News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Look for John Thomas on the river, fly rod in hand.
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."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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