Tillamook Fire Chief Jeff McBrayer Named to Head Netarts-Oceanside Fire Department

Jeff McBrayer of Netarts will lead the Netarts-Oceanside Fire Department (NOFD) after current Chief Tim Carpenter retires in June. McBrayer will be only the second Chief since the Netarts and Oceansider Fire Districts merged a quarter-century ago. In an interview with The Oceansider, Chief Carpenter indicated that McBrayer was ranked highest among the contenders in all subject areas during the panel interviews conducted in early March. He added that McBrayer and he have the “same outlook on a lot of issues” which will “ease the transition for the community, Department volunteers and our staff.” McBrayer will leave his current position as Chief of the City of Tillamook Fire Department, where he worked for several years as both a volunteer and on staff.
Tillamook County Pioneer

SW Polk Fire District battles barn blaze, investigation underway

PHOTOS: The SW Polk Fire District battled a barn fire on Wednesday morning in the 10700 block of Briedwell Road. Firefighters say that the barn was fully involved when they arrived at the scene. Crews were able to get quick control of the fire, officials said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. SW Polk Fire District thanks Dallas Fire and Polk County Fire District #1 for their assistance.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

’Largest Cascadia drill ever’ on Oregon coast set for Newport Airport in May

In the largest exercise of its kind ever on the Oregon coast, Lincoln County Emergency Management, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM), City of Newport, Scappoose Fire District, Life Flight, Team Rubicon, and the United States Coast Guard, will host a two-day exercise to introduce and train first responders and volunteers in the deployment of the newest Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP), housed at the Newport Municipal Airport. On May 14 and 15, emergency management personnel from around the state will exercise response to a simulated emergency, such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and ensuing tsunami. First responders will have an opportunity to set up, test, and demobilize tents and other EAP equipment.
KVAL-TV CBS 13 Eugene

A 71-year-old man is dead after a fire at his Medford residence

A 71-year-old man is dead after the building he was living in caught fire Monday night. According to Medford Police, the fire broke out in a two-story garage in the 2300 block of Howard Avenue. The building had a living space upstairs occupied by Don Tersieff. Upon arrival, first responders say a vehicle parked in front of the garage as well as the entire garage door were engulfed in flames. Nearby residents were immediately evacuated by MPD officers. Firefighters say the building was permitted as a garage back in 2005, but according to city records, more recent modifications did not have updated permits or approvals. Additionally there was only one access point which made it difficult for firefighters to gain entry.
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue option levy to appear on May ballot

A new option levy for emergency services will appear on May's ballot for voters in Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue's service area. TVF&R says over the last five years the frequency of emergency incidents they receive has increased 23%, meaning the department needs to grow too. The levy will cost 69 cents per $1,000 assessed home value, which is 24 cents more than the current levy. That would equal roughly $210 a year for the average home. The current levy expires June 2025. TVF&R says the new five-year levy will allow them to retain 92 existing firefighter and paramedic positions and add 36 more, as well as add new equipment. "That was an analysis of what our costs would be. That ranges from the first responders that I mentioned earlier -- the apparatus -- specifically we'll be purchasing apparatus that are used for wildfire fighting. And then units that are used to transport patients,” said Cassandra Ulven, director of government and public affairs.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Region: OSU collaborates with Karuk Tribe in California to learn how traditional tribal forest fire controls worked

Oregon State University researchers have teamed with the Karuk Tribe to create a novel computer simulation model that showcases Indigenous fire stewardship’s role in forest ecosystem health. Western scientists and land managers have become increasingly cognizant of cultural burning but its extent and purpose are generally absent from fire modeling research, said Skye Greenler, who led the partnership when she was a graduate research fellow in the OSU College of Forestry. “We developed this project in collaboration with the Karuk Tribe to explore the impact of cultural burning at a landscape scale in a completely new way,” she said. “The information that went into this model is not new at all – it’s been held by Karuk Tribal members for millennia – but we developed new methods to bring the knowledge together and display it in a way that showcases the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across this landscape.”
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