Jefferson Co. fire volunteers’ limits tested early in season
Volunteer firefighters with Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 have already started off with a busy fire season, responding to nine fires across the county just since Saturday.
One of them broke out Wednesday afternoon, as officials said a 4-acre brush fire started when a truck backfired on Southwest Elk Drive west of Madras.
The smoke was visible from Wayne Powers’ property.
“There was winds coming out of the north. The fire department got it contained to the north in a small area,” Powers said Thursday.
A retired firefighter, Powers built a defensible space around his property before the fire season arrived and said he was grateful for the fast response from the fire crew.
Since Saturday, Jefferson County crews have responded to brush fires and a house fire. Some crews fighting the brush fire on Elk Drive had to leave the scene to respond to another call of a structure fire in the 3400 block of Deschutes Drive, northwest of Madras.
The American Red Cross sent disaster responders to assist a family of three adults with their immediate needs after that house fire, officials said.
Jefferson County Fire Captain Kasey Skaar said the department has 25 volunteer firefighters who respond to calls around the county.
The fire season already has been a busy one for the fire district, but Skaar said that will help them prepare for the massive crowds during the solar eclipse, in late August, when the county will become ground zero.
“Running on these multiple calls and everything is just giving us an idea of how our operations are going and what we can do to better help us when we have 100.000 people in our town,” he said.
The fire district also sent some fire crews to help with the 2,400-acre Mecca fire that burned in Warm Springs and also to work with the Bureau of Land Management when needed.
Skaar said the fire district has a great work schedule for its volunteers and is always looking for people interested in volunteering. Learn more here: http://www.jcfd-1.org/
