By Jan Jackson
Members of the Mt. Angel Volunteer Fire District will receive the 2009 Volunteer Organization of the Year Award at the Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce First Citizen Awards Banquet Feb. 22 in St. Mary’s Parish Hall.
Dave Bochsler, public information officer and 20-year veteran of the department, talked about the love he has for his fellow firefighters and how he feels about the recognition.
“These 40-plus volunteer firefighters are trained to be tough in the line of duty, but when they received the news that they got Volunteer Organization of the Year, it was humility that kicked in,” Bochsler said. “It is a great honor to be thanked for your service and we are all grateful.”
The Mt. Angel Volunteer Fire District, dates back to the early 1900s. The area it has encompassed since 1989, is from Abiqua River South, west to North Howell almost to Gervais and then jogs to Highway 214, Monitor and into Highway 213.
Governed by an elected board of directors and administered by Fire Chief Don Fleck, its military-like structure is made up of a paid half-time fire chief who answers to the board, a volunteer assistant chief and division chief and multiple captains.
Bochsler credits the program’s success to the members who carry out the mission to serve God, family, job and community and their employers who make it possible for them to do so.
“There is a lot more to this job than putting wet stuff on the red stuff and working with such a diverse group of volunteers who are like-minded in service is wonderful,” Bochsler said. “In addition to responding to the community’s emergencies, the volunteers spend time educating children in school classrooms and hosting them at the firehouse. We not only want to stress the importance of safety, but we want the children to see that we are there to help, so in the time of crisis so they won’t be afraid of us.
“Thanks to Chief Fleck’s strong leadership and passion for the organization and its members, we work together to do what we signed up to do. We want to make sure each individual gets back home.”
