Volunteer Charged With DUII Fire Truck Joyride

A volunteer firefighter for the Three Rivers Fire Protection District faces drunken driving and other charges, accused of crashing his car, taking a fire truck and driving it recklessly through a campground early Sunday, yelling obscenities, authorities said. Around 6:40 a.m., the Jefferson County Dispatch Center received a call regarding a possible intoxicated Three Rivers volunteer firefighter who was driving around Lower Deschutes Campground in a fire truck, yelling at campers, sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Skidgel said Monday. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the campground and contacted the driver of the fire truck identified as Kristopher Wood, 34 of Redmond. After further investigation, deputies took Wood into custody on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. Upon further investigation, it was learned that Wood apparently rolled his personal vehicle inside of the Three Rivers Complex some time Saturday evening, Skidgel said. He then went to Three Rivers Fire Department where he was scheduled to pull a volunteer shift and took a fire truck, the sergeant said. Wood “then for an unknown reason traveled to the front entrance of Three Rivers and drove through the front exit gate, causing extensive damage,” Skidgel said in a news release. He then drove to Lower Deschutes Campground and Lake Billy Chinook. Once Wood entered the campground, he drove around the “B Loop” area, where he allegedly yelled obscenities out the window and drove around the campground in a reckless manner, before he was stopped by park rangers, Skidgel said. Witnesses indicated they heard what sounded like a fight which had occurred and possibly a minor car crash, involving Wood and an unknown subject, prior to park rangers contacting him. Wood was held at the Jefferson County Jail in Madras on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII), reckless driving, first-degree criminal mischief and failure to perform the duties of a driver. Skidgel said investigating deputies would like to interview this person or persons. Anyone with information regarding the incident or who came in contact with Wood was asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 541-475-6520, or the dispatch center at 541-475-2201. Three Rivers Fire Chief Don Colfels said the incident will be reported to the regulating agencies and means Wood is no longer on the firefighting force, on which he’s served for about two years with no prior incidents “Our fire department does have a zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs on its premises,” Colfels said. “Obviously, Mr. Wood was not authorized to enter the station in an intoxicated state, take a fire truck and drive with clear disregard in a manner very unbecoming to everything our department stands for. It’s something our department does not condone.” “We try to hold high standards,” he said. “We regret one of our members was involved in such a regrettable act. We do screen our applicants for volunteer firefighter position. In fact, we’re in the process of asking our insurance company to review the screening process.” “I’m just glad no one was seriously injured,” Colfels said.