Willamette Valley News, Wednesday 8/11 – Harrisburg Hay Barn Burns, Protestors at PeaceHealth’s RiverBend Hospital in Springfield

The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Willamette Valley Weather

Today– Widespread haze after noon. Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday– Widespread haze. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Friday– Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 96. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.

Sunday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

Harrisburg Hay Barn Burns

A hay barn north of town was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon, but officials said it would take all night if not into the next day to extinguish mounds of burning straw in the remains of the structure.

Firefighters from local agencies including Corvallis, Coburg, Halsey-Shedd, Junction City, Tangent and Brownsville assisted Harrisburg Fire at the scene and staffed the station.  

The fire broke out at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday at 31125 Cartney Drive, which is northeast of Harrisburg.

The fire destroyed a building nestled in between a larger industrial building and a house. 

More than an hour after the fire started, firefighters stood to the east, dwarfed by the burning pile of straw that remained where the building once stood. Smoke blew south towards Harrisburg and Eugene, with embers flying occasionally as the wind picked up. On the west side of the fire a farmer perched on top of his farm truck hosing down the burning straw.

Throughout the afternoon, farmer after farmer arrived, bringing their private water trucks to the scene to assist with the fire department tankers trucking in water from the south. 

Throughout the afternoon the firefighters continually hosed down the home. A farmer used his water truck to hose down the ditch line and road in front of the fire scene.

The Harrisburg Fire Department staffed the fire throughout the night until the smoldering straw pile was manageable for the farm to handle, said Assistant Fire Chief Leo Giles. Lane Fire Authority stood standby at the Harrisburg Station while the firefighters battled the blaze, Giles said.

Protestors at PeaceHealth’s RiverBend Hospital in Springfield

There were dozens of protesters gathered outside PeaceHealth’s RiverBend location in Springfield Tuesday, speaking out against a new vaccine requirement. The event, dubbed the “Stop the Mandates” rally, was carried out by a collection of both medical professionals, and independent citizens.

In a statement, PeaceHealth said:

“Our community is facing a public health emergency that requires immediate action. For the safety of our patients and those unable to be vaccinated—including children and the medically vulnerable–PeaceHealth is requiring caregivers to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or submit a qualifying exemption. They also said they support their employees’ rights to express their opinions outside of work.”

They noted approximately 80% of their employees are vaccinated.

Megan Walsh, a nurse at PeaceHealth, said she doesn’t trust the scientists and medical experts that are leading the COVID vaccine efforts. “I support medical freedom that is unburdened by coercion. I feel as though we are being coerced into [getting the vaccine] or lose our jobs,” Walsh said. 

All providers, students, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and caretakers have until August 31st to either get their shot or present a qualifying exemption. Those who fail to either could be placed on unpaid leave.

They could also be subjected to regular COVID-19 testing, as well as additional masking, potential reassignment to non-patient care settings, and other safety protocols. 

There appeared to be significantly more non-medical professionals in attendance than actual PeaceHealth employees on Tuesday. The event lasted from 4:30 pm to 8 pm. 

Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday issued a state of emergency declaration stretching from August 10 through 20 as much of the region braces for a return of triple-digit temperatures.

A similar heatwave in late June resulted in the deaths of 116 people. With the emergency declaration, state agencies are activated to help local and Tribal governments in providing for the health and safety of their residents — not just for the direct impacts of heat, but for potential hits to critical infrastructure like utility outages and transportation disruptions.

Brown’s office said that she has directed the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate the state’s Emergency Coordination Center to coordinate “essential protective measures,” and requested that state agencies
provide any assistance requested by OEM to support the response.

Here in Southern Oregon, cities are working to open cooling shelters once more so that people without anywhere else to go can get a break from the heat. Shelters in Medford and Talent will be open at least into the weekend, but Josephine County is still looking for help from community organizations to open a similar shelter.

Smoke and Haze Around Oregon from Wildfires

Several wildfires across Oregon and California, including locally, are contributing to periods of thick smoke and haze. The wildfire smoke will continue to impact parts of the region this week and could become more widespread again next week. Air quality could be very bad at times in the days ahead.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory on Tuesday for southern Oregon and eastern Lane and Linn counties due to unhealthy levels of smoke from fires in the Oregon Cascades and Northern California.

Other areas of the state may see intermittent smoke and haze, but likely will not experience prolonged periods of unhealthy smoke. For Southern Oregon, the advisory covers Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake, and
eastern Douglas counties. Unhealthy levels of smoke are expected to remain for the next several days, and DEQ said that the advisory could last until at least Friday afternoon.

Wildfire Smoke Training Requirements for Employers

Employers now have a free and flexible resource to help them comply with rules aimed at protecting workers from wildfire smoke, thanks to an interactive online training course developed by Oregon OSHA. The course – Wildfire Smoke Training Requirements – is designed to help employers meet certain training requirements found in Oregon OSHA’s emergency temporary rule, which addresses wildfire smoke in The temporary rule addressing wildfire smoke took effect Aug. 9 and will remain in effect for 180 days.

The rule requires employers to comply with employee training provisions by Aug. 16. They must do so for employees who may be exposed to wildfire smoke where the ambient air concentration for fine particulate matter (also known as PM2.5) is at or above an Air Quality Index (AQI) 101, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Moreover, employers must ensure workers who may be exposed to AQI 101 have been trained in a manner and language they understand. The training requirement applies unless the employer predetermines that operations involving wildfire smoke exposure will be suspended before employees are exposed to an AQI 101.

Looking for an interactive map of the fires? The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) offers an interactive map that allows users to track the progression of the fires using satellite heat detection. To explore it for yourself visit https://go.usa.gov/xFP6n

Bootleg, Walrus, Yainax Fires – All evacuation notices related to the Bootleg and Walrus fires were lifted Monday, as firefighters continued mop up and containment work on the fires. For nearly two weeks, the size of the Bootleg Fire has remained unchanged at over 413,000 acres.

Over the weekend, firefighters reached 96 percent containment. Grid and mop up work continues in the northeast area of the fire near Silver Creek, a press release stated. Containment on both of the smaller burns on Bly Mountain — Walrus and Yainax — crept up over the weekend as well. The 75-acre Walrus Fire is 65 percent contained,
while the 84-acre Yainax Fire is 50 percent contained. The last evacuation notice for the Yainax Fire was lifted Saturday evening.

Crews are “well into the mop-up phase” on both of those fires. Firefighters have constructed containment lines and laid hose around both fires. The Oregon National Guard on the Bootleg left the fire yesterday. Additionally, firefighters are removing pumps, hose and other suppression supplies no longer needed on the fire.

Skyline Ridge Complex– 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/1. The complex includes 18 fires.

The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal has sent structural firefighters and equipment to protect residences and other buildings near the Poole Creek Fire if needed. The 27 firefighters from Polk and Yamhill counties arrived this evening with eight fire engines, two water tenders and two command vehicles. Tomorrow they’ll begin assessing structures along Ferguson Lane and Moore Ranch Road. If needed, they will improve defensible space around homes and outbuildings. 

The Poole Creek Fire remains firefighters’ top priority. Crews are working to complete and strengthen control lines on the fire’s east and west flanks. A mobile retardant base placed on the south bank of the South Umpqua River is making it more convenient for helicopters to drop retardant along control lines to cool hot spots. Helicopters are also dropping retardant on unburned vegetation to reduce the risk of any fires crossing the control lines.

On the south and southwest side of the Poole Creek Fire, firefighters have mopped up about 200 feet  from the perimeter of the fire. This part of the fire is unlikely to spread beyond those well-established control lines. Overall containment stands at 23% on fires in the Complex.

ODF’s Partenavia aircraft, which is equipped with night-vision and infrared heat cameras, will fly over the Poole Creek Fire tonight looking for heat. This helps firefighters identify and extinguish any remaining heat and find new spot fires beyond control lines. New spots can be difficult to find beneath heavy vegetation on steep slopes.

Wednesday will see higher temperatures into the upper 90s and lower humidity over the fire, with a Red Flag Warning for dry and unstable air.

A Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation advisory is in effect for residences in the area north of the Poole Creek Fire. For the latest evacuation information go to www.dcso.com/evacuations

*Ike Butte. OR-732S-000212. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/2. Cause: Lightning. 120 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.

*Oshae Cr. OR-ROD-000488. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/6. Cause: Lightning. 198 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.

*Poole Cr. OR-ROD-000469. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/6. Cause: Lightning. 1,943 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. Evacuation notices. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.

Devils Knob Complex. 30 mi SE of Roseburg, OR. Start 8/3. Cause: Unknown. 3,944 acres (+940). 5% containment. The complex includes 38 fires. Fire Weather Watch was issued and a Red Flag Warning will be issued for Wednesday.  An Excessive Heat Warning has been posted starting today through Saturday for all of southwest Oregon

The Devil’s Knob Complex is a grouping of 40 plus lightning caused fires with the majority burning on the Tiller Ranger District, Umpqua National Forest with a number of fires burning on private lands protected by Douglas Forest Protective Association. The fires were started from thunderstorms on July 29th and August 1st.

The Devil’s Knob Complex is situated between the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire to the north, which is being managed by Northwest Incident Management Team 13 and the Skyline Ridge Complex to the southwest, which is being managed by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1. The Devil’s Knob Complex is managed by Northwest Incident Management Team 8 from an incident command post at the Milo Academy near Tiller, Oregon.

Jack Fire and Rough Patch Complex–  

 New area closures are in place for the protection of the public and to provide firefighters with unrestricted access to the many fires scattered across the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire. 

“Our big success today on the Rough Patch Complex was catching a spot in the Steamboat drainage,” Northwest 13 Operations Section Chief John Spencer reported Monday evening.  

Spot fires are ignitions outside a fire’s perimeter caused by flying sparks or embers. This fire, which started late Sunday night, had spread to about 50 acres by the time crews, engines and heavy equipment working both flanks in very steep, rugged ground, were able to stop its forward progression.   

Fire managers are working to minimize the impact of wildfires within the drainage, which encompasses the 100,000-acre Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary. One component of these efforts includes leaving some large diameter trees in cold water streams to provide spawning habitat for salmonids. 

Black Butte- 25 mi S of Unity, OR. Start 8/3. Cause: Lightning.

On the northeast end of the Black Butte fire, crews were able to burn vegetation near completed handline to dozer line. They will continue to hold the line today, burning between fire lines and fire’s edge to secure the fire edge. On the eastern edge, hand crews and engines will hold and secure lines to keep fire from Bear Creek. The fire did cross the creek near Vale Dip, but aircraft were able to provide support for on the ground firefighters to contain the spot. Crews will scout and establish new lines to minimize fire spread and scout for primary and secondary lines to tie fire’s edge into North Fork Malheur River.

Protecting private lands and structures at Flag Prairie is a priority and firing operations will continue along 1675 and 284 roads. On the eastern edge of the fire, crews will scout primary and alternative lines to North Fork Malheur River.

On the southern edge of the fire, east of the River, firefighters will hold and secure the fire edge and spot fires in the east-west drainage. To the west, crews will prep containment lines and burn out vegetation as needed. Firefighters will scout and construct line on the northwest edge where fire went across the 1812 road.

Glacier Fire: The Glacier fire is currently 75 acres and burning in the footprint of the 2019 Cow Fire. Firefighters continue to monitor the fire for activity. Steep terrain and hazard trees are safety concerns for suppression activities.

Middle Fork Complex and Knoll Fire

Fire personnel are continually assessing and shifting available resources to where they are most needed to protect communities and provide for public and firefighter safety.

Firefighters are securing containment line around the Kwis Fire and evaluating for strategic burning operations as well as preparing fire lines to the south and west. Night operations for the Kwis Fire are ongoing and four task forces with the Oregon State Fire Marshall Red Team will arrive today to support wildland fire suppression.

Yesterday firefighters used strategic firing to remove unburned fuels from areas between the containment line and active fire. They are working to limit fire spread by utilizing a combination of constructed line, existing roads, and natural features. Today they will continue strategic firing operations as conditions allow. There are numerous hazards that pose a danger to public safety in the vicinity of this fire.  Active fire and fire weakened trees make conditions unsafe for McKenzie River travel and hiking.  It’s advised to use alternate recreation areas. 

 On the Gales and Ninemile Fires, crews and heavy equipment are using existing road systems to establish containment lines. Firefighters are burning out to consume vegetation between the line and the active fire. This increases the depth of containment lines to reduce potential for spread of fires towards communities.

Progressively warmer and drier conditions will prevail until at least Sunday, resulting in increased fire activity, especially as the smoke inversion lifts. It has been 55 days since there has been a wetting rain in the area and dry moss and lichen can carry through the air lofting embers ahead of the fire to receptive fuels. Smoke columns will likely be visible in the afternoons. For current air quality information visit oakridgeair.org/smoke or the Oregon Smoke Blog https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Bull Complex. OR-MHF-000738. IMT3. 13 mi NE of Detroit, OR. Start 8/3. Yesterday crews continued to make good progress in constructing fire line along Forest Roads 6370 and 4698. Janus, Kola, and Ridge Fires continued to grow marginally, slowly backing down the slopes.

 Monday saw warmer temperatures and lower relative humidity than in previous days. This warmer, drier weather is expected to continue throughout the week with temperatures reaching up to triple digits by midweek and relative humidity falling into the high teens.

An increase in fire behavior can be expected with this change in weather.  Firefighters have contained the Round Lake and Ogre Fires. The Janus, Kola and Ridge Fires are in remote areas that make direct attack challenging. Today’s activities include prepping lines along roads on the east and south side of the fires and scouting for opportunities for lines to the west and north, using roads and previously burned areas. We continue to use the resources we have in the highest priority areas and are making steady progress.

Bean Creek 766 CS. OR-DEF-000766. IMT3. 20 mi W of Jefferson, OR. Start 8/5. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 138 acres (+0). 0% containment. Minimal fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. No update received.

Oregon reports 2,329 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 9 new deaths

There are nine new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,912, the Oregon Health Authority reported 2,329 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 232,436. The 2,329 cases reported today include new cases that were reported to some counties over the weekend.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (33), Benton (17), Clackamas (145), Clatsop (12), Columbia (6), Coos (73), Crook (20), Curry (55), Deschutes (132), Douglas (122), Gilliam (1), Harney (6), Hood River (7), Jackson (267), Jefferson (8), Josephine (117), Klamath (46), Lake (3), Lane (199), Lincoln (34), Linn (81), Malheur (31), Marion (313), Morrow (16), Multnomah (141), Polk (41), Tillamook (27), Umatilla (102), Union (17), Wallowa (8), Wasco (42), Washington (128) and Yamhill (79). 

Gov. Brown is expected to announce new COVID-19 requirements at a press conference today.

State officials say state employees will be required to be vaccinated, and there will be statewide indoor mask requirements. The specifics of those requirements are not yet known. The changes come amid the spike in hospitalizations caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.

“Oregon is facing a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations––consisting overwhelmingly of unvaccinated individuals––that is quickly exceeding the darkest days of our winter surge,” said Brown.

If no intervention is taken, the latest modeling indicates COVID-19 hospitalizations will far exceed the state’s capacity in the next several weeks, state officials say. When hospitals are at capacity, it has a big impact on people suffering from other causes such as heart attacks, strokes, car crashes and more.

State employees in the executive branch will be required to be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 18 or six weeks after a vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.

SEIU 503, a union for public services workers and care providers in Oregon, issued the following statement: “It is our analysis that once FDA approval is final, employers have the legal right to mandate vaccines. However, the State can not simply declare a vaccine mandate and walk away. They must listen to essential workers and address our concerns with how this policy is implemented.”

You should be able to see Press Conference here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvf0TD6Lo0L6_lQEBhGYkQ

Nursing Home Bill Led by Sen. Ron Wyden Being Considered

Responding to the ravages of COVID-19 in nursing homes, senior Democratic senators Tuesday introduced legislation to increase nurse staffing, improve infection control and bolster inspections.

The bill, from a group led by Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, is part of a broader overhaul of long-term care just getting started.

Separately, President Joe Biden is seeking $400 billion to expand home and community-based care as an alternative to nursing homes in the giant domestic agenda bill Democrats are pushing in Congress. His COVID relief law already provided a down payment.

Nursing homes and long-term care facilities house a tiny proportion of the U.S. population but they’re estimated to account for about 3 in 10 deaths from COVID-Vaccines have finally brought relief, dramatically reducing cases and deaths, but concerns remain. The Congressional Budget Office has not put a price tag on the bill, but it could reach tens of billions of dollars.

Florida Issues Consumer Warning On Hemp From Oregon

Florida state officials have issued a consumer alert warning about hemp grown in Oregon containing rocks, sticks, and other foreign material accompanied by fraudulent certificates of analysis.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates and inspects the cultivation and sale of hemp, issued the warning in July, saying it had received several complaints about the hemp grown in Oregon, one of the nation’s largest hemp producers.

Florida officials are working with federal and Oregon agriculture officials to remedy the problem.

The 2018 Farm Bill and U.S. Department of Agriculture gives states until Jan. 1, 2022, to operate under USDA-approved plans for growing hemp. According to the Portland Business Journal, Florida’s plan has been approved, but Oregon hasn’t submitted its yet.

However, the state regulates edible hemp products, which require inspections and oversight by the ODA Food Safety Program, which outlines testing requirements for pesticides, solvents, and water content.

Oregon House Bill 3000 is expected to address Florida’s concerns by allowing the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and ODA to inspect hemp fields.

The Deadline to Sign Up for Health Insurance is August 15th

So far, 19,957 Oregonians have enrolled in health coverage since the COVID-19 special enrollment period started April 1, 2021. The special enrollment period ends Aug. 15, 2021, and is open to all people who qualify to shop.

People throughout Oregon are finding that substantial savings are waiting for them through the Oregon Health
Insurance Marketplace. Anyone not currently enrolled in health coverage can apply and enroll by Aug. 15 to get health coverage with these extra savings for the rest of 2021.

No one who enrolls through the Marketplace will pay more than 8.5 percent of their income towards their monthly health coverage premium. Current Marketplace enrollees can log in to their HealthCare.gov account and update their information to receive the additional savings now available thanks to the American Rescue Plan. If you don’t take
action, the system may automatically redetermine the amount of financial assistance you receive on Sept. 1, using information most recently given in the HealthCare.gov application.

If you don’t qualify for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and you don’t have insurance through your work, you can sign up for an individual or family plan at the Oregon Marketplace. The deadline for 2021 coverage is Aug. 15.

A picture of a family with yellow text boxes. 78% of Oregonians are getting an average of $400 per month in premium tax credits. Enroll in health coverage by August 15.

To learn more, visit OregonHealthCare.gov or call 855-268-3767 (toll-free) to find free, local help. 

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