Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association

OVFA 2012-2013 Board  DAVID SELLERS, PRES IDENT   David is currently a volunteer with Nestucca Fire, located on the Oregon coast.  David has been a member of the OVFA since 1987 when he started his volunteering with what was then Washington County Fire District #1- Engine Co. 259.   Two years later the District became Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue when it merged with Tualatin Rural Fire District.  David was a volunteer with TVF&R  till September of 2003.   In April 2004 he became a  volunteer with Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and was there until March of 2011.  David attended his first OVFA conference in June of 1988 hosted by Tualatin Rural and has missed only one conference since that time. He says that being a part of OVFA for so many years and having received so much that it was time to give something back and accepted a position on the Board in 2009.  He has served on the Board as a Director, 1st Vice President and now President.  He is currently serving on the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council and the Burn Center Advisory Committee, representing OVFA.  David, and his wife Denise, have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.  Chelsie, his oldest is married and living in El Paso, while her husband Paul is currently deployed to Kuwait.  The other 3 children, Jessica Cody and Devin are still at home. David’s real job is being an insurance agent with Farmers Insurance Group for the last 26 years.   He also keeps busy with being the Scout Master for his boys’ troop, helping coach baseball, and serving in his church. His goals as a member of the OVFA Board are to try and help more Departments across Oregon come to realize the value in being members of the organization and to help the OVFA become an even bigger part in helping their departments and the communities they serve. mailto:gro.afvonull@tnediserP

REX PARKS, 1ST VICE PRESIDENT  Rex is a volunteer Captain with Cloverdale (not the one on the coast) RFPD. Located in the center of the “Golden Triangle” between Bend, Sisters and Redmond, the Cloverdale community covers 40 square miles of farm, ranch and agricultural lands. The district has approximately 1500 single-family homes with about 3500 full time residences and is still growing, as are most of the areas in Central Oregon. Rex has been employed with ODOT as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic since 1988 starting in the Bend equipment shop before moving on to his current position as the Field Mechanic for the Santiam Junction and Detroit maintenance areas. He had been the SEIU/OPEU union shop steward while in the Bend equipment shop, and now for the Santiam Junction and Detroit crews. Hunting being another of his passions, Rex has served as an executive officer in the Bend chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association. Rex was introduced to the OVFA when the annual conference was held in Bend in 1998. He has been a regular attendee every since. Taking classes to move him from firefighter and apparatus operator to company officer, the OVFA’s annual conference, local training and the National Fire Academy, have all been a vital part of his training curriculum. In 2002 while at the conference in Coos Bay, Rex was asked and chose to become a part of the ambassador program. Rex has a son who lives in Redmond and works for ODOT at Santiam Junction, a daughter who lives and works in Portland, and 4 grandchildren.   mailto:vicepres1@ovfa.org  

KIRT HICKEY, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT   Kirt applied for the position of Ambassador and was elected as a two year Director with the OVFA in 2011. He has been a Volunteer Firefighters with Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services District since 2006.  He has severed as Secretary, Vice President and President of the Hermiston Firefighters Association.  To pay the bills he works as A Correctional Officer with the Department of Corrections.  He is married to Stella, his wife of 7 years who supports and works alongside him in his volunteer activities. Together they have four young daughters.   He has earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America and spends some of his free time helping Boy Scouts.   He has a love of outdoor sport such as fishing, hunting, camping and a good round of golf.  He believes every firefighter deserves to have access to great training so will strive during his term of service on the OVFA board to build solid training opportunities for all firefighters. mailto: gro.afvonull@2serpeciv

    STELLA HICKEY, SECRETARY/TREASURER   Stella has been with  the Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services District since 2007 when she founded the Hermiston Fire Corps Program,  a volunteer support services organization.    Stella started out in 1998 in pursuit of her EMT-Basic the first step on her way to becoming a Paramedic/ Firefighter but a serious back injury left her unable to finish pursuing that dream.  In 2005 she married Kirt, who a year later became a volunteer firefighter with Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services District.   After 18 months of struggle with why Kirt had to leave whenever the tones sound, and a near separation,  Kirt presented an opportunity for Stella to get back involved with the Fire Service which saved their marriage and propelled Stella into the Fire Corps realm.  In 2009 she accepted the position of Oregon Fire Corps State Advocate and began the running of the State Fire Corps program.  In 2011 she hosted the first State Fire Corps Conference in Gresham, Oregon.  Along with her duties as a State Fire Corps Advocate, Stella is also a Member of National Fire Corps Speaking Bureau.   Stella believes that a successful firefighter has a strong support system.  She desires to help Develop workshops and training in Oregon to target firefighter’s health and family.  She looks forward to helping strengthen the OVFA in any way that she can. mailto:gro.afvonull@yraterces

DAVID BUTLER, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT David was an Ambassador with OVFA before being elected as a two year Director in 2003 and then to the 2nd Vice President role in 2005.  He served as 1st Vice President in both 2007 and again in 2009, and was elected as OVFA's President in 2010.   He had been the President of the Lebanon Volunteer Firefighters Association for 9 years, where he has spent 14 years. He has risen in the ranks from firefighter to Training/Senior Captain. He is married to his wonderful and very supportive wife Anita, to whom he has been married for over 25 years. They have raised three boys and now have four grandchildren (two boys and two girls).  mailto:gro.afvonull@serptsap

 

PETER ROBERTSON , DIRECTOR #2 Peter is a Lieutenant with North Lincoln Fire and Rescue in Lincoln City, Oregon. He was born in Lincoln City and has spent his entire life serving his community. He started in the fire service March of 1999 he was inspired to become a volunteer firefighter by his elementary principal who was the volunteer assistant fire chief. Peter said he was his hero and so followed in his footsteps and became a firefighter! He currently is a team leader for the North Lincoln Water Rescue Team. In his time as a firefighter Peter has received Firefighter of the year in 2006, Chiefs Award in 2007 and Rescuer of the year in 2011 but if you ask him he is just doing what is right. He has served as President and Vice President for his Volunteer firefighter association and he was a central part of the organizing the 2011 Annual Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association Conference that was held at Chinook Winds Casino Resort. Although not married Peter has been in a long term relationship and is the proud owner of 3 dogs. He spends his free time Hiking, Hunting and Jet skiing on the Ocean. He was elected to the OVFA board in 2011 and has been given the nickname “Super Pete by members of the board. Peter hopes to improve member’s knowledge of benefits and services offered by OVFA as well as improve public knowledge of what Emergency responders do. mailto:gro.afvonull@2rotcerid