Fire chief speaks for fallen firefighters

Sisters Fire Chief Tay Robertson was the keynote speaker at the annual Oregon Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Salem on Thursday, September 16.

Robertson is Chief of the Oregon Fire Chief's Association. In his remarks at the Oregon Public Safety Academy, Robertson noted that "despite a downward dip in the early 1990s, the level of firefighter fatalities is back up to the same levels experienced in the 1980s."

The chief emphasized the need for comprehensive safety programs and urged firefighters to "beware of the hero mentality."

As the Statesman-Journal reported, "A roll call was taken of the fallen Oregon firefighters. From out of the ranks of the honor guard a voice called out, 'The roll has been taken. There is no reply.'

"Robertson pointed out the importance of preventing new names being added to the memorial wall: 'Focus on those that are still doing the job out there,' he said. '(The job) is not something you take for granted. It's not something safe. There is a lot about attitude that makes the difference in how we perform. Do you have a hero mentality? We need safe heroes in the fire service.'"