate their time to training in order to provide the district with the great service we have. The board of directors has been very supportive and has provided for some much-needed equipment upgrades. The ISO rating is a testament to everyone's hard work."

CRFPD Board President Keith Cyrus seconded Olsen's praise and credits Chief Olsen and the District's volunteers with this very favorable rating.

"Our low tax rate combined with a great ISO rating couldn't be achieved without the hard work and dedication of Chief Olsen, Deputy Chief (Jon) Thomas, and all of the great volunteers. These men and women volunteer hundreds of hours of their time and expertise to providing excellent fire and medical service to the community."

Water supply is a key aspect of the rating, and Chief Olsen credits the Aspen Lakes water system with helping the district achieve these ratings. Prior to the development of Aspen Lakes, the district had maintained an ISO rating of a class 8.

When Aspen Lakes was developed, the developers installed fire hydrants and a high-volume water supply system, as well as an extra hydrant at the intersection of Highway 126 and Camp Polk Road for the benefit of the fire district and its patrons. In addition, they also helped the fire district install a hydrant in the Sun Mountain water system at the end of Ponderosa Cascade in order to serve the water supply needs in the south end of the district. Having a fire hydrant at those locations allows the district to fill its water tenders rapidly and reduce turnaround time during fires.

With the new hydrant fill sites, the fire district was then able to challenge its ISO classification for the first time and, in 1998, it improved its rating from ISO class 8 to class 6. At that time, Aspen Lakes was not rated separately. Instead, its rating numbers were averaged into the district's non-hydranted areas in order to improve the overall district ISO score.

This time, due to a number of improved capabilities of the fire district, the Aspen Lakes community and a portion of the Ponderosa Cascade area were scored separately and received an ISO class 3, while the rest of the district was able to maintain its class 6 rating in spite of a more stringent classification process.

In recent years, Cloverdale has upgraded its three water tenders, which can be filled rapidly and better deliver the water necessary to fight fires anywhere in the district that does not have hydrants.

To the taxpayers in Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, this means a potential savings in fire insurance premiums that could more than offset the property tax that they pay for fire protection, district officials note.

With a typical coverage plan, a home that is insured for $500,000 would pay approximately $2,500 if it were outside the fire district. If it were in CRFPD's boundaries, it would pay $1,800, and if it were within 1,000 feet of a hydrant, it would pay $1,200.

The savings potential with the new ISO ratings can be significant. Chief Olsen advises homeowners to check with their insurance company to ensure they are getting the best rate possible.

Olsen added, "The district is always looking for dedicated volunteers to be part of our organization. If you reside in Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District and are interested in serving the public, please contact us."

Olsen can be reached at 541-548-4815.

10/30/2012 12:09:00 PM
Arson investigators seek cause of fire

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Fire ravaged a vacation home east of Sisters last Friday. Investigators are seeking information. photo by Gary Miller

An Oregon State Police (OSP) Arson Section detective is continuing the investigation into Friday night's suspicious fire southeast of Sisters that extensively damaged a vacation home.

On October 26, at approximately 7:08 p.m., firefighters from Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District and Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District responded to a reported fire at 17850 Warrin Rd.

A two-story vacation home was ablaze. The fire extensively damaged the home, which was not occupied at the time, and caused additional damage to a detached garage. Estimated total damage is not available.

Fire investigators from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office and OSP Arson Section are involved in the investigation to determine the cause.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.

Anyone with information that may help in this investigation is asked to call the OSP Arson Tip Line at 800-452-7888. Detective Andrea Vaughn is the lead OSP investigator.

9/9/2012 11:46:00 AM
Fire erupts near Pole Creek Trailhead - updated at 2:25 pm

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Photo taken from Cloverdale Road. photo by Kiki Dolson

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View from Holmes Road. photo by Jon Renner

PRE-evacuation notices have been issued for Crossroads and homes in the Forest Road 16 area. Forest Road 15 and Forest Road 16 are closed. Three Creeks campground is being evacuated. Hwy. 242, McKenzie is being closed at the Trout Creek intersection west of Sisters. Highway 20 over the Santiam Pass remains open.
A fast-developing fire is burning southwest of Sisters in the vicinity of the Pole Creek Trailhead. A large smoke plume is visible from downtown Sisters. According to Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, there are people in the wilderness that might be affected by the fire, which, dispatchers say, "is growing rapidly." The immediate emphasis for fire personnel is to contact hikers and get them to a safe place. Smoke jumpers were unable to access the fire due to windy conditions. Ground crews are responding. A Type III fire management team is in place and a Type II team is on order. Weather forecast call for windy condtions. There are no campground or residential evacuations ordered at this time. More details as they become available.

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Next Preparedness Fair will be September 15, 2012

Click picture above for more information.

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8/21/2012 1:05:00 PM
Fire district adds new brush trucks

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New brush trucks add to the capabilities of the Cloverdale RFPD. photo provided

Two new quick-response vehicles/brush trucks are in service at Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District.

The new trucks are built on 2012 Ford F550 extended-cab four-wheel-drive chassis with a gross weight rating of 19,550 pounds. The trucks are designed to handle a variety of emergency calls, from motor vehicle wrecks to brush fires to medical emergencies.

Fire Chief Thad Olsen notes that the trucks offer a significant boost to firefighter safety, thanks to their anti-lock braking systems.

The trucks replace aging rigs and surpass their capabilities. They have increased water tank capacity at 350 gallons and 130-gallon-per-minute pumps. They also feature Class A foam, self-contained breathing apparatus, emergency medical equipment, saws and scene lighting.

The district can add equipment like hydraulic rescue equipment in the future without exceeding the vehicles' weight capacity.

The trucks were designed by a committee of volunteers and staff, with help from Robberson Ford of Bend, Cascade Fire Equipment of Medford and Highway Products of White City. The total cost of the rigs was under $160,000, benefitting from using Oregon vendors. The department received bids of over $122,000 per truck from fire truck manufacturers.

They were paid for out of basic property taxes, with no bond or levy assessment. Cloverdale RFPD residents pay $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value for fire protection services.

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Click on this link for a video from Z21 News on our New Trucks.

Cloverdale Fire adds two new response vehicles to its aging fleet.

The Cloverdale Fire District recently added two new first response vehicles to its fleet. Both are replacing older, under powered and smaller first response rigs. They carry more water, hose and people. The new lighting and siren systems allow our entering the highway more safely from both of our stations. Allowing us to respond to emergency situations, not only quicker, but safer as well.

One of the new twins at Cloverdale Fire District.

Both 641 and 642 are equipped with Emergency Medical Aid Response and the ability to handle numerous emergency situations.

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7/24/2012 12:37:00 PM
Firefighters get thermal camera

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Volunteers raised funds for a second thermal imaging camera for the Cloverdale fire district. photo by Jerry Baldock

By Jim Cornelius
News Editor

The house is filled with smoke. It's almost impossible to see more than three feet in front of the respirator mask that covers your face. But you have to go in and find someone who is trying to crawl out or perhaps has been overcome by fumes.

Fortunately, you have the right tool for the job.

When that scenario plays out in the Cloverdale fire district east of Sisters, firefighters and those they serve can thank the fundraising efforts by volunteer firefighters for a thermal imaging camera that will make firefighting efforts more efficient - and could save lives.

The Cloverdale Volunteer Firefighters Association presented the district with its second thermal imaging camera at a board of directors meeting last week. According to Association President Clinton Weaver, the district now has a camera at each of the district's two stations, which means that it will be on-scene quickly at a fire.

The camera "sees" heat, Weaver explained. That means firefighters can locate victims in a dark and smoke-choked room by their body heat. They can also detect sources of fire that may not be visible to the naked eye - and also easily determine where the fire isn't.

In a structure fire, firefighters must be assured that there is no fire in the walls. The time-honored way of doing that is simply cutting into the walls, which can make damage from a fire much more extensive. The camera eliminates the need for intrusive action. It can "see" through the sheetrock, and firefighters can determine whether or not there's fire.

"If there's not fire behind the sheetrock, we don't have to tear the house apart," Weaver said.

The cameras cost $10,000 to $12,000 new, Weaver told The Nugget. The district was able to get a line on a demonstration model for $6,000. The volunteers raised the funds to make the purchase through a unique fundraiser. They purchased a commemorative Winchester model 1894 .30-30, which they sold at raffle during the Sisters Rodeo. They quickly sold out 1,500 tickets.

"We're very thankful to the community, because they bought the raffle tickets up before the Saturday evening show," Weaver said.

The district was also assisted by a corporate donation from rural insurer Country Financial, arranged by Ray Austin of Redmond.

The Winners of the Cloverdale Fire Raffle at this years Sisters Rodeo:

Brandon Stayles of Oregon won the rifle. and

Bill Frith of Oregon won the knife/cutting board set.

Thank you to all who purchased a ticket supporting our Volunteer Fire Fighters Association!

Please use this link and register your cell phones with your address so that a REVERSE 911 Emergency Call can find you.

http://www.deschutes.org/9-1-1-Service-District/Citizen-Emergency-Notification-System-%28CENS%29.aspx

2/28/2012 1:24:00 PM

Wind storm drops trees, sparks fire

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A downed power line sparked a blaze that consumed an outbuilding. photo by Donald Wilt

The wind that swept through Sisters Country overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday last week broke trees and sparked a fire that consumed a garage building in Camp Sherman.

Heavy gusts knocked down trees in Sisters neighborhoods and put one down on Highway 20 near Black Butte. Responding Oregon State Police troopers reported hearing trees crashing in the forest all around.

High winds caused a limb to fall across a power line in Camp Sherman. The line split apart and began arcing as it fell onto a woodshed/garage owned by Brian Metke at 26311 S.W. Metke Ln.

"The building and all contents were declared a total loss, but the adjacent cabin, pump house and vintage pickup, a 1966 Dodge Power Wagon, were spared thanks to a quick response from firefighters from Sisters-Camp Sherman, Black Butte Ranch, and Cloverdale Fire Departments," reported neighbor Don Wilt. "The building was considered a local landmark as it was built by the late, legendary Camp Sherman log cabin builder Luther Metke and his grandson, Brian, in about 1975. The accident knocked out power to several residents in the area but was restored by Central Electric Power (Cooperative) within a few hours. Lost in the fire were a number of antiques, including an organ."

No one was injured in any of the wind-related incidents.

Sunday October 16,2011

Cloverdale Fire District Fire Fighters Memorial

Law enforcement officials believe a small fire near Sisters on Friday was human-caused.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday deputies responded to the 69400 block of Hinkle Butte Drive regarding a brush fire. Upon arrival, deputies noted a fire approximately one acre in size, burning slowly in an open field void of trees or structures. Sisters and Cloverdale firefighters were able to control the fire quickly. No structures were immediately threatened.

(Click the picture above to read the full story at Nuggetnews.com)

http://www.ktvz.com/news/28469508/detail.html

(Click the link to read the story & watch the video.)

Good Samaritans Step Up, Fight Cloverdale Fire

Wind-Fanned Blaze Could Have Spread Far, Fast

POSTED: 10:19 pm PDT July 6, 2011 / UPDATED: 11:34 pm PDT July 6, 2011

3/15/2011 1:02:00 PM
Cloverdale firefighters take on test

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Cloverdale firefighters conducted testing that will determine insurance ratings for the rural district. photo by Gary Miller

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Speedy deployment of water is a key element of tests the Cloverdale fire department faced last weekend. photo by Gary Miller

By Jim Cornelius
News Editor

For a rural fire district, one number looms large. That's the ISO rating - the rating number by which the insurance industry measures fire risk. The amount the district's resident pay for fire insurance depends on getting the best number possible.

Last weekend, the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District faced a test that will determine whether they can hold onto their ISO 6 rating (ISO 1 being best; ISO 10 being worst).

Maintaining a strong ISO rating is getting tougher and tougher out in the country, according to Fire Chief Thad Olson. In recent years, wildfires in rural areas across the United States have brought structure loss and changed the way the insurance industry calculates risk. That poses a big challenge for rural district's like Cloverdale, where there are almost no fire hydrants and reserve equipment is not in the budget.

Actual performance of the fire department is not the major part of a district's score. If it was, the Cloverdale district would be sitting pretty.

"In the past year and a half, we've had three house fires - and we've saved everything," Olson said.

Instead, the score is heavily based on infrastructure, equipment and staffing - water flows, hydrants, reserve equipment, speed and efficiency of dispatch and proportion of at-station paid staff.

All of those considerations stack the deck against the district, no matter how good its firefighters - mostly volunteers - are at fighting fire.

With a tax rate of $1.09 per $1,000, the lowest for any district in the county, Cloverdale doesn't collect enough to fund major equipment purchases, although the district did upgrade trucks through a loan.

And the district doesn't have hydrants, which knocks about 40 percent off their score right off the top.

"We're doing the best we can with the rules they've set against us," Olson said.

Rating methodology aside, Olson is very confident in his department's capabilities.

"I guarantee you today we are better off and have more capabilities than we did three years ago," he said.

The district firefighters did very well on last weekend's test, which focused on how long it takes to get water to a fire, pumped into and out of vehicles and storage tanks, the deployment of hoses the like.

"We've practiced this for the past seven months," Olson said. "Our times were 15 percent better than they've been through our whole training. I couldn't be prouder of the people."

The outcome is uncertain. It'll take six months for the rating to come out and there is an appeal period following that, if the district feels the need to challenge findings.

"How they rate is yet to be determined," Olson said. "I'm hopeful that we'll be able to maintain a 6. We'll stay a 6 for the time being, but the deck is kind of stacked against us."

NEW Water Tenders!

We have replaced all three of our 1973 vintage water tenders. The new Tenders carry 3,000 gallons of water each, on Kenworth heavy-duty chassis, with 750 gallon per minute pumps.

Cloverdale firefighters respond to two illegal burns

Lack of snowpack could mean early Central Oregon fire season

Fire destroys small home in downtown Sisters

1929 home total loss; no injuries; cause under investigation

STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

Uses new tool to free injured passengers after fatal crash

Cloverdale fire district marks 50 years

Cloverdale Fire District celebrating 50 years

Saturday event seeks to raise awareness, funds for district (Click Link below for video).

Gift of $500 will fund blood glucose readers, other devices

Next Preparedness Fair will be September 15, 2012

Good Samaritans Step Up, Fight Cloverdale Fire

Wind-Fanned Blaze Could Have Spread Far, Fast