Fallen Sisters firefighter added to memorial

The name of John Hammack will be added to Oregon's Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial in Salem.

The Oregon Board of Public Safety Standards and Training voted unanimously last week to add Hammack's name along with four other fallen firefighters to the memorial on September 18. Every September, the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony recognizes all of the Oregon firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The memorial is located in Salem at the Oregon Public Safety Academy.

Hammack, who was living in Culver, was well known as a rodeo cowboy and tree faller in Sisters. He was killed on August 1, 2013, at the age of 58.

The nomination for the memorial notes that, "On August 1, 2013, John Hammack, 58, a professional faller employed by R&K Water Service was part of a two-person falling module assigned to Incident 398 on the Sisters Ranger District...

Incident 398 included the task of felling a large 64-inch diameter legacy Douglas fir that was struck by lightning and set the top on fire....

At approximately 0911 hours, after several actions to prepare for a safe felling environment and just as John was returning to the base of the tree, a large portion of the top of the tree burned out, broke loose and tragically fell directly onto John killing him instantly while indirectly striking and injuring his falling partner (Jay Crawford of Sisters)."

The names will be added to the state memorial that currently honors 163 fallen structural, airport, and wildland firefighters from Oregon who have died in the line of duty. The addition will take place Thursday, September 18, at 1 p.m. on the campus of the Oregon Public Safety Academy, 4190 Aumsville Highway S.E., Salem. The Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial is a tribute to career and volunteer fire service personnel and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting lives and property across the state.