Last week, firefighters with Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, who also serve Gales Creek, visited area schools to remind drivers to slow down as school resumed.
“Please remember to slow down in school zones and pay extra attention for students heading to school,” the fire agency said in a social media post.
While their staff didn’t make it out to Gales Creek or Dilley as part of the public safety campaign, they did visit Verboort.
In a message to the Gales Creek Journal, FGF&R spokesperson Dave Nemeyer said it was challenging to send on-duty crews too far outside of city limits while still maintaining central coverage for emergency calls.
“As far as rural schools, we just want to remind folks that soon enough the weather will be foggier, the roads slick, and the daylight even less, so it’s important to think about those bus stops that may be ahead as we come around corners during the commute,” he said.
Like Gales Creek, Verboort is part of the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District, which, despite the name, is not in Forest Grove, but in the ring of rural communities surrounding the city. Gales Creek, Dilley, parts of Hillside, and other dots on the map are part of the district.
The district elects a board of directors and contracts with Forest Grove Fire & Rescue to provide emergency services.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
