We made it well into July this year before closures in residential burning were implemented. Estacada Rural Fire District officially closed burning at midnight on July 16, 2009. Neighboring fire districts and the Oregon Department of Forestry have all banned fires except in approved campgrounds. Citizens disregarding the closure may be liable for any costs associated with extinguishing a fire resulting from their illegal burning, which can be very costly. You don't want to pay for one of these!

I had the honor on July 15th at our Wednesday night drill, to give the “Oath of Office” and pin badges on 9 new volunteer firefighters. These firefighters started their intensive training last January and after many hours of classroom and practical training, have graduated from our “Recruits” to fully fledged “Firefighters”. Although the most intense portion of their training is complete, they are not finished... you never complete your training in the fire service, it is ongoing and is constantly updated. New members will continue to learn from classroom and hands on instruction, as well as personal experience gained from the field.