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CLOUDY Temp: 44 °F Wind: WNW at 3 mph Friday, November 22, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 19, 2002 With her blind pet duck Plucky at her side, Kathy Dean sends mass e-mails to local residents with up-to-date information on the region's fires. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell One-woman news service Kathy Dean has become the eyes and ears of her Applegate Valley neighbors for wildfire information By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Plucky the blind wood duck isn’t the only one Kathy Dean has taken under her wing. The Applegate resident is self-appointed information-central and rumor-squelcher for property owners monitoring smoke and flames in their neck of the woods. From the Timbered Rock and Tiller to Biscuit and East Antelope fires, Dean has been sending about five e-mails daily to 150 people, including Applegate and Illinois valley residents, this fire season. "I’m doing it for the satisfaction that people are getting accurate information," said the 55-year-old retired engineer. Dean sends out official fire updates, evacuation, road-closure and power supply information, maps, satellite photos and emergency announcements. She said most of her information comes from the Oregon Department of Forestry. Dean lives with her husband, Nicholas Gombos, on 50 acres on Yale Creek Road, along with two llamas, two horses, two ducks, a cat and a dog. And Plucky. "She’s mostly a house duck," said Dean. "She sits and watches TV with us every night." Dean said her mission began last summer when the Quartz fire was burning on the ridge behind her house. She struggled to get accurate information and she was continually wondering what in the world was going on. When firefighters used Dean’s property as a helibase and staging area to fight the Quartz fire, she saw an opportunity. Dean said that with the ODF and the BLM on her porch every morning, she had accurate, up-to-date details, and began e-mailing area residents to keep them informed. "I would get the maps and all the local information, and I would send it out," said Dean. So when the Squire fire started July 13 in the Applegate, she dusted off the old e-mail list. She soon acquired more residents’ e-mail addresses from ODF, as well as people who wrote to her and asked to be added to the list. The mountainous terrain, where the fires are, interferes with reception, making communication a challenge, she said. "There’s a lot of people out there who don’t get TV and don’t get radio and they depend on their e-mail," said Dean. Dennis Turco, ODF fire prevention specialist, said Dean fills an important role. "It’s really hard to explain how important it is," he said. "Getting accurate information out in a timely manner, that’s always been a big challenge to us. "Through her network she’s been able to reach people we wouldn’t normally reach. It kind of fills a void we’ve had." Applegate resident Jack Duggan lives on 373 acres at the end of Forest Creek Road and said he’s been relying on Dean’s e-mails. "I’ve had two late-night meetings this week. I can check my e-mail, and I’ve got information when I need it," he said. "It’s accurate, it’s clear, it’s concise." Monitoring the state of fires is essential for rural residents, said Duggan, chairman of the Applegate Valley Community Forum. "For those of us who live in the forest, it’s automatic to do a 360-degree scan of the hills around us every time we walk out the door," he said. Dean’s information tells him whether the smoke he is seeing is just from back-burning or if the fire has blown up. "If we had a blow-up then the chance for embers is going to be higher," he said. Duggan and Turco aren’t the only ones who are grateful. Dean received a thank-you-note from Sen. Gordon Smith’s office for helping him keep up on the latest news. Turco said Dean’s commitment to her community is inspiring. He said it’s time to get away from the image of the firefighters as the heroes and the residents as the victims. "Everybody can play a role to some degree and Kathy got us going in that direction," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S