Local youth will get a chance this summer to pull on firefighter gear, work a hose line and learn the kind of skills that save lives — all under the guidance of the people who do it for a living.
The FRIEND Firefighter STEM Camp, presented in partnership with Philomath Fire and Rescue and the Corvallis Fire Department, is a hands-on, two-day program aimed at introducing Benton County youth to the science, technology and teamwork behind modern firefighting and emergency response.
Day 1 runs Friday, June 19, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Patrick Lumber Co., just west of town. Day 2 follows on Saturday, June 20, also from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Philomath Middle School.
The camp is the work of David Barron, a Benton County resident and 27-year professional firefighter in Portland who founded FRIEND — Firefighters Reaching Internationally through Education as a Nonprofit Delegation.
Barron, who coaches youth sports locally and has three sons in Philomath schools, says the organization’s mission is to increase opportunities for people who haven’t traditionally considered firefighting as a career.
The first day focuses on the medical side of emergency response with instruction in CPR, first aid and “Stop the Bleed” training — the kind of foundational skills that empower a kid to do something useful in those first critical minutes before professional responders arrive. It’s the difference between standing frozen and actually helping, and there’s real value in teaching that early.
Day 2 shifts to firefighting itself. Youth will suit up in safety gear and rotate through stations led by firefighters and instructors, including hydrant operation, nozzle work, wildland firefighting techniques and an auto extrication demonstration with the Jaws of Life. Along the way, organizers say, students get exposure to the STEM principles that underpin the work — water pressure, hydraulics, the engineering behind rescue tools — while practicing teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.
This is the kind of programming that punches above its weight in a small community. It puts the gear in kids’ hands and gives them a clear line of sight into public safety work.
Register for free through Eventbrite.
2. Alsea tragedy
A story this week from The Oregonian/OregonLive is hard to read but worth your time. Reporter Aimee Green details a $100 million lawsuit filed by the family of Ethan Cantrell, the 18-year-old Alsea High School graduate who died in August 2024, five days after injuring his arm while cutting wood near his home.
According to the lawsuit, Cantrell went to the emergency room at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, where a doctor stitched the wound closed and sent him home with an antibiotic. Two days later, a second doctor reopened the wound and found a dozen pieces of organic plant matter still inside — twigs, pine needles and moss, the lawsuit states. By the time he was transported to OHSU in Portland, the infection had spread beyond what surgeons could stop. He died Aug. 20, 2024.
The full story is at OregonLive, and readers can go there for the details (there is a paywall). The hospital and the physicians’ group named in the suit have not responded substantively to the allegations, and Samaritan Health Services said in a statement that it would respond through the legal process. A courtroom is the right place to sort out what happened.
What I’ll say here is this: Ethan was a fifth-generation logger, a multi-sport athlete, recently engaged to his high school sweetheart and a few months out from graduation. We published his obituary in 2024, written by his family, and it is worth reading alongside the news of the lawsuit. Whatever the courts ultimately determine, the loss is real, and the people who loved him are left living with it.
3. A Philomath gem
Let’s end on something cheerful. The Dizzy Hen, the cozy Main Street spot, just got a nice nod from That Oregon Life, which included it on its 2026 roundup of the 42 best mom-and-pop restaurants in Oregon.
Writer Danielle Denham slotted The Dizzy Hen at No. 12 on the list, in the Willamette Valley section, alongside places like the Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro in Salem, Squirrel’s Tavern in Corvallis and Yeasty Beasty in Monmouth — solid company. She described it as a small-town gem that “punches way above its weight,” with a creative, scratch-made menu and the kind of welcoming atmosphere that brings regulars back week after week.
If you’ve been in there on a Saturday morning, none of that comes as news. The Dizzy Hen has built a loyal following the old-fashioned way — by being good and by being consistent. That’s not a small thing in a town this size.
Worth a read if you’re in the mood to plan a road trip around Oregon’s best small-town diners. The full list is at thatoregonlife.com.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
