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TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2022
Drills help responders collaborate for active shooter events E
Training Day ...
Above: Officers work on mass shooting initial response drills in the ‘hot zone” as it’s referred to where law enforcement come in contact with a shooter. Below: crews work on drills during mass shooter training in Tillamook pictured are officers working on evacuation drills. Photos by Joe Warren in those critical moments when a violent situation begins until the threat is stopped. “Moments that have no room for mistakes or hesitation in our efforts to protect human life at all costs,” Rau said. “During this training simulation rounds were used along with alarms, other distracting noises with role players.” The goal is for all local responders, Sheriff, Police, Ambulance, Fire Departments and State Police to all work together should something happen. “In the past this training would have been only cops,” Rau said. “This way all emer-
gency responders are working on the same page through this important training — the goal is to save lives.” According to Rau, the Tillamook Police Department
is working closely with all First Responders in Tillamook County, including the hospital, to ensure they have a swift response to any violent intruder attack and its inevitable aftermath.
Candidates face-off in gubernatorial debate Herb Swett Country Media
T
he candidates for governor of Oregon debated state issues Friday in a forum before the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association in Welches. Debating were Democrat Tina Kotek, former speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives; Republican Christine Drazan, former minority leader of the Oregon House; and independent Betsy Johnson, a former state senator. Four Oregon newspaper executives questioned the three. Here are their paraphrased statements. Opening remarks Drazan: I am originally from Klamath Falls. My family was less stable than they would have liked, too dependent on natural resources. They talked about politicians leaving people behind. Kotek: I began public service at the Oregon Food Bank. I have focused on having a positive impact on people’s lives. Families are worried about making ends meet Johnson: I believe we’re losing the Oregon that we love. I call for common-sense change. My allegiance is to Oregonians, not to any party or vested interest.
Dramatic increase in Oregon drug overdoses D
Joe Warren Country Media
mergency responders and law enforcement agencies from Coos Bay to Clackamas County met in Tillamook for emergency training Thursday and Friday to learn techniques on best practices in the event of a mass shooting. Tillamook Police, Sheriff Deputies, State Police, county Fire Department personnel, and local ambulance staff all attended the training which included the initial response, helping those injured, securing the area, triage and planning and coordinating with the many agencies who respond to such tragedies. “This course is designed enhance the collaboration and teamwork between your first responders (Law Enforcement, Fire & EMS) as we implement proactive survival strategies and response to violent intruder or active shooter incidents,” said Tillamok Police Chief Raymond Rau. “It is also designed to show potential gaps in how we respond and handle these types of situations to make sure that we will minimize the loss of life or injury in the event something like this does ever happen.” The overall goal of the type of training is to provide first responders with real survival-enhancing options for saving lives
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Tina Kotek Responses to panelists’ questions Q: The timber industry is declining. What steps would you take? Kotek: When all parts of our state are successful, we’re all successful. I’d work with the communities to make sure we could use timber products. Drazan: My dad worked in a veneer plant that went away. We’re grateful that the tech industry stepped in, but it must become more productive. Support the state as a whole. Johnson: I visited the Elgin Veneer Plant and worked to save jobs when the Department of Environmental Quality wanted to shut them down. We must manage forests so they don’t burn down. Q: We hear of homelessness as a crisis. What would you do? Kotek: I have a five-point plan on my website for shelter for homeless. We have increased shelters quickly. Johnson: I reject the notion that Tina is the only one working on homelessness. I made Wapato Jail a place of healing and hope. We’re getting more
Betsy Johnson tent cities. Drazan: As a freshman representative, I focused on youth homelessness. I passed secondhome legislation, and more than 70% finished high school because of it. Q: How did Wapato work? Johnson: We have a track record of success. We have to stop fighting over what is best. Kotek: I was glad my bill to streamline efforts worked. We need more housing. Drazan: We have invested between $1.5 billion and $2 billion on housing. The reasons hotels and motels shut down were COVID-related. Q: Regarding the Greater Oregon issue, how do we address that concern? Johnson: That’s a clarion call to do something about it. People who feel disrespected need our attention. Drazan: We’ve had singleparty control too long. Rural and urban issues must be noted. All parts of the state must be respected. Kotek: We have large swaths of our state that are not listened to. Public policies have different
Christine Drazan impacts on different parts of the state. Johnson: On Tina’s website, someone said that a Confederate flag at a rally showed racism. Kotek: I’m not calling people at those rallies racists, but inclusivity is needed. Q: Weather problems are getting worse. How would you address them? Drazan: Oregon continues to be a leader in climate issues; we transitioned out of coal. We also need to preserve our dams. Had cap and trade passed, gasoline would have cost $3 more. Kotek: We have to mitigate the issues but also promote wind power. Johnson: We need to lower the carbon footprint but not at the expense of farmers. Manage forests better. Be sure offshore winds don’t hurt fishermen. Drazan: We need checks and balances. We pushed the responsibility for cap and trade to all Oregonians. It was a monstrosity of a bill. Kotek: I’m not hearing solu-
n See DEBATE, Page A3
STAFF REPORT
rug overdose deaths in Oregon more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, with the increase driven largely by misuse of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Preliminary data indicate that this trend has continued in 2022. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a prescription drug that is also made and used illegally. It is a medicine that is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Over the last 30 months, fentanyl has become a leading cause of overdose deaths, particularly among people who don’t have access to harm-reduction services. OHA’s State Epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger said this trend is prompting urgent requests for supplies of naloxone, the rescue drug that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. “We are seeing a critical need for naloxone as many communities experience dramatic increases in overdoses due to fentanyl misuse,” Sidelinger said, adding that many counties have reported multiple opioid overdoses over the last several weeks, and that there has been a corresponding demand for naloxone. “We encourage everyone in Oregon to educate themselves and their loved ones—including young people—about the importance of naloxone, how to use it in an overdose emergency, and where people can access it,” Sidelinger said. In 2021, nearly a third of Oregon’s counties saw more people die from fentanyl overdose than overdose from any other drug, the OHA analysts found. An overdose is always a medical emergency, Sidelinger said. Individuals should call 911 immediately after administering naloxone and be aware that it may take multiple doses of naloxone to reverse the overdose. Oregon’s Good Samaritan law protects the caller and the person who has overdosed against possession and paraphernalia charges. People who are taking prescription opioids should ask their health care provider or pharmacist for a naloxone prescription. Health insurance may cover the cost of naloxone. Individuals who want to have naloxone on hand for someone else should ask their pharmacist for a prescription. While health insurance usually will not cover this, coupons may be available online to offset the cost, according to the OHA. According to the OHA, the state agency’s Naloxone Rescue for Opioid Overdose webpage contains naloxone frequently asked questions and a map showing Oregon pharmacies that distribute the medicine. Anyone actively using opioids, or other illicit substances, can get naloxone and other harm-reduction materials at no cost through syringe service programs. Syringe service programs are available to anyone who uses drugs, regardless of whether they inject them. Here is OHA’s list of syringe and needle exchange services available in Oregon. OHA is issuing the following warnings to people who use drugs: • Unless a pharmacist directly hands you a prescription pill, assume it is counterfeit and contains fentanyl. • Assume any pills obtained from social media, the internet or a friend are counterfeit and contain fentanyl. • If you are using pills, don’t use alone and always have naloxone on hand and visible. • Test your drugs with fentanyl test strips before you use them. Fentanyl test strips can often be accessed at local harm-reduction sites. By the numbers A review of State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) and Oregon death certificate data by analysts from OHA’s Injury and Violence Prevention Section found that unintentional/undetermined drug overdose deaths increased from 496 in 2019 to 1,072 in 2021. The 2021 figure doesn’t include all fourth-quarter overdose deaths, which are still being tallied and analyzed. Unintentional/undetermined fentanyl overdose deaths jumped more than 600% between 2019 and 2021, from 71 to 509, respectively. Of unintentional/undetermined drug overdose deaths in 2021, 47.5% were due to fentanyl; in
n See INCREASE, Page A3