Hoodland Fire District’s Kevin Frank gained a reputation quickly since he
joined the ranks of firefighters three years ago. The Brightwood resident is up
each morning to get to the Brightwood station at 5:45 a.m. to put in two
hours of cleaning rigs, testing pumps and other work. He’s also stood out for
the number of drills and responses he’s participated in, supporting the
district’s Explorer program, helping rebuild the Brightwood response team and
going above and beyond expectations.

That dedication has also meant plenty of cold dinners for Frank, returning
home late to a call, or leaving his wife in the middle of a movie when a call
comes in. It also earned Frank the district’s Firefighter of the Year Award at its
annual awards banquet, held Saturday, Jan. 30 at The Resort at The
Mountain.

“It means a lot; there’s so many people here that put in so much work,” Frank
said. “I feel so privileged just to be able to get to spend this time working with
them.”

“He’s already a senior firefighter,” the district’s Fire Chief, Mic Eby, said. “He
is like the officer of Brightwood.”

Frank, who has lived on the mountain for 16 years, noted the district has
become family to him, while his family has also jumped into firefighting, with
his son, Jonathan, who is in the Explorers program and even gets up some
mornings to help his father at the Brightwood station.

“It’s great because it’s a bond that both of us can share,” Frank said, adding
that Jonathan will go to sleep in his uniform on the chance he’ll be able to go
on a call as an observer during the night.

The district also honored Battalion Chief Casey Buck, who retired after 27
years of service. Eby noted that Buck’s contributions included weekend duties
that helped take pressure off of the chief, along with his expertise gained from
fighting fires with the U.S. Forest Service.

“He also brought an awful lot of humor; his humor was amazing,” Eby said.
“He was always able to lift the spirits of us up here. A very sharing, caring
kind of guy, and yet he took the calls seriously when the tones went off.”
Other award winners include Byron Trelstad for the Rookie of the Year, Nick
Miller for the EMS of the Year, Amanda Schmitt for the Chief’s Special
Recognition, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office for the Community
Appreciation Award, a memorial plaque for Bob Reeves, five-year service
awards for John Ingrao, Debra Sinz and Scott Trax, 15-year service awards
for Amanda Schmitt and Jacob Rackley, and a 20-year service award for Lisa
Kline.

Firefighters and units from the Sandy Fire District, Estacada Fire District,
Corbett Fire District and the Clackamas/Boring Fire District covered the
Hoodland Fire District during the banquet.

Chief’s message
Hoodland Fire District Fire Chief Mic Eby encourages all mountain residents to
start burning branches, leaves and more in burn piles now, rather than wait
until summer.

“I don’t want them to have dry piles of fuel,” Eby said. “Let’s burn them
early.”

For burn piles larger than five feet by five feet, a permit is needed.
Permits are available at the main station at 69634 Highway 26 in Welches. For
more information, call 503-622-3256.