Hoodland Fire District Chief Mic Eby called volunteer Tony Hadeed a “360
firefighter,” since he’s got everything covered for the district.

And in light of his service and dedication to the district last year, Hadeed, took
home the district’s Firefighter of the Year award at its annual banquet, held
Saturday, Jan. 25 at The Resort at The Mountain.

“I think everybody deserves it,” Hadeed said. “You get a lot of attention for it
... but none of us at the department have signed up to get trophies.”

Eby noted Hadeed has taken charge of the sleeper program while also taking
medical training in the reserves and will attend medical flight school to be able
to respond to situations via helicopter.

“I would consider him a professional volunteer,” Eby said.

Hadeed, 24, also just took a paid position at the Warm Springs Fire
Department, but he plans on continuing to live in Welches and serve as a
volunteer with Hoodland.

“Hoodland is my home,” Hadeed said. “I really owe them a lot and it’s really
become a big part of my life.”

Other award winners included Scott Trax as the Rookie of the Year and Debra
Sinz as the EMS of the Year, while Nick Miller took home the Fire Chief’s
Above and Beyond Award, Purdy’s Towing received the Community Award and
the district celebrated three years of service by fire photographer Jessica
Rackley.

Eby noted Miller’s involvement in the Brightwood area for earning his award,
including spearheading a group of volunteers to respond to late night calls.
Eby added that Purdy’s Towing has provided more than 30 years of assistance
to the district, including offering cars to cut up or burn for training, cleaning
up after training exercises and even time on the business’s lot for training
purposes.

“They’ve always been there for us,” Eby said.

More district news
Randy Hendrickson resigned from the district’s board of directors, with board
members appointing Pat Buckley to assume the remaining 18 months on
Hendrickson’s term. Eby reported speaking to five people interested in joining
the board and that he was impressed with the overall level of interest.
“I was amazed at the quality of people that called,” Eby said. “I think
(Buckley) is an excellent choice.”

Eby also announced the district’s 2014 volunteer training academy will feature
15 new recruits, including two former members of the district’s Explorers
program, a retired Gresham firefighter, a nurse, a raft guide and a resident of
Government Camp.

Eby noted he hopes for 10 members per academy, but his recent focus on
older and younger residents (who have time to volunteer) has paid off with
better numbers in the past two years.

“We’ve got some good people,” Eby said. “They’re all enthusiastic.”