Gaston Rural Fire District

The door springs open and you're met with a wall of flames.

Most of us would turn and run away. But not firefighters. Firefighters just go right in.

Smiling children and their parents filled First Street on a hot August night for free hotdogs, fire truck rides and visits with a very friendly police dog.

That can mean only one thing: National Night Out was back with Gaston's biggest block party of the summer.

Because parts of Gaston Fire's district are remote from trauma centers, LifeFlight can be a very important partner.

Just weeks out of high school, Eric Boyd already is a very accomplished firefighter.

While still a student at Gaston High School, he responded to enough calls to share firefighter of the year honors for 2008.

All outdoor burning is outlawed in the Gaston Fire area effective Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

This ban includes all forms of outdoor burning, including agricultural fires.

Volunteers from Gaston Fire will maintain two new life-jacket loaner stations at Henry Hagg Lake.

The life-jacket stations were created as an Eagle Scout project by Kyle Giesbers.

Kyle worked on the project for two months after being approached by the Washington County contingent of Safe Kids‐Portland Metro.

The two life jacket stations are at Boat Ramp C and at the Sain Creek Swim area.

"Small town guy gets dream job.”

That's how Gaston Fire's new career firefighter, Randy Hoodenpyl, sums up his life.

It all sounds so simple, but there's much more to the story.

Randy's roots run deep in Gaston. “I went to all of the Gaston schools and graduated from Gaston High in 2005, just as my father did in the 1976 and grandfather before him in 1951.”

Chief Roger Mesenbrink presents Gary Carr, left, with a plaque honoring his service

For Gary Carr, a high school job at a gas station naturally evolved into 25 years on the Gaston Rural Fire District, a term that ended at the June meeting.

If you live in Gaston, it all makes sense.

It's tough to know who to trust when you need a babysitter.

Unless you you hire one of the 13 graduates of this year's Gaston Fire/Red Cross Babysitting class.

To earn their certificates, these students spent a beautiful Saturday in some serious classes with instructor Susan Neblitt.