Multnomah County Fire District 14 is holding its annual recruitment drive and is seeking hard-working, team-oriented and dedicated volunteers to join its ranks.

The firefighters stress that the hours may be long and, as volunteers, they won’t be getting paid for the work. But they say the rewards of serving the rural communities of East County and being an emergency’s first responders — sometimes to their own family and friends — are well worth it.

The fire district invites all interested people to learn more about what it does at an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, at the Corbett Fire Station, 36930 E. Historic Columbia River Highway.

The fire district is accepting applications until Aug. 1. Successful applicants must be at least 18 years old, reside within or close to the district, pass background and drug tests and be physically capable.

Just like career firefighters, volunteers have to meet the same standards set by the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

For Chief Tom Layton, the recruitment drive is not about getting a quantity of volunteers, but finding quality volunteers who are willing to commit to the rigorous training and the time that goes into being a firefighter with the fire district.

People who do commit will be joining a long line of dedicated volunteers who have served the community since the district was established on July 2, 1949.

“We’re very fortunate because we’ve got a good tax base and the community supports us,” Layton says. “That’s because we’ve earned it. The level of service has always been top-notch when we’re needed.”

Layton says the fire district now has 37 volunteers, ranging in age from 21 through the 70s. Volunteers include farmers, teachers, carpenters and a certified public accountant, he says.

“If you name a profession, we’ve probably got it,” says Layton, who works as an electrician.

Volunteers respond to an average of 500 calls a year and provide aid to surrounding fire departments. Although the volunteers have other commitments such as full-time jobs and families, Layton says they are essentially on call 24/7.

That’s why it’s important that volunteers have the support of their spouses, children and other family members, he says, as family members “join” the district with the volunteers.

Occasionally, the firefighters will find special events like birthdays, Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas mornings interrupted by emergencies, Layton says.

Service to the community

Layton, 54, has volunteered with the district for 32 years, including 16 years as fire chief, but he notes he’s not even the longest-serving member.

That designation goes to his uncle, Lt. Bob Layton, who has served with the department for 55 years. A couple other volunteers have served for 40 years or more, Layton says, and a few of them are third-generation volunteers.

Seven of its firefighters over the years have been selected as firefighter of the year by the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association, and just as many have been runner-ups, Layton says. Many have gone on to become career firefighters, he says.

Assistant Chief Phil Dearixon says he joined the department at age 18 and has been with it for 28 years.

“You think you’ve seen everything, but there’s always something new,” says Dearixon, who is also a captain with Portland Fire & Rescue.

For Dearixon, who has resided in the Corbett area his whole life, a difficult aspect of serving in the district is responding to emergencies that involve family, friends and neighbors, and sometimes having to deliver bad news to them.

A high point of the job is “when someone comes to the fire station and says, ‘Hey, you saved my life today,’ “ Dearixon says. “They wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for us, and that’s pretty rewarding.”

Firefighter Steve Hill, 54, joined the fire district in 2006 with his son after his son saw a sign about volunteering. His son has since joined the Marine Corps, but he has stayed on as a volunteer.

“Once I got in, I wished I had done it sooner,” he says. “It’s a really good way to give back something to the community that you live in.”

Firefighter Seth Grover, 21, joined the fire district about a year after graduating high school. He says one of his most exciting and intense moments was to the View Point Inn fire in July 2011.

As news helicopters circled the smoky inn, Grover says he was on the second floor of the inn when he and fellow firefighters tracked the seat of the fire and pulled the ceiling down, only to find the attic engulfed in the flames.

In the aftermath of the fire, he says, investigators said they were amazed that the inn was still standing.

Grover says it’s rewarding to give back to the community by helping people.

“Whether you hear it or not, they appreciate what you do,” he says.

Plus, he adds, there’s always the thrill of getting to ride in a fire truck.

“I don’t need to get paid,” he says. “That’s cool.”