Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Two individuals were named employee of the year at the Centralia Police Department as honors were announced in recognition of courage, service and sacrifice.

Named as employee of the year for 2011 were Officer John Panco and records technician Taresa Robertson.

The announcements came during last week’s city council meeting, in advance of National Police Week.

The same night, certificates of commendation were presented to Officer Neil Hoium and Officer Patty Finch.

Panco and Officer Ruben Ramirez, were recipients of life-saving ribbons, for conducting CPR on an unresponsive elderly man.

Police Cmdrs. Jim Rich and Dave Ross joined Chief Bob Berg in presenting the awards.

Five members of the police department were recognized for five year of service, and records technician Gayle Mulligan was recognized for 45 years of service with the police agency.

Updated at 8:55 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A dive rescue team has been dispatched to the Chehalis River southwest of Rochester to search for a 16-year-old boy.

Aid and deputies responded to the approximately 5 p.m. call to an area near the Independence Road Bridge, at Michigan Hill Road, according to the Thurston County Sheriffs Office.

“He was with a group of people and tried to swim across,” sheriff’s Lt. Greg Elwin said. “He went below the surface and did not come back up.

Responders are operating in rescue mode and hoping to find him, Elwin said just after 6 p.m.

Even though some time has passed, the cold temperature of the water gives them hope he can be revived if he is found submerged, according to Elwin.

Just before 9 p.m. tonight, Elwin said there was no change.

“It’s getting dark here pretty soon, we’ll suspend our efforts,” Elwin said.

Searchers don’t yet have a morning plan, he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters from four departments responded to a brush fire in Ethel yesterday that spread to as much as three acres on former timberland being cleared for new housing.

Lewis County Fire District 8 was called about 3:30 p.m. to the 200 block of Volcano Drive where the day before someone had been burning stumps and brush to clear some property, according to Fire Chief Duran McDaniel.

Flames spread to replanted fir trees as tall as 12 feet and to the under brush, according to McDaniel.

No structures were threatened, he said.

Personnel from the state Department of Natural Resources arrived about 4:30 p.m. and then brought in a 10-person prison inmate crew to finish up, according to McDaniel.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A woman shot herself during a firearms class in Onalaska yesterday as she was practicing safely drawing a gun from a concealed holster.

Deputies and aid called about 10:45 a.m. to the Firearms Academy of Seattle learned the 59-year-old Onalaska resident was re-holstering a 9 mm gun when it discharged, striking her in the upper leg, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust said she was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with a non-life threatening injury.

The gun range at the 3300 block of Centralia-Alpha Road is run by Marty Hayes and his wife. Hayes is a former police officer and known locally as the individual who assisted the mother of former trooper Ronda Reynolds in attempts to disprove her death was a suicide.

Hayes declined to comment on the incident, citing the privacy issues of his students.

He said he teaches about 1,000 people each year how to safely and competently use handguns for self defense.

Aust said there were several witness and the woman said as she was putting the gun away, either the trigger caught on something or her finger pulled the trigger.

Her name was not released.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A week from Sunday, Centralia Police Department Chief Bob Berg will attend a candlelight vigil in Washington D.C. as the name of a Centralia officer is added to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial wall.

Officer William Smith

Centralia Police Officer William Smith was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, 1910, but the nomination for inclusion on the wall was only recently accepted following the department’ discovery of details of Smith’s death in an old newspaper article, according to Berg.

Smith’s name will join that of Centralia Deputy Marshal James C.A. Parsons killed in the line of duty June 30, 1903 and inscribed on the marble wall eight years ago.

They are among the names of more than 19,000 officers killed in the line of duty and engraved on the two curving 300-plus feet blue-gray marble walls in a place called Judiciary Square, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund.

The ceremony comes two days before National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, established by the United States Congress as a day for recognition of those officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities, according to a news release from the Centralia Police Department.

In advance of the week, Centralia officers and department employees will be recognized on Tuesday night for their courage, service and sacrifice, according to Berg.

At the city council meeting, departmental awards will be presented, to include two lifesaving ribbons, two certificates of commendation and employees of the year.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Some 200 plus individuals will descend on the Grand Mound-Rochester area next Thursday morning as public agencies from five counties test their capacity to respond to a natural disaster.

Members of fire districts, sheriff’s offices and medics will be practicing what they would do in the aftermath if a tsunami should hit Washington’s coast.

It’s not the most likely event, but its consequences would be widespread, according to Homeland Security Region Three Coordinator Jesi Chapin.

For example, traffic from coastal evacuees will become very congested and when those residents arrive, they will need sheltering and feeding, she said.

“When the day comes, when it actually hits, (those) people are not going to be able to go back,” she said. “We’ll be in a position here of housing people in the interior corridor.”

It begins at 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. with a simulated mass casualty response – a bus filled with evacuees crashes – on county property at 183rd Avenue and Sargent Road.

The exercise conducted by Homeland Security Region Three is titled Pacific Panda.

Joining the public agencies will be the American Red Cross, American Medical Response, Olympic Ambulance and 120 volunteers who will be role playing, according to Chapin.

Agencies will be testing communications, citizen sheltering, incident management and mass care, according to organizers.

Maple Lane School will be the site for practicing sheltering, as well as a debriefing afterward, Chapin said.

Area residents might also notice shuttle busses for participants from parking areas at Great Wolf Lodge and Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers.

The counties involved in the practice response include Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Pacific and Mason.