Thank you fire fighters and law enforcement

We are so grateful to the firefighters and law enforcement who mobilized from our region and around the state to protect our home, Crooked River Ranch, from the wildfire this week.

We saw suppression units from Clackamas, Ashland, Riddle… we’re going to forget some … Lebanon, Philomath… traveling our roads, as well our home and neighboring fire districts.

We saw squad cars from from both Jefferson and Deschutes County Sheriff Departments. Deputies loud hailed evacuation orders and tied colored tape on address tags noting who had evacuated and who had not.

Our family left Monday under billows of smoke and flames leaping along the canyon wall we see through our living room picture window. We packed and left just as our evacuation level went from two, get set, to level three, go. Our departure was smooth, although we later heard a car accident caused bottlenecks and delays for others.

When we returned to our home we could still see smoke spiral from hot spots. We found such comfort in the sound of chainsaws and watching helicopters dip and drop water. Air tankers swooped in to lay down streams of magenta fire retardant.

We continued to receive updates on our phones through Frontier Regional Alerts/Everbridge and the Watch Duty app, key tools for potential evacuees.

We’ve always been realistic about the fire danger here. The system worked this time. The swift and smooth action on the part of command and crews who handled this fire boost our confidence in our safety.

Pat Tellinghusen

Crooked River Ranch

 

Show your love for community and freedom: donate to fireworks 

Madras Sparklers Fireworks Event needs your financial support. Be it from an individual, as a family, from our local or regionally owned business and from the national business chains.

From last week’s Pioneer article, it was suggested individual sponsorships be $25 and a $100 as a business. Those are reasonable sponsorships. As a family, think about how much you would spend going to the theatre with your family and donate it to the Madras Sparklers Fireworks.

You only get to see this spectacular show once a year verses the flexibility to go to the theatre or concert as many times as you wish the other 364 days of the year. As a local business owner or manager, please support this event with your sponsorship for the benefit of your employees and customers. As a manager of a national chain or franchise please encourage your owner to step up with a sponsorship to show to your employees they are valued. Then be proud to announce to them of your contribution to an event that makes a community complete in celebrating our freedom. Everyone’s sponsorship is needed for this year’s Fireworks display and the continuation into the coming years.

Joe Krenowicz

Madras