Frequently asked questions

Services
Outdoor Burning
Volunteering
  • Individuals interested in volunteering are welcome to come into the district administrative office in Pacific City to pick up an application.

  • There are some requirements for becoming a fire fighter, but in general if you can pass simple medical examination and complete an physical agility test you can become a fire fighter.

  • Beginning in the Fall of 2009 the District has supported a resident volunteer program. This program is open to individuals interested in pursuing a career in the emergency response field. Resident volunteers are provided with sleeping quarters and training.

  • Yes. The fire district is looking for volunteers to fill a variety of needs. Fire fighting is only one of the things you can do to help out. We are also looking for individuals interested in becoming medical first responders, pumper operators, drivers, and many other roles.

Other Questions
  • Fire district units are dispatched according to information received by the 9-1-1 operator. The district attempts to respond with sufficient resources to meet the needs of the worst situation that could happen. Discovering that we need more units once we arrive is often too late. We have learned from experience that it is better to have too much help than not enough.

    Structure fires require a number of people to do all the assigned tasks almost simultaneously. Firefighting teams are assigned certain responsibilities such as fire extinguishment, search and rescue, ventilation, salvage, safety, accountability and rapid intervention teams.

  • As explained in the previous answer, in many situations several units are dispatched to the same incident. The first unit may have arrived on the scene, assessed the situation and informed the dispatcher that the situation was under control or that a single unit could handle the emergency. All other responding units were cancelled and put back into service, ready to take another call.

    Most likely, when you see an emergency vehicle with red lights and sirens go through an intersection and then slow down and turn the emergency lights off, they have been cancelled from the call to which they were responding.