Firefighters honored for service

Last Sunday, Sisters resident Leith Easterling called paramedics to check on her elderly mother, who was experiencing shoulder and back pain and feared she might be having a heart attack.

The driveway at her home was in bad shape due to snow, and the paramedics' rig got stuck. When help responded to get them access, an off-duty employee came out with a snowblower and cleared driveway access and a path to the door.

"They go above and beyond to help," Easterling said. "We've had to call them many times over the years, and their service has always been amazing. They always assure us that we did the right thing (by calling). They make my mom feel better - and safe. They make me feel better. They just go above and beyond."

That ethic of extraordinary service to community was celebrated Friday night in the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District's annual awards banquet at FivePine Lodge and Conference Center.

"Your great generosity has a large and lasting impact on our community," keynote speaker and fire district board member Chuck Newport told the assembled fire crews and their families.

Fellow board member Jack McGowan noted that such impacts reverberate across the state.

"You act in Sisters and think as an Oregonian," he said.

Fire Chief Roger Johnson and Deputy Chief Tim Craig recounted a year of heavy activity, from fire incidents to significant training operations - which included a Women's Fire Academy, ongoing work with an introductory fire service program at Sisters High School, and a major multi-agency active-threat drill.

The active-threat drill held at Sisters High School, had particular value and provided the district and its partners with new capabilities.

"It's incredible the amount of information that was gained with this," Craig said.

Firefighters and others were recognized for saving two lives from sudden cardiac arrest.

Firefighter and paramedic Matt Millar was presented with a letter of commendation for his extraordinary efforts in helping a patient with significant and challenging needs with whom the district has had repeated interactions find appropriate care in the medical system. Several district officers noted that his efforts - some on his own time - exceeded even the district's high standards for extraordinary effort in service to the community.

Craig made a special point of saluting the Fire Corps volunteers who serve as an auxiliary for the district.

"These folks put in an extraordinary amount of time to support the operations of the district," he said.

See complete list of fire district awards below.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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