Chief’s Desk

Thank you for visiting the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue web site. It is our intent to keep you informed of programs, activities, Board actions, and other pertinent information. I hope that your visit will give you an insight into the services that we provide as well as the dedicated people who serve the citizens of our community.

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue is a special service District that provides traditional Fire, Rescue, and Prevention services to the City of The Dalles as well as the rural areas surrounding the City. Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue is also the Ambulance Service Provider for Ambulance Service Area #2, providing emergency advanced life support transport to our Citizens. Over 16,000 people live within the 110 square miles that the Fire District serves.

As the Fire Chief of Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue it is my responsibility to make sure that the Fire District operates both efficiently and effectively. I am very proud of the dedicated volunteer and career members who serve the citizens of our community. When prevention fails to work and we are called upon to respond to a problem, it is important for you to know that the people who respond are highly skilled, motivated, and equipped to exceed your expectations. In order to do this we spend a great deal of our time preparing for emergencies thru training and pre-planning. We further strive to assure that our tools and techniques meet or exceed the latest industry standards.

The members of Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue are all gifted with natural talent and skills. We encourage our members to find new and innovative ways to improve our services in the most economic fashion possible. Because property taxes and ambulance revenues are our only sources of revenue, our members have work to find ways to gain the necessary tools or technologies thru grant funding or in some cases, thru cooperative efforts with other agencies or companies.

You will notice as you navigate thru our web site that we are very serious about the way we serve our community. Whether someone is a volunteer, career, or administrative member, we believe very strongly in doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Thank you for visiting the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue web site.

I invite you to check back often for updates. I’ll conclude with our Fire District Motto:
“PREVENT, PROTECT PRESERVE”

Thank you

Robert F. Palmer, Fire Chief