Sports
Kendra Meeker places 6th at State page 10
Around Town
The Works of heART Inaugural event page 13
Memorial Day:
It teaches us to remember, to forgive, and to never forget… page 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 22
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Illegal burning still sparks unease Fire marshall cites high risk conditions By Cali Bagby/Islands’ Sounder
Journal photo /Scott Rasmussen
Left; Dr. John Geyman and fellow aviator and good friend Frank Brame share a laugh, at Geyman’s expanse, during Brame’s induction into the “Wall of Honor” at Friday Harbor airport terminal, Sunday, May 19.
A quiet glide into fame Frank Brame selected for pilots’ “Honor Wall” By Scott Rasmussen
Frank Brame left home at the age of 17 with $5 tucked in his pocket and instructions from his father to hop the train to Edmonton and go make his mark on the world. On Sunday, May 19, the journey that Brame embarked on some 70 years ago reached yet another milestone, as the former Canadian soaring champion – think gliders – and aeronautical engineer became the fifth pilot inducted into the “Wall of Honor” at the Friday Harbor Airport’s museum of flight. Those two events stand as bookends to a bigger story, nearly epic in its scope, both on the ground and in the air. But it’s one that you’re unlikely to hear about from Brame himself. That’s where good friend and fellow aviator John Geyman steps in. “He’s just a great guy, a quiet guy, and modest,” said Geyman, unofficial historian of San Juan Island Pilots Association and master of ceremonies of the
Brame’s May 19 induction gathering. “And he has a great public-good attitude and has done a lot for this community that a lot of people probably don’t know about.” Such as? Well, how about stints as a board member of Inter Island Medical Center – president of the board at the time when IIMC averted financial collapse by transforming itself into a public hospital district – and as a member of the senior services advisory council, and as an advisor to the Friday Harbor Port Commission and past president of the Pilots Association. And that’s just for starters. In fact, it’s the 20-plus years of public service, even more so than his accomplishments in the field of aviation, which prompted the Pilots Association to pick Brame as its 2012 Wall of Honor inductee. As such, he joins such luminaries in local aviation as Roy Franklin, Marty Stewart and Dr. Malcolm Heath, last year’s Wall of Honor inductee. Pilots Association President Mike Taylor says public service weighs heavily into the “matrix” when the selection committee considers candidates, and then makes its choice. Brame was a unanimous selection, Taylor said. See BRAME, Page 4
Finally the sky is blue, birds sing in blossoming trees, islanders trade pants for shorts and don sunglasses. It’s also the time of year when the risk of fire increases, and in about a month open burning season will be over. Although he has yet to write a citation this year for illegal burnings, San Juan County Deputy Fire Marshal Paul Turner is concerned that it’s still occurring, but that islanders may not report the fires. He has two theories – either they are not aware that they can contact Turner on the weekend or they fear repercussion from the people starting the fires. “We are available 24 hours a day seven days a week. If someone is burning illegally call 911,” Turner said. “And the names of those who report are not disclosed.” Last year, Turner responded to cases countywide of residents burning without a permit and in some instances, setting fire to garbage, fiberglass items, and paper products. On Lopez, one resident lit a 42-foot grounded boat on fire. The individual responsible was given a ticket for burning unauthorized materials, plus a fine of around $2,900 — the cost of suppression, which included three engines and about 16 personnel sent to put out the blaze. “You can burn only natural vegetation,” Turner said. “Milled lumber — like the boat, asphalt and a whole other list of things are unauthorized materials.” Basically, if it doesn’t grow in the ground, it can’t be burned. It’s a rule that Turner strictly enforces. On San Juan Island, Chief Steve Marler of San Juan Island Fire
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Department cannot recall a single incident that warranted a citation for an illegal burn during his five-year tenure with the department. However, Marler can recall several instances that have come close. “There have been some that Paul Turner have risen to point where instructions had to be given that you shall not do this anymore’,” he said. “Either they had too much load in a pile or were burning bad stuff that shouldn’t have been See Burn, Page 4
San Juan Island Celebrity Golf Classic Tournament For more information about this event continue on to page 14