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| A LEADER EMERGES 4/2/2008 A LEADER EMERGES
 COMMANDER IN CHIEF! Depoe Bay Fire District Chief Josh Williams has shown he has the ability to keep residents from Otter Rock to Gleneden Beach safe and secure. The Winter of 2007-08 proved his mettle. The Depoe Bay Fire District was sorely tested by the winter of 2007-2008, not by fire but by wind and water. The District felt the joy that comes from saving life and the tragedy of lives lost. When the community needed them the most, they responded with the best that they had to give.
And through it all, indefatigable, was Fire Chief Josh Williams, leading from the front. Josh plumbed uncharted waters as he made his way to the top of the district. Hired as a Captain in charge of training in the summer of 2006, he quickly found himself acting chief following former chief Ron Smith's abrupt departure. He labored in the limbo that “acting chief” implies for months. Relations with the press cooled when Lieutenant Vicky Ryan, hired as the Public Information Officer, was forced to take over Josh's training responsibilities. Critics were everywhere, and a bunker mentality became the norm for the district.
When the Fire Board search for a new chief bore no fruit, they gave the job to Josh without the stigma of a temporary title. And their choice of Williams for the job has made the board look like a collection of savants, especially this past winter. The season got underway in earnest with the storm of December 1-3. The savage winds accompaying the storm knocked out power, all but local telephone service and trees too numerous to count. The phone service loss severed communications with Lin Com's 911 line. A temporary 911 line was established in the Depoe Bay Fire District Station and Chief Williams manned the phones for 10 hours before Lin Com dispatchers arrived to handle the calls. In the peak 36 hours of the storm, the district responded to 70 calls for help. That's more calls than are typically received in July, August or September, the busiest months of the year. And the Depoe Bay Fire District was the busiest in the county. On December 4, the Beacon caught Josh Williams red-handed. He was personally cleaning out a stormwater drain on Hwy. 101 in front of our offices. That is certainly above and beyond the call of a fire chief's duty. As the winter progressed, the three area drownings, one at Rocky Creek and the March 8 tragedy at Gleneden Beach that claimed two young lives grabbed most of the headlines. But, with the Coast Guard's help, several surfers made it to shore at Otter Rock and a man was rescued from Fishing Rock. An interesting behind the scenes footnote is that Chief Williams appeared on tape shot by Beacon Publisher Rick Beasley on March 8 that was subsequently sold to and broadcast by NBC, Fox and CNN. In addition to his daily duties, Chief Williams has made two trips to the National Fire Academy in Baltimore and attended a session in Florida, all furthering his knowledge in his chosen field. Given Chief Williams' relatively young age, it appears that the Depoe Bay Fire District and its residents are in very good hands for the foreseeable future. Author Name - |
