New fire station open house attracts large crowd

 

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

The long-awaited, new Grand Ronde Emergency Services Station was formally opened on Wednesday, Oct. 2, with drumming, songs, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and enchilada dinner.

Firefighters from departments around the region attended to help celebrate the event, citing their affection for Grand Ronde Tribal Emergency Services Chief Steve Warden and the department.

State Fire Marshall Mariana Ruiz-Temple said Grand Ronde Emergency Services is one of the “premiere” departments that her agency partners with.

“There is no better place that exemplifies community and family,” she said.

“We’re very excited to start a new journey here, operating out of this station,” Assistant Fire Chief Torey Wakeland said, as he welcomed the crowd. “I think it’s going to increase our capacity to serve this community and give us a good, permanent home for the foreseeable future.”

Warden said the moment was an emotional one.

“It was through the dedication, the hard work and cooperation of our Tribal leaders, the council, the people in the background and our staff, who believed in the dream, that made all this possible,” Warden said. “I fell in love with this community years and years ago. I am so proud and thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to be part of building what we have today.”

Tribal General Manager Angie Blackwell said the new station was an exercise in Tribal sovereignty, congratulating the department for its hard work.

Tribal Council member Tonya Gleason-Shepek gave the invocation, and members of the Tribe’s Canoe Family drummed and sang.  

The new headquarters was originally intended be a substation, Administrative Services Lieutenant Mariah Walters said, but after changing course the department added 21,000 square feet to the design.

Before, Walters said, five people on duty had to share three dorms. The new building has eight dorms to be shared among 11 people on duty. The department has 45 employees and there is an option to convert two offices into dorms in the future if the department can achieve its goal of starting a residential training program for Tribal students from across the country.

The original fire station opened in 2010 and enabled the West Valley Fire District to staff it with two firefighters per shift, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At that time, the department served Grand Ronde only, and the local station significantly reduced response times.

In 2020, the Tribe created its own fire department, while the West Vally Fire District, which was in Willamina, joined Sheridan and Southwest Polk to create a single district. The district encountered problems however, and in 2022, the Tribe assumed responsibility for all fire and emergency medical calls in West Valley. An intergovernmental agreement with the West Valley district directs the Tribe to operate fire services in Willamina through 2027.

Also in 2022, Tribal Council approved a contract for $687,800 with Scholten Construction of Willamina to construct the new fire station.

Keizer Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal Anne-Marie Storus, who’s known Warden for several years, said that it was exciting to be a part of the grand opening and that the new station benefits both the local community and the entire state.

“It’s just exciting to be here … to see the new facility and all the great things you’re going to be able to do,” she said.

Firefighter Jackson Earhart, who joined the Grand Ronde Emergency Services Department nearly a year ago, said he and the other firefighters are delighted with the new station.

“It’s just amazing the quality of people that we have and the dedication of everybody in the department,” Earhart said.