Hoodland Fire celebrates 60 years with community open house

Nora Gambee and Carol Norguard cutting and plating cake for hungry onlookers.

By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times

Families toured the Hoodland Fire District’s main station, explored firefighting equipment, and waited for rides on a fire engine Saturday as the district celebrated 60 years of service.

The open house drew an estimated 80 to 90 people, including children, parents, and grandparents. Visitors watched fire and emergency medical demonstrations, shared refreshments, and gathered for a noon cake cutting. Children wore red plastic fire hats and collected Hoodland Fire stickers, while longtime volunteers caught up over coffee and cookies.

The fire engine stayed busy throughout the day. When crews left to answer a call, Division Chief Scott Kline took over giving children rides so the fun could continue.

Dan Wolf, tending the refreshment table.

“We kept the engine rides going. It was a good time with everybody,” Kline said.

Dan and Nancy Wolf have volunteered with the fire department’s support group for 30 years, cooking for firefighters and raising funds. Dan also served 15 years on the district’s budget committee and civil service board. The Wolfs use money raised from bottle and can returns to buy bicycle helmets for local children and make sure they fit properly.

“There’s no excuse for a kid not having a helmet, because we’ll give them one,” Dan said.

At the CERT trailer, volunteers Susan Ronning and Denise Burns talked with visitors about the Community Emergency Response Team and its training. Members complete background checks, and much of their training is free.

“We can always use more volunteers,” Ronning said.

Christi Harris packs up some freebees for guests at the anniversary event.

Patrick Tritico demonstrated CPR with a training dummy. At 78, he retired from interior firefighting at 75, citing liability concerns, but continues to help paramedics as an emergency medical responder. He receives dispatch alerts through the Active911 app and monitors calls, responding when an incident is serious or several calls come in at once. He now silences his phone overnight and trusts younger responders to handle initial calls.

“I’m not EMT or fire certified these days, but I am grateful to continue my work as an EMR to be able to help out the paramedics, whatever they need,” Tritico said.

Hoodland Fire District No. 74 was established by Clackamas County on Sept. 19, 1966. It serves a 45-square-mile area covering eight communities, from Marmot and Cherryville to Rhododendron and Government Camp. The district has 12.5 career staff and 40 volunteers working from three stations, and responds to about 1,000 calls a year. Its emergency medical services include advanced life support; AMR provides ground ambulance transport.

Rain had Kline worried the open house might draw a small crowd, but the weather cleared. Visitors kept arriving through the afternoon. Kline thanked the firefighters and volunteers who helped with the event, along with Christi, the district’s social media lead, who manages its website and social media accounts.

The district plans to invite the community back next year for a dedication and open house at its new station, which will include a memorial garden. Its annual Fire Prevention Week open house is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2027.