Sublimity Fire District hosted its Annual Public Safety Fair on Saturday, June 2^nd, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event drew more than 500 people from Sublimity, Stayton, Aumsville and surrounding communities. This event is always free to the public, features activities for kids and adults and has gained momentum each year since its inception. There were a record number of participating agencies this year.

Attendees were able to meet local volunteer firefighters from Sublimity, Aumsville, Drakes Crossing, Jefferson and Stayton fire districts. They also had the opportunity to view a water rescue boat, ladder truck and fire engines, and to see the variety of equipment firefighters use on a daily basis to keep the community safe. The event featured more than just fire agencies, however; Oregon State Police and Marion County Sherriff’s Office supplied a number of vehicles as well. Additional participating agencies included Santiam Memorial Hospital and Ambulance, Oregon Impact, Oregon Burn Center, Safe Kids, Pacific Power, Oregon Emergency Management and Farmers Insurance.

The event offered two new training opportunities for adults. One of the new features was a Hands-Only CPR tent. This new take on traditional CPR was very well-received by the public; More than 200 adults and kids came through to learn how to potentially save a life. Stayton Fire District taught 50 people how to properly use a fire extinguisher and gave away free extinguishers to the adults who attended the class.

Additional highlights included Life Flight and REACH helicopters landing in Early Settlers Park, along with Marion County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit demonstrating its skills. In keeping with tradition, Sublimity’s volunteer firefighters barbequed a free lunch for the public and went through more than 700 hot dogs. Kids had the chance to test their skills with the Junior Firefighter Challenge Course.

This event could not have been possible without generous donations from Pepsi, Franz, Frito-Lay, Safeway, SCTC, Break the Chain, Bi-Mart and Roth’s.

Open burning season is March 1-June 15 and October 1-December 15. You still must confirm that it is a burn day by calling (503) 769-3400.

Burning is regulated by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  They decide each morning whether it will be a burn day.

To find out the definition of “open burning” and the differences between agricultural burning and backyard burning, please visit: http://oregon.gov/ODA/NRD/docs/pdf/smoke_guide.pdf

For more information on the ODA Smoke Management Program, call (503) 986-4701

Message from the Chief

On behalf of the dedicated men and women of our fire district, I would like to thank you for visiting our Web site. This site is intended to be used as a resource and give you information as to what the Sublimity Fire District is about.

This fire district is primarily an all volunteer force, with the exception of the fire chief, assistant chief and a part-time office administrator. This district recognizes its volunteers as its most valuable asset and has a goal of continually building this asset and fostering an environment that people want to be a part of. Without our volunteers, we would not be able to carry out our primary purpose, to serve you, our customer.

Our volunteers range in age and background, which is what makes our organization so great. We have volunteers who are fresh out of high school to volunteers with nearly 50 years of experience. We also have volunteers who are second and third generation firefighters.

Our organization is committed to innovation, service and excellence. We will always strive to be leaders in fire and life safety services and the model of a successful volunteer fire district.

I am proud to be the chief, and more importantly, part of this great organization. I started when I was 12 years old as a cadet and was appointed fire chief on May 15, 2008, after nearly 17 years as a volunteer.

During my tenure here, we, as an organization, will be dedicated to the community we serve. We value the faith and trust of the community and will continually work to deserve that confidence through our attitude, conduct, and accomplishments. We will provide professional, courteous service at all times and we will be sensitive and responsive to the changing community needs.

I personally strive to be a good steward with public monies and employ a conservative budget practice to look out for the best interest of the public and organization as a whole.

I, along with the board of directors and volunteers, embrace the fact that we are a community and partnership driven organization. We work well with our neighbors and look forward to many more years of cooperation, dedication and providing our service to you, our customer.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to visit our Web site. If I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I am proud to be your fire chief and look forward to many more rewarding years to come.

Respectfully,

Brandon Hamilton
Fire Chief

Brandon Hamilton, Fire Chief

It’s August…

The breakfast is over!…We had a good year and I want to thank everybody for their hard work and commitment to be here so early on two consecutive days. It would not be possible without all of you! Our supply donations were down this year, but our profits were comparable to last year.

We are off and running on our next events. We have Harvest Festival in a few weeks, then it is Turkey Shoot time, then it is Christmas Tree lighting….Then we can take a breather for a few months.

I am always amazed at the commitment of the members that come together to make these events successful. It does not go unnoticed and it is appreciated greatly!

I would like to take a minute and thank those who responded on the natural gas explosion in Stayton on the 1st. We were all up early for the breakfast and then passed on sleep to respond to this incident and were all back at the station at 0600 hrs to fire up the grills to cook pancakes again. Thanks again!!

Tony Menk has become a Resident Intern. He replaces Natalie Barrett who moved back home due to some health issues. We all know Tony, but he is learning the role of Intern, so please help make this transition go smoothly.

I am not full of words of wisdom this month…I’ll make up for it next month.