The Woodburn Fire District welcomes four new members into the student resident volunteer program. Abigail Frey, Nolan Moore, Jared Redmon, and Noah Wierstra join the program as they work towards completing their fire science and paramedic degree programs through Chemeketa Community College. The new students join current student volunteers Troy Jordan, Zack Richardson and Brock Rogers.
The student program is partially funded by a four-year federal grant that was awarded to the fire district in 2018. The grant provides tuition assistance, personal protective gear and uniform items for volunteer firefighters. The program goal is to support students and volunteers as they gain training certifications and real-life work experience in the response to fires, motor vehicle accidents and emergency medical incidents under the supervision of career firefighters and experienced volunteers. This helps the students in achieving their goal of becoming career firefighters while providing a valuable service to the community. Students typically spend two or three years in the student resident program.
Student residents are required to be enrolled full-time in a fire service degree or paramedic training program. In addition, students must meet physical fitness requirements and attain certifications that allow them to enter burning structures, treat patients experiencing medical emergencies and operate the district’s fire response vehicle and equipment. Housing for the group is provided at Station 22 on James Street in Woodburn and Station 24 on River Road in the Waconda area. The students are responsible for cleaning and maintaining their home station and the emergency response fire vehicles and equipment housed at those locations. The students are provided additional experience by riding along and being mentored by Woodburn career fire firefighters that respond from the main station on Newberg Highway.
Fire Chief Budge: “The Woodburn Fire District has a long tradition of mentoring students enroute to careers in the fire service. The students help meet the fire district’s mission to the community by assisting other volunteers in the response to overlapping emergency calls and public service duties. During the September wildfires, the students helped in covering the high volume of in-district emergency calls and participated in the assistance provided to other fire districts in the region that were impacted by the fires. Student programs play an important role in training and preparing the next generation of professional firefighters.”
For more information about the student resident program and other volunteer firefighter opportunities, please contact the Woodburn Fire District’s Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Jason Thompson at 503-982-2360.
Contact – Joseph Budge – Fire Chief Woodburn & Hubbard Fire Districts
Chief.Budge@woodburnfire.com | 503-982-2360