LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION SURPRISES FIREFIGHTERS WITH THANK-YOU C-NOTES

Joseph volunteer firefighters display the $100 bills they received Thursday, June 28, as an acknowledgment of their service to Wallowa Lake from the Wallowa Lake Property Owners Association. President Sharon Bolen passed out thank-you cards with the cash at the fire department's weekly meeting. 

Left to right are (seated) Dusty Creps, Dirk Wiggins, Doug Buska, Kevin Warnock (standing) Andy Hayes, Justin Doherty, Casey Hayes, Matt Walker, Andy Osborn, Jeff Wecks, Keith Newburn and Fire Chief Tom Clevenger. Later in the evening, firefighters re-elected Clevenger as chief and elected Walker as assistant chief for logistics, Wecks as assistant chief for training and Doherty, Warnock and Andy Hayes as captains.

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FIRE DAMAGES JOSEPH MOBILE HOME; TWO FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND FROM WALLOWA LAKE

Joseph Assistant Fire Chief Matt Walker and Volunteer Firefighter Dirk Wiggins responded from Wallowa Lake Tuesday night, May 15, to a mobile home fire in Joseph. They joined Joseph and Enterprise volunteers who doused the blaze quickly, keeping it from spreading to nearby houses.

The fire was just a few yards from Our Little Store, where a May 2 fire did major damage. The cause of that fire remains undetermined and the business is rebuilding.

Fire Chief Tom Clevenger, a deputy Oregon fire marshal and an Oregon State Police arson investigator were on the scene Wednesday. The same team investigated the store fire as well.

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FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND FROM WALLOWA LAKE TO FIGHT COMMERCIAL FIRE IN JOSEPH

Three Joseph volunteer firefighters living at Wallowa Lake were among 17 who fought a late-night fire at Our Little Store in Joseph Wednesday, May  2.

Yellow tape secures fire scene

Assistant Fire Chief Matt Walker and Firefighters Dusty Creps and Doug Buska responded to the blaze on Engine 5 from the lake fire station, joining nine Joseph and five Enterprise firefighters on the scene. Even though the three fought the fire, they also were designated to leave and respond to any other emergency in the area served by Joseph and Enterprise fire departments.  

Even though it was nearly midnight, firefighters arrived within 13 minutes of being paged from their homes.

The fire appeared to have started just outside the back door of the store after closing. It traveled up the wall and into the roof and attic of the building. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal and Oregon State P0lice spent all day Thursday at the scene but were unable to determine a cause, according to Fire Chief Tom Clevenger.

There was substantial damage to the exterior and interior of the convenience store and its appliances and merchandise. 

Clevenger credited firefighters with quick action, limiting damage to the store and preventing it from spreading to the adjoining Timberline Realty office and American Legion hall. Clevenger, a retired career firefighter, said it was "as good a job as I have ever seen from any paid, experienced department."

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LAKE RESIDENT AMONG JOSEPH VOLUNTEERS DOUSING FIVE-HOUR STRAW-BALE FIRE

Ten Joseph volunteer firefighters, including Wallowa Lake resident Dusty Creps, fought a stubborn fire involving more than 300 tons of dry straw in stacked bales on Wednesday, April 11.

The blaze at the Triple Creek Ranch in rural Joseph broke out in late afternoon and burned for five hours. Creps responded from his home. Five Enterprise firefighters also took part.

Firefighters saved nearby structures, including the big landmark "TC"  barn on Liberty Road. 

Damage was estimated at $84,000. Fire Chief Tom Clevenger said the cause remains undetermined.

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LAKE FIREFIGHTER RESPONDS TO RURAL BLAZE

Joseph Asst. Fire Chief Matt Walker, a resident of Wallowa Lake, helped fight a grass fire between Joseph and Enterprise Sunday, March 25.

Enterprise and Joseph fire departments were dispatched when wind gusts blew a rubbish burn into a grassy field, eventually burning more than 40 acres. Walker was in Joseph and responded with two other firefighters to the scene on a Joseph engine.

Two other Joseph firefighters stood by at the station in case more manpower was needed or another emergency occurred.

Wallowa and Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters assisted. Engine 5, stationed at the Wallowa Lake station, was not dispatched.

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FIRE STATION GETS DOOR AWNING

A permanent awning has been built over the door used most often to enter the Wallowa Lake fire station.

Dustin B. Creps Construction, owned by Joseph Firefighter Dusty Creps, built the structure on the east side of the station. It enables fire district officials, firefighters and residents to enter without having raindrops trickle down their necks while unlocking and/or turning the doorknob.

The project also involved removing minimally useful gutters over several doors. The gutters would get bent and broken by heavy ice and snow slipping off the station roof, requiring repeated replacement.

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JOSEPH FIRE DEPARTMENT LANDS $247,000 GRANT FOR NEW FIRE ENGINE

The Joseph Fire Department, which serves our fire district under contract, has won a $247,475 federal grant to purchase a four-wheel-drive fire engine. This means that eventually the lake station will receive a more modern fire engine.

The grant comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Aid to Firefighters Grant program. When Fire Chief Tom Clevenger notified the Joseph City Council of the news Thursday, Feb. 2, he got a round of applause.

The city next will invite bids from manufacturers to build a truck matching specifications already developed by the fire department. This will be the first four-wheel-drive engine in the department's fleet.

When the department takes delivery of the new engine, Joseph intends to move its 1994 Boise Mobile engine to the lake station, replacing the 1974-era Engine 5.

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