Banks Fire District 13

05/25/2026

05/20/2026

This morning we had the pleasure of hosting a field trip for the wonderful kids from Day Spring Day Care here in Banks.

We had about two dozen kids, and they all learned a lot of what firefighters do; why they wear the tanks and masks, and most importantly, how firefighters all practice safety first and help people when they arrive in their fire engines.

All got to sit in the fire engines, see the emergency lights flash, and watch one of our fighters don his gear. The children could see first hand that what might appear out of the smoke in a fire or stressful situation dressed in scary clothes, a helmet, and sounds funny talking through a mask, is just really one of the friendly firefighters they met.

All the kids had such fantastic questions and we could tell they loved being here, and we loved having them. What a great way to start our day here at the station.

Mitch Ward
Public Information Officer

05/16/2026

Banks Fire and Banks Fire CERT are proud to team up in support of the Banks Braves Run put on to support the local schools.

CERT members are providing an aid station and roaming the trail in UTV13, a multi purpose fire and medical unit donated to the department by Fire House Subs. UTV13 frequently serves limited access areas including the linear trail.

If you are interested in learning more about CERT, including when our next training classes will be, send an email to [email protected]

Scott Adams - Banks Fire Public Information Officer (PIO)

05/12/2026

It’s our quarterly medical review time again with Dr Mohammad Daya M.D., M.S. (our Emergency Medical Director) from OHSU.

Tonight we’re reviewing cases involving pediatrics, as our topic tonight is pediatric respiratory function. Yes, our kiddos are very important to us, and as with everything we do here, we want to get it right and do it well.

Dr Daya visits our station in Banks in person about every three months to personally teach us, review with us, and discuss the latest in patient care.
We appreciate the time and dedication he gives to first responders on both a personal, as well as professional, level.

Mitch Ward
Public Information Officer

05/07/2026

It's a very special night at Banks Fire. Tonight, 8 individuals are graduating from our 8 week Spring Fire 2026 01 Academy and joining our ranks as full fledged Firefighters.

This class has been known for their extra hard work and dedication, taking the grueling training in stride and without complaints.

"This is the best class we have had this year..." says Officer Victor Haney, "that joke never gets old..." he continued. Haney admonished the new Firefighters, that their training is not over, but just begun.
"You will be training your whole career" says Haney.

Three of these new Firefighters are already participating in our Intern Program and the five others will be volunteering to fill shifts soon.

Banks Fire provides Fire and EMS services to 136 square miles of Western Washington County with more than 90% of our staff being volunteer. "We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers and there is always an opening for more in our next academy this fall" says Chief Linz.

Anyone with interest in serving their community can find out more information at www.banksfire.org or by calling 503-324-6262.

Scott Adams - Banks Fire Public Information Officer (PIO)

05/02/2026

The Sponsors are here and setting up. So are the caterers. There's going to be food and great raffle items. Come join them 1pm to 6pm.

05/01/2026

Notice: We have a lot of private events in our two community rooms (one downtown and one at our Hornshuh Creek Station in Buxton) and we don't publicize them because, well, they are private.

This weekend's event is different. A group of folks are using our Hornshuh Creek Station AND INVITING THE PUBLIC to come join them in gathering as a community for a burger or hot dog and raising money for the Banks Fire District's own CERT program. We encourage you to come join them sometime between 1pm and 6pm on Saturday the 2nd.

Scott Adams - Banks Fire Public Information Officer (PIO)

04/21/2026

This is coming up again because we have LOTS of training on the horizon. Our crews and our newest firefighter academy all need more cars.

If you have a car, truck, bus or ??? (NO RV's) that you would like to donate please let us know. In most cases you will need to have the title to the vehicle and will get a donation receipt for your gift. With few exceptions, we do now need you to be able to get the vehicle to us - but don't just drop it off. If you would like to donate a vehicle, please call our main station at 503-324-6262 and we can help you get the process started.

Scott Adams - Banks Fire Public Information Officer (PIO)

04/21/2026

Our firefighters train constantly to serve you. Our on duty crews train each shift. Our entire department holds weekly training on Monday nights. We are always training.

Today and tomorrow, your Public Information Officers are training in an extra special way at the Oregon Association of Public Information Officers statewide conference. We are learning new techniques, building relationships with our partner PIOs around the state and are expecting to come back prepared to serve you even better.

Scott Adams and Mitch Ward - Banks Fire Public Information Officers (PIO)

04/14/2026

Tonight’s weekly drill topic is EMS (Emergency Medical Services) review.

We covered lots of categories from various ailments and the medications and proper dosages to treat them. As summer is approaching we also covered heat-related illnesses. As most of you know, heat can be a killer and should be respected.

This is a perfect segway into a friendly safety reminder that when the weather does turn warm, plan your days to limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day, and stay hydrated!

Happy Spring and be safe!