Fire fighters on edge; Military museum set to open; Medics hone their skills behind the wheel

Coast Radio News
Local News
2 July 2015

Hot and dry weather leaves firefighters on edge

Siuslaw Valley Fire Marshall Sean Barrett is usually a pretty easy going guy… but he and the rest of the fire department are worried.

Sean Barrett – “Tell you what, we’re nervous. We’re nervous about the fire danger right now.”

The past week of warm and dry weather, coupled with steady afternoon winds have combined to create high fire danger.

Sean Barrett – “It’s just so dry out there and there’s no expectation of any moisture to come.”

With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, the danger is increased. That’s because there will be so many people with personal fireworks. Barrett says if you are going to use them… be careful.

There are no plans for a fireworks ban like in areas of Eugene, but things are tinder dry in many locations.

Sean Barrett – “You just go east of Florence, half a mile, and we’re already seeing just huge, huge issues with the vegetation and how dry it is.”

Military Museum Ready for Rollout

It’s been seven years in the making: The Oregon Coast Military Museum will officially open the doors on the Fourth of July. An open house will run from ten to four the Fourth and the Fifth, with a special ceremony set for one PM Saturday. Outside is a special “flag garden” featuring national, state and POW-MIA flags, along with flags representing each branch of service. Inside, says Museum board President Tim Sapp, you’ll see representations of each branch once again.

Tim Sapp – “This big five sided display cabinet, it’s got each one of the services, you know, the displayed items in there. And then, you’re going to walk around that and you’re going to see World War I.”

There’s also a re-creation of a mid-century icon… the USO.

Tim Sapp – “You know, then you move down to World War II, and then Korea.”

The large displays also include the war in Viet Nam and plenty of memorabilia. Sapp says the museum will be open Thursday through Sunday every week.

SOS completes remodel

It started off with a need for a new roof. By the time they were done, the makeover at Siuslaw Outreach Services included new windows, siding, gutters and even a new front door on the outside.

Inside, the offices and work spaces were enlarged, new lighting was installed and many other improvements were made to the 60-year old building.

Fundraising for the remodel began two years ago with the initial community support being enough for groups like the Meyer Memorial Trust, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the Collins Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation to contribute to the bulk of the $123-thousand in improvements.

The space for the donation room was tripled with additional rack space and shelving. Future costs will also be held down with the installation of energy efficient windows and lighting. One of the best things about the work according to SOS Director David Wiegan was that it was done by local contractors.

All that’s left he said, is to reseal and restripe the parking lot.

Medics mix it up behind the wheel

What were all those orange cones and the ambulances doing at the vacant Rite-Aid building next to Abby’s Pizza earlier this week?

Western Lane Ambulance Safety Officer Dave Haberman says medics and fire department volunteers were honing their driving skills.

Dave Haberman – “We go down really narrow pathways and with overhanging limbs, all the things that can do serious damage to our rigs and paint jobs and things like that. We’re practicing these things to get our proficiency down to where we can get into even the tightest of corners.”

It’s especially important that drivers are able to navigate tight spaces with the large boxy ambulances. Especially right now because of construction at Peace Harbor Medical Center.

Dave Haberman – “It’ll be cumbersome for quite some time; several months that we’ll have different staging areas and ways that we have to back in and not use the normal accesses.”

Haberman said it’s all part of providing a faster and safer response to residents in need.

Gas prices higher… but also lower

The average price for a gallon of regular gas is the highest it has been all year… but it’s also the lowest in five years during the Fourth of July holiday.

This morning’s average cash price in Florence is $2.96 a gallon. That’s up ten cents in the past week. But it’s also a buck and a quarter less than it was on this date in 2008.

Oregon’s average price held steady this week at $3.15… the national average, as measured by Triple-A, went down two cents. It’s at $2.77 a gallon.

Drivers in Medford are paying on average of $3.23 a gallon; in Eugene the average is 3-16 and in Portland the average price is $3.14.

Marie Dodds with Triple-A says Oregonians are paying some of the highest prices right now in the country.