Fire District One

The busiest fire department in Eastern Oregon is also one of the newest. Umatilla Fire District 1 formed in 2016 when voters approved consolidating three smaller districts covering Hermiston, Stanfield and areas east of Hermiston. 

Fire Chief Scott J. Stanton, ’12, oversaw the transition and worked alongside colleagues and citizens for several years to organize the effort. In fact, the first attempt at creating a new fire district was voted down shortly after he became fire chief of Hermiston and Stanfield. 

“People weren’t clear on what would actually change, but we learned a lot from the failure,” Stanton said. 

In 2016 he led efforts to better inform the public, and the initiative passed. The updated district structure resulted in better insurance rates, along with an increased coverage area. Stanton has staffed an additional fire station, cutting response times from eight minutes down to four for residents in that area. He’s also overseen the installation of a training tower at Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) for its firefighter training program. 

Covering 47,000 residents, the ambulance service responded to about 4,500 medical dispatches within its 620-mile coverage area in 2020. Fire District 1 is also a base for the regional hazmat team that serves 6.5 counties. Nearly 40 full-time employees, plus 30 paid-on-call volunteer firefighters staff the district. 

Stanton earned a Fire Services Administration degree online from EOU while he was the Assistant Fire Chief in Hermiston, but his career in firefighting began back in 1986. 

“I grew up in Pilot Rock, where my family raised wheat and cattle,” he said. “I’m the first person to leave the ranch.”

Stanton joined his father as a volunteer firefighter at 19 years old. He started farming on his own, but quit in 1993 to train as a paramedic. Stanton started full-time firefighting in Hermiston in 1995. 

“I love helping people, and that it’s different every day,” he said. 

Stanton has seen plenty of change in 30 years — and he’s been the driving force for a lot of it.

“When I was a firefighter, change didn’t come quick enough,” he said. “I knew that I’d have to be the one promoting change.” 

So he earned more and more certifications — eventually holding over 20. His eagerness for education has nurtured a generation of incoming firefighters who are proactive about learning. 

“Firefighting forces are becoming more educated,” he said “It’s common now that applicants have at least a two-year degree.” 

Professionalizing the industry in this way means that most firefighters cross-train in several areas: hazmat, ambulance, rescue or emergency medical services. It also means that tools for technology and safety are increasingly important. Stanton said firefighters are almost three times as likely to get cancer as the average American.

“The way we take care of our people now, with cancer prevention and health and wellness opportunities, has transformed,” he said. “Thermal energy cameras and cardiac monitors are really the biggest change, but we still fight fire the same way — putting water at the seat of the fire.” 

Which is telling because Stanton has seen it all. He’s worked on numerous wildland fires, Hurricane Katrina aftermath, and even space shuttle recoveries. Stanton is set to become President of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association in July 2021, and he’s bringing his penchant for education with him. 

“I always talk to my troops about furthering their education and I can talk about it because I went through it,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the pipeline full of people learning and growing.”