Saalsaa on retirement — ‘it’s just a word’

Rich Saalsaa tries to retire — it just never seems to stick. Or, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that he just sees retirement a little differently than what would typically come to mind.

Back in 1990, he gave up firefighting while in California to focus on the technology company that he founded. More than two decades later, he retired from an executive position in Salt Lake City and moved to a small town in Oregon where his wife, Theresa, owned property.

The small town, Philomath, featured a volunteer fire department and Saalsaa signed up. In less than a year, he was offered a full-time job as a lieutenant and eventually moved up to deputy fire chief.

After more than a decade with Philomath Fire and Rescue as a volunteer and paid staff member, Saalsaa has again retired — effective Dec. 31.

“Retirement is, well, it’s sort of just a word,” Saalsaa said with a grin while sitting in the kitchen of his Philomath home. “I’m retiring from, basically, the public safety side of life. I will continue to volunteer … my plan is to continue doing some duty officer rotation so I’ll be out.”

Yes, don’t be surprised to see Saalsaa in certain spots when he’s needed.

“It’ll be nonoperational — no more dragging hose and going up ladders and going into burning buildings,” he added. “That part’s done for me.”

Saalsaa, who will reach age 67 later this week, said he wants to focus on his health and maintain an active lifestyle in retirement. Philomath Fire and Rescue celebrated Saalsaa’s contributions to the fire district with a special event last weekend.

Saalsaa’s early background in the emergency response goes back to his days as a college student in Sacramento when he volunteered at two fire departments. By 1981, he had joined a Sacramento-area fire department and spent time with the California State Military Reserve, working his way up to serve in the office of the adjutant general.

In the meantime, Saalsaa developed an idea that led to the establishment of a company, Systems Plus, that focused on computer-aided dispatching for 911 and records management. Saalsaa later merged with Medical Priority Consultants in Salt Lake City and together they developed a prompt-based system that dramatically improved communication between dispatchers and emergency responders.

“We provided training in 911 centers all over the world for dispatchers,” Saalsaa said. “I developed a software program … when they’re asking you questions over the phone, it basically is a protocol that lines up the appropriate response based on the answers to the questions and gets the appropriate units on the road. And then it gives you advice on what to do.”

Saalsaa, who was awarded five patents for his original work, spent several years with the company and traveled the world helping various agencies implement the technology. Then in 2013, the move from Salt Lake City to Philomath occurred, although he continued to perform computer consulting on a part-time basis, which he is still involved with today.

“The IT (information technology) stuff, that gives me the charge because it’s a very Sherlock Holmes kind of thing — you’ve got to get in there and solve problems or create solutions,” Saalsaa said.

Walking into Philomath Fire and Rescue’s Station 201 for the first time in September 2014, Saalsaa came upon a ladder truck that took him back to his early years as a firefighter. It was the exact same model that he had trained on in the early 1980s in Sacramento — a full-circle moment.

In the following years, not only did he serve as a firefighter and facilitate training in several areas of emergency response but contributed as a member of the State Fire Marshal’s Office team as a public information officer at the scene of some of the state’s most catastrophic wildfires. 

Saalsaa remembers his wife being worried about the relocation to Philomath because he had only lived in metropolitan areas.

“I just fell in love with the community,” Saalsaa said. “I mean, knowing the mayor and the police chief and knowing all of the people that I know … how often do you get that kind of experience to be that intimately connected?”

Saalsaa realizes some people would say “small-town living is everybody-knows-your-shoe-size kind of thing” but said he’s never had that experience.

“It’s the people at the end of the day that you get to work with that’s just extraordinary,” he said about the job he’s leaving. “It’s just been a very pleasant sort of way to kind of step off … the department’s in great hands.”

Besides the occasional contribution as a duty officer, Saalsaa will also continue to run the American Heart Association CPR and first aid classes that take place at the Philomath fire station.

“I can’t imagine completely unplugging,” he said.

Saalsaa said he has no plans to leave Philomath and in fact, is pursuing other ways to serve the local citizens.

Said Saalsaa, “This is home for me.”