Gaston Rural Fire District

Imagine you're Gaston firefighter Brad Shinpaugh.

You just spent all day at a "flashover" drill at Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. A flashover drill involves running into rooms with temperatures as high as 1,200 degrees at times.

So what do you do if you are Brad Shinpaugh after spending all day doing this? You head on out for training at the Gaston Rural Fire District, running a fitness drill in full oxygen and gear. In nearly 90-degree temperatures.

And what about the rest of the Gaston staff and volunteers? They come out to the drill and push their bodies to extremes. And then they stay and cheer on the last participant: Brad Shinpaugh.

Some of these folks have been doing this for years. Take Clay Davis (that's him, above, with his hose). Clay spent more than 22 years fighting fires in Forest Grove. Now he's doing it all over again in Gaston. Or how about Chief Roger Mesenbrink, who spent 30 years fighting fires for Fire District 2 and Hillsboro Fire. Roger can still run the drill with the best of them, despite the teasing he gets from the young guys.

And what about those young volunteers? They spent their day driving big rigs, working construction, etc., looking forward to the chance to challenge themselves in this back-breaking drill.

Gaston firefighter Brad Shinpaugh lugs a hose while the children he protects play in the background.