Focus on Firefighters

Jumping into a truck and charging into a standing wheat fire, or encountering a burning building is not for the faint of heart, but for Captain Miguel Castillo, Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2, it is a way to help his community.

Castillo was inspired to join the district around seven years ago after watching the devastation left behind by multiple complex fires in the Umatilla National Forest.

"I reached out to some of the local guys here, applied, and got on the department," Castillo said. "Ever since then, I've been doing what I can to help out the community."

Many, if not all, of Waitsburg's first responders share a similar story to Castillo's. They want to give back to their community by being on the front lines of a fire or emergency medical situation. Like many other rural fire districts, the Waitsburg-based Fire District 2 relies primarily on volunteers.

Since volunteering, Castillo said he has undergone lots of in-house training, learning from fire chiefs, district officers, and fellow firefighters. In-house training is available for anyone wanting to volunteer for firefighting for District 2. Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 trains every other week, rain or shine, preparing for everything from combine fires to medical emergencies.

"We try to get a good-sized crowd for training," he said. "Even the public can come out and check it out and see what we are all about."

In July, Castillo said he responded to six fires, and multiple medical calls. He works a full-time job in Walla Walla, has a young family, and hobbies of his own. Still, he still finds time to come to the rescue. Missed birthdays, gatherings, and weekend fun is just one small demand of being on the frontlines of protecting crops, pets, and communities.

Last weekend, for example, Castillo said he responded to a fire on Bolles Road in the early hours of the morning, around 4 a.m. The fire was started by a four-wheeler, according to the Walla Walla Sheriff's Office. It was attended by four members of District 2 and assisted by Columbia County Fire District 3.

Castillo said that when he and the district volunteers arrived, there were two separate fires catching them off-guard for just a second. Through quick thinking, helped by years of training and experience, the crew coordinated staging so the correct people were in the right spots. Though the flames in the dark early morning sky looked dramatic, the fire was quickly and safely extinguished.

"You respond to what you can," Castillo said. "There are a certain number of calls, and a certain amount of training that you are required to go to, but that varies whether you are on the fire side or the medical side, or you do both."

Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 is always looking for volunteers, said Castillo. The district needs volunteers for medical and firefighting, however, it is not required to become both a firefighter and an EMT.

"We help out as much as we can," Castillo said. "The more people that we can get involved with the department and have them trained, the more comfortable they will be in an emergency situation."

In a Times series focusing on local firefighter published before the pandemic, Castillo voiced the same concerns and encouragement as today.

"Being a small community, you have to be involved. You can't just sit around and say, 'Hey, I'll let someone else take care of it,'" he said.

"At times, it's not having enough people to create crews. Sometimes we're shorthanded and get two people on fires. Sometimes we get ten people. It's great when we have a lot of people but it's difficult when we don't have a crew to supply. Not just for our county, but to help out Dayton, too," he said in 2019.

Castillo continued, "It's definitely a big commitment, but it's worth it. You become, not just a participating member of the community, but you are seen differently because you are out there helping the community out and volunteering your time."

As proof of Castillo's generosity of time, he spoke with The Times on one of his few days off. It also happened to be his birthday.