WLFEA Streamlining
As part of the new Western Lane Fire and EMS model Western Lane Ambulance has moved an EMS vehicle to the main fire station on Highway 101. Last year’s ambulance call numbers were up significantly from previous years according to WLAD’s Matt House. The move will hopefully offer some relief. The unit is currently unmanned, but according to Chief Michael Schick with WLFEA the vehicle is on standby and can be operated by one of the many well-trained firefighters on hand.
“One of the ways we thought, well maybe we could help out with the fire department side, so let’s put an ambulance there and if we need to we can hae firefighters staff that ambulance.”
The new model at WLFEA includes conserving resources whether they be human or mechanical. Matt House:
“What we need to do is be more efficient. And we’re looking at how we can be more efficient by using our part time employees with our full time employees.”
Chief Schick and Matt House are guests on this week’s Our Town.
Weather
It is still raining off and on, and according to the national weather service that will continue through the week. By week’s end we could add another 1-2 inches to our streets. Forecasters say that rain will likely continue through at least Friday, but that, as always, is subject to change. No flood watches or warnings are currently in effect but there is currently a gale warning in effect for the seas from Florence northward.
Career Fair
Three Rivers Casino has just announced the date for their 5th annual community Career Fair. It is slated to be at TRC on Thursday, March 5th from 10am to 3pm. They are currently soliciting vendors for the fair and hope to have upwards of 40 for the free event. Businesses that are interested in being part of the fair have until January 31st to register.
State of the City
January 30th will mark the State of the City and City Expo at the Florence Events Center. The event will be from 5-7 pm with the state of the city address by Mayor Joe Henry at 6pm.
Flu Report
There has been a sharp uptick in reported flu-like cases for the last week of 2019. The Oregon Health Authority reported that 31.2 percent of all cases were flu related with 44 associated hospitalizations in Oregon. This surpasses previous weeks and years in number of cases. The OHA is not reporting numbers that would be considered epidemic, just a sharp increase. The significant portion of the reported cases are centered in the gorge area of the state with the coast being one of the least affected by flu like cases.
