Representatives from Timber River Connections older adult centers, formerly known as Lewis County Seniors, were in attendance for the Lewis County Fire District 1 Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, March 19, at the district’s Onalaska station.
They were there to accept a donation of half a dozen surplus automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.
Lewis County Fire District 1 Chief Brad Flexhaug explained the AEDs weren’t beyond their useful age, but thanks to a recent donation of new AEDs from the Onalaska Volunteer Firefighters Association, the district no longer needed them and decided to give them to Timber River Connections for its senior center network.
“There’s five of them, and a trainer,” Flexhaug added.
Among the Timber River Connections representatives in attendance was Nicole Barr, executive director, along with board member Tim Wood and Carol Brock, board president. Brock is also one of the District 1 fire commissioners.
“We can put one at our thrift store, and we can also take one when we go out to Pe Ell,” Brock said. “Because we go out there twice a week and travel back and forth from there since we don’t have a regular site out there. So one of these can go with them in the car, and if they need it, they have it. And with the training unit, they can learn how to use it.”
Timber River Connections also runs the senior centers in the Twin Cities, Winlock, Toledo, Morton and Packwood.
The donation of the AEDs wasn’t the only donation announced at Thursday’s commissioner meeting, as Flexhaug stated he currently has 70 helmets for children ready for District 1’s community bike rodeo event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.
A small riding course of cones will be set up for youth to ride their bikes in “rodeo” events at the District 1 firehouse, located at 1733 state Route 508 in Onalaska.
“Riding through cones, learning how to stop, hand signals, things like that,” Flexhaug said.
The event is being funded thanks to a West EMS grant, and will also feature a community ride around Carlisle Lake.
Helmets will only be available while supplies last. Helmet fitting will be available. Pre-registration for the event is available on the fire district’s website at https://tinyurl.com/3bbnnsk3.
Flexhaug also showcased new light-weight helmets and backpacks his firefighters are using. The new helmets were obtained thanks to a Gesa Credit Union grant, and the backpacks from a Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant.
“I had several people that were concerned. They wanted to keep the traditional helmets. But all they had to do was wear them, and they were OK with them,” Flexhaug said.
“We’re going European,” District 1 Commission Chair Tim Miles added.
Volunteers with Lewis County Fire District 1 will also be undergoing active shooter training this upcoming year, and there are now 20 certified trainers in the county for this training.
“We’re working on putting together a schedule for those classes to come out. We’re going to try to get 10 classes in the next eight months put together,” Flexhaug said. “The nice thing was we had an opportunity to see (training in action) in the Chehalis school hoax shooting. I don’t know if you guys heard about that. I think several of the officers that were on that call were at the trainers training class, and started using this, and they said it went fantastically.”
Training is being run through Lewis County Emergency Management.
Commissioners also approved the surplusing of an old ambulance chassis, which will be sold at an upcoming Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers sale in May.
To learn more about Timber River Connections and the services it provides at the senior centers, visit its website at https://timberriverconnections.org/.
