The Central Aid Agency has participated in a wide range of operations and deployments over the years in service of our mission and the common good. A few of our notable past Deployments, Operations, and Service Projects include:
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2022 Cedar Creek Fire Response - Op: Urgent Notice IIOn September 9th 2022 Central Aid Agency Emergency Response personnel deployed to support Lane County Search and Rescue with issuing Level 2 "Be Ready" evacuation notices in the area of Oakridge and Westfir related to the Cedar Creek Fire. During the deployment the entire area was upgrade to a Level 3 "Go Now", and C.A.A. responders assisted with the complete evacuation of Oakridge and Westfir. After the evacuation assignment was completed, C.A.A. units were re-tasked to Lane Community College to help staff a Temporary Evacuation Point. They assisted with evacuee check-in and traffic control. In the early morning hours of September 10th, C.A.A. units were re-tasked again to provide medical support to the main evacuation shelter established at the Lane County Fairgrounds. The last C.A.A. personnel were finally relieved on the afternoon of 9/10 after 24 hours of continuous operation.
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2022 COVID-19 Response - Op: Omicron SurgeDuring January and February 2022 Central Aid Agency Emergency Response personnel deployed to support Lane Community College with staffing on-campus COVID-19 testing sites. The testing sites were being staffed to provide rapid testing options for students and staff related to the ongoing surge of the COVID-19 variant Omicron. C.A.A. personnel assisted with data entry and records management at the testing sites.
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2021 Snow Storm Response - Op: Warm BlanketOn December 27th 2021 Central Aid Agency Emergency Response personnel were requested to deploy by the Lane County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) to assist with delivering supplies to cache locations in the Eugene/Springfield area. Other organizations were in the process of creating strike teams to distribute the supplies to those in need during the ongoing winter storm and cold weather event. Members of C.A.A. Special Vehicles Task Force Overdrive answered the call and delivered blankets and other survival gear to the equipment supply drops for the community strike teams to distribute.
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2021 Kwis Fire Response - Op: Urgent NoticeIn 2021 Central Aid Agency Emergency Response personnel were requested to deploy by Lane County Emergency Management to assist with evacuation notices in Oakridge Oregon. The Kwis Fire, part of the larger Middle Fork Complex Fire, was threatening residences and properties on the East/Northeast side of Oakridge. The area had been upgraded to a Level 2 "Be Ready" evacuation status, and personnel from the Central Aid Agency and Lane County Search and Rescue were tasked with going door to door to alert residents and identify any needs should a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation order be issued.
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2021 COVID-19 Response - Op: Stop COVIDIn early 2021 the Central Aid Agency, including members of Central Aid Agency CERT, deployed alongside Lane Community College Campus CERT to support COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the campus and community in Lane County. Central Aid Agency personnel assisted in the operation of the clinics by directing traffic, giving directions and instructions, keeping tables and chairs sanitized, conducting medical observations, and managing paperwork. Personnel were also given the opportunity to receive the vaccine if they wanted it, due to their status as emergency responders.
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2020 Holiday Farm Fire Response - Op: McKenzie StrongIn 2020 the Central Aid Agency participated in the community response to the devastating Holiday Farm Fire that burned much of the McKenzie River valley and surrounding areas. Central Aid Agency Emergency Response personnel deployed first to the grassroots community-led Silke Field evacuation center to help provide donations management support. The following day the Central Aid Agency was deployed by the Lane County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) to help Lane County Government, Saint Vincent DePaul of Lane County, and United Way of Lane County establish a new centralized donations center on Roosevelt at Four Corners in Eugene. The Central Aid Agency was requested to deploy again a week later to provide daytime security support for the Roosevelt Donations center, this support was provided by Security Agents of United Security Operations who were assisted by personnel from the Rapid Response Team and CERT program.
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2019 Snow Storm Response - Op: SnowpocalypseIn 2019 the Central Aid Agency was deployed by Lane County Emergency Management to assist with response to a massive snow storm that had blanketed the area. C.A.A. personnel from the Rapid Response Team responded and assisted with providing transportation for critical hospital workers to and from work. Several days into the deployment, the Central Aid Agency was requested to assist Lane County Search and Rescue with conducting welfare checks of snow-bound people in the area of Westfir, near Oakridge. The snow storm later became a declared disaster and the hours C.A.A. put into the response was able to be used to help match the 25% required to release FEMA emergency funds to the area.
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2018 Waldo 100k Ultra-Marathon Race SupportIn 2018 Central Aid Agency personnel from the Rapid Response Team and Incident Management and Operational Support helped provide support for the annual Waldo 100k Ultra-Marathon that takes place in the wilderness area near Willamette Pass. Racers traverse over 60 miles of backwoods trails and climb several mountains during the race. Throughout the race course checkpoints are established to keep track of racer accountability and health. C.A.A. personnel helped provide amateur radio communications for racer accountability at Aid Station 8, which required a hike in of about 3 miles and a lot of elevation gain. The Central Aid Agency has been involved in supporting this event since 2015 and continues to help support it whenever there is a need for additional amateur radio operators.
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2018 Point in Time CountIn 2018 the Central Aid Agency participated in the Point in Time Count, which is an annual census of people experiencing homelessness to get a better idea of the numbers and how they change over time. C.A.A. personnel were assigned to a grid in the Springfield area and were successful in getting many people to answer the questionnaires. The Point In Time Count is especially useful for the many non-profit organizations that serve the homeless and less fortunate, so they can have a better idea of the true level of need in the community.
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2017 Eclipse Deployment - Op: Indy Goes DarkIn 2017 the Central Aid Agency responded to a mutual aid request from Polk County CERT to help provide staffing and support for a large public event being held in Independence Oregon for the total solar eclipse. Personnel from Emergency Response, including the Rapid Response Team and Incident Management and Operational Support units deployed to Polk County to assist and got to experience the eclipse from within the path of totality.
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2017 Great Oregon Beach CleanupThe Spring and Fall SOLVE Great Oregon Beach Cleanups have been Central Aid Agency Service Project staples for many years, but the Spring 2017 Beach Cleanup stands apart from the others. On this particular beach cleanup C.A.A. personnel were assigned to Heceta Beach near Driftwood Shores. In three hours they collected over 53 pounds of garbage and won the record for the largest amount of trash collected by a single group that day on that beach.
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2016 Ice Storm Response - Op: Frozen OverIn 2016 Central Aid Agency units from the Rapid Response Team, Incident Management and Operational Support, and CERT were deployed concurrently by both Lane County Emergency Management and the City of Eugene Emergency Management to respond to calls related to a debilitating ice storm that had hit the area. C.A.A. teamed up with Lane County Search and Rescue to help clear driveways of downed trees and debris, and deliver generators to people with in home-medical equipment that was running low on battery supply. Over several days C.A.A. personnel responded to several calls around the county and within city limits. The ice storm later became a declared disaster.
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2015 Willamette River Shore CleanupIn 2015 the Central Aid Agency teamed up with the SOLVE, the Oregon Army National Guard, and hundreds of other volunteers to clean up garbage along the shores of the Willamette River in Eugene and Springfield. A lot of trash was collected by the many volunteers, trash that made the parks cleaner, and was kept out of the waterways.
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2014 Disaster Relief TrialsIn 2014 Central Aid Agency personnel from the Rapid Response Team helped support the Eugene Disaster Relief Trials by staffing race checkpoints and providing amateur radio communications to assist with racer accountability and tracking. The Eugene Disaster Relief Trials was a cargo bike race intended to mimic the transport of supplies in a post-disaster environment when roads and other infrastructure had been rendered unusable. The Disaster Relief Trials still exist in various forms in several cities across the United States.
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2013 Golden Hammer AwardIn 2013 the Central Aid Agency was awarded the Golden Hammer by Junction City / Harrisburg / Monroe Habitat for Humanity for being one of Habitat's most valuable supporters that year. The C.A.A. had been heavily involved in providing support and personnel for several Habitat projects that year, including helping with construction efforts at several houses. The Central Aid Agency and Habitat for Humanity continue to be strong strategic partners and often work together for the mutual benefit of both organizations.
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2012 Road ClearingIn 2012 the Central Aid Agency was contacted by a small rural municipality on the Oregon coast that needed assistance clearing a road so they could access their water source and replace a pump system. The C.A.A. partnered with the state of Oregon and received permission to clear the road. It took the better part of a day for C.A.A. personnel to clear a roughly quarter-mile long road through the dense coastal brush large enough for a vehicle to travel. But in the end they were successful, and the municipality was able to get trucks down the road to replace the pump system. The C.A.A. still returns periodically to clear the road of new growth and keep it open for maintenance vehicles.
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2012 Civil PatrolIn 2012 there was a rash of break-ins and burglaries affecting churches in Junction City, including the First Christian Church where C.A.A. meetings were held. As a result, the Central Aid Agency created the Civil Patrol program to coordinate C.A.A. personnel into a volunteer neighborhood watch and safety patrol. The mission of Civil Patrol was to patrol the church property, dissuade any potential miscreants, and report suspicious activity. The program conducted regular patrols for over two years then shifted focus to coordinating event security, before being functionally replaced by uniformed Security Agents of United Security Operations.
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2011 CROP Walk to Stamp out HungerIn 2011 Central Aid Agency personnel raised money for and participated in the Eugene CROP hunger walk to help raise funds for Church World Service to fight hunger around the world. CROP walks take place in many communities around the world every year and raise important funds for Church World Service to continue the fight to end hunger in our world.
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