The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" #43: 7-26-23

VOLUME 2023          July 26, 2023         NUMBER 43

President Thad Hall welcomed the membership, followed by the Flag Salute.

Program Introduction:

Craig Cox introduced Doug Russell, Deputy Chief, of the Riley County Fire District #1, John Martens, Deputy Chief, of the Riley County Fire District #1, and Vivienne Leyva, Riley County Public Information Department.

Doug Russell is Deputy Chief of Operations.  Doug has been with Riley County Fire since 2009.  He started as a volunteer, worked up to Captain, and was hired as Deputy Chief in 2021.  He has been around the department since he was a child.  Doug was born and raised west of Manhattan on his family farm.  His father, Dave Russell, has been a member of the department for more than 40 years.  Doug and his family still live and work on the farm and he also runs a custom hay operation.  In what little spare time he has, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.

 

 

 

John Martens is also a Deputy Chief for the department.  John has been in the fire service since 2008.  He started as a volunteer in Hesston, Kansas where he grew up, then began his career at the Manhattan Fire Department as a student in 2009.  He spent five years as a full-time firefighter in Manhattan, then in Sedgwick County while completing a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership.  John briefly left professional firefighting to lead a drone business, while still serving as a volunteer.  He was hired as a Deputy Chief for Riley County in 2021.  John enjoys nearly all outdoor activities, being active with his family, and living in Riley County.

 

 

Vivienne Leyva is not a firefighter; she is the Public Information Officer for Riley County.  Originally from San Diego, California, Vivienne moved to Kansas in 2008.  She worked with the City of Manhattan before joining Riley County in December of 2022.

The mission of Riley County Fire District #1 is to provide superior fire protection, operational excellence and professionalism through all areas of their organization.  Their ability to meet this goal is heavily supported by everyday individuals who help by answering the call to aid neighbors in need through volunteerism, commitment, and dedication.  The fire district has about 120 volunteer firefighters who respond to wildfires, structure fires, vehicle accidents, and medical calls.  The fire district wouldn’t be able to take care of Riley County residents without their effort.  This is the largest consolidated fire district in Kansas.  There are 15 fire stations in Riley County covering 520 square miles of territory with 45 vehicles.  The stations are very rudimentary and are there to protect the trucks and equipment and not for firefighter’s comfort.  They operate very lean with a small budget.  The last structure fire gear cost nearly $3,000 for one person.  They shared a drone picture of a very large brush and flood debris fire at the north end of Tuttle Creek Reservoir where the fire truck was a mere speck in the picture.  

Doug Russell and John Martens share an on-call schedule, but both have completely different jobs.  John is more on the administrative side, often in the office doing organization and inspections and putting together communications and programs that keep things going.  He also organizes and schedules maintenance, equipment replacement etc.  

Doug Russell grew up in the district.  His grandfather joined the fire district in 1967 and his dad has been on for 48 years.  Many of the volunteer firefighters have been with the fire district for many years.  The crews work very long hours and Doug and John are the only paid staff, along with the Fire Chief; the rest are volunteers.  They often work 12–13-hour days and miss work and family time to help protect the citizens of Riley County.  They shared several pictures of volunteer firefighters.  They accept nearly everyone who wants to be a volunteer firefighter and provide all the equipment and training.  They try to keep volunteers as safe as they possibly can.  Volunteers are not placed in situations that they have not been trained to handle, nor are they placed in uncomfortable situations.  Some volunteers thrive on medical emergencies and others enjoy firefighting.  Riley County Fire District #1 does not man fire stations 24/7 like the City of Manhattan, instead firefighters are paged to respond to a fire.   If the County had the same firefighter structure as the City of Manhattan, it would likely cost each household an additional $9,200 in taxes to support it.  Firefighters do receive a very small stipend when they respond to a fire.  They are also covered by Riley County Worker Compensation and have access to some self-funded benefits.  The fire district runs 700 to 1,000 calls per year.  Two thirds are not fire related, but are medical or rescue, motor vehicle accidents, gas leaks etc.; they respond to all hazards.  

They shared a drone picture of a fire on Deep Creek Road that threatened several houses.  One of the things that saved the home was a wide cleared area of grass around the farm stead without brush or cedar trees near it.  This makes the protection of the home by fire crews much easier to manage.  One of the largest problems the fire district has is deliberately set control burns that get out of control accidentally due to wind shifts or the neglect of the property owner to adequately prepare for a controlled burn with personnel and equipment, and/or monitor it constantly.  All controlled burns require a permit and property owners who do not get a permit may be fined, especially if the fire gets out of their control.  Some fires require the use of an agricultural spray aircraft to spray water into inaccessible areas to help fight the wildfire. 

With Vivienne Leyva’s assistance, they are getting a lot of information out to the public that they have not had time to do before.  They are always looking for volunteers and are also educating the public about the role of the fire district and encouraging property owners to make their homesteads as safe as possible from wildfires and to make sure controlled burns have permits and the equipment and personnel to safely do the controlled burn.

Riley County Fire District #1 is always looking for volunteers and anyone interested or are looking for a volunteer service opportunity, should contact the fire district.  These volunteers save Riley County taxpayers thousands of dollars per year.

Member Spotlight

Greg McCune introduced Sophie Maranville, this week’s member spotlight.

Sophie credits Mike Fincham for urging her to join Optimist and said our goals align with her wish to serve the community.  Sophie may get the award for Optimist member from the longest distance away.  She grew up in the town of Amberg, Germany.  She said it is the southern German version of Manhattan, Kansas.  It is about equal in size and demographics, it is a college town, and is also a German and American military town.  It still maintains its old medieval downtown with its markets, pedestrian zone, shopping opportunities, cafés, and restaurants.  It even still has its protective wall, some of the old city gates, and moat, which is now a walking trail.  It is a jewel of a city, and she says if you ever make it to southern Germany, it is certainly worth a visit. 

Sophie went to the School of Speech Language Pathology and specialized in neurological disorders and swallowing disorders.  After graduating in 2004, she worked in that field.  Her patients included people who had had strokes and other disorders of speech.  She came to the United States in 2011 because her husband, Kristopher, was active-duty military.  They were transferred first to Missouri, and then Ft. Riley.  She met Kristopher, who is originally from Iowa, when an acquaintance set them up on a blind date that neither of them wanted to go on.  Sophie couldn’t work in the field she was trained for in the U.S., so she started as a hotel front desk agent in Missouri, and soon became manager of agents and cleaners for a 74-room hotel.  When they transferred to Fort Riley in 2014, she got a job as a teller at Landmark National Bank and, just as she did in Missouri, Sophie quickly rose to the branch manager position she holds today. 

She hasn’t been able to attend many Optimists meetings this year because of a familiar problem, staff shortages at the business she manages, but she hopes to get more involved soon.  Her husband retired from the military and now works as an administrator for USDA.  They have a pet dog and a pet corn snake that is 18 years old.  In her spare time Sophie is a runner and does races from 5k to half marathon.  She also does obstacle courses races, mud races and Spartan races.

Sophie Maranville, welcome to the Manhattan Optimist Club!

Guests:

Thad Hall acknowledged our speakers, Vivienne Leyva, Riley County Public Information Department, John Martens, Deputy Chief, of the Riley County Fire District #1, and Doug Russell, Deputy Chief, of the Riley County Fire District #1.

Jim Franke introduced Sara Bidwell.

Club Stuff/Announcements:

The District meeting picnic will be at Optimist Park, Friday, August 18th at 6:00 pm.  All members and families are welcome.  Meat and drinks are provided.  A signup sheet will be available next week to sign up for bringing a covered dish.  There is also a sign-up sheet to help set up for the picnic. 

The District Meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 410 S. 3rd Street on Saturday, August 19th.  All members are welcome.  Registration starts at 8:00 and the meeting starts at 9:00; registration forms were on tables. 

Doug Jardine announced the first speaker of the morning will be Mike Finnegan, Ph.D. of the Kansas State Leadership Studies will be talking about leadership.  Also, Dr. Sara Maass, recently appointed 4-H Director for the State of Kansas, will also speak, as will David Bruns, from the Lawrence Breakfast Optimist Club, and in 2015 was president of the International Optimist Club.  The meeting will also provide training for club secretaries and presidents.  There is a business meeting, then an evening banquet and breakfast on Sunday morning followed by a short memorial service to honor members who have passed. 

Doug also mentioned the Optimist International recruiting drive contest, which includes cash prizes.  We are registered for the contest and members are encouraged to recruit new members.

Just Tri It is August 12th; we have sufficient volunteers for the event.

A list of all organizations we have contacted about grants from the Manhattan Optimist Club was placed on the tables.  If a member knows of another organization that may meet our grant guidelines, they may add them and a contact to the list.

The Chili Crawl is October 14th.  Plans are progressing nicely.  Tickets will be available soon for members to sell and also online.

President Hall announced the passing of Roger Sink and thoughts and prayers for the family of Roger Sink, a Manhattan Optimist since 1965, and held the longest membership in the club.  The visitation is Thursday July 27th 1:00 to 1:45 pm at the First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Ave.  The Funeral service will follow at 2:00 pm.

Next Week’s Program – Wednesday August 2nd at 7:00 AM:

Jessica Canfield, Associate Professor of Landscape, Architecture, and Regional Community Planning at KSU.

August Meeting Schedule:

Wednesday, August 9th at Noon: Daphne McNelly, Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency.

Wednesday, August 16th at 7:00 AM: LaBarbara James Wigfall, Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning, and Design, KSU.

Wednesday, August 23rd at Noon: Dr. Rana Johnson, VP, Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and belonging, KSU.

Wednesday, August 30th at 7:00 AM: membership meeting.

Adjourned with the Optimist Creed

July Birthdays

August Birthdays