Fire Focus
By Ty Walker, The Mountain Times
Keely Fetters knows something about training hard and pushing herself to the limit both physically and mentally. She developed a strong work ethic growing up playing competitive soccer.
It was hard work on the pitch that made her a member of a high level Oregon regional team when she was a teenager. It’s that same kind of hard work that helped her graduate the Hoodland Fire District Student Academy Program, setting her toward her goal of becoming a career firefighter and paramedic.
Fetters enrolled in the Student Program in October 2024 and finished this February. Now she is a volunteer firefighter at Hoodland, working one or two 13-hour shifts a week.
“I love it,” Fetters said. “Going into it, I don’t think I realized all the pieces that go into firefighting. You have to know a lot. And be very confident in what you know.
“I grew up playing soccer at a high level, working out, stressing out my body, but firefighting has been one of the most straining, most mentally hard things I’ve ever done in my whole life. There are things I’m doing at the station that I never thought I could do.”
One of those things she had to learn was throwing a ladder – placing a ladder on your shoulder and raising it into position. This method allows a single firefighter to position a ladder for ventilation or rescue operations without assistance.
Ladders are tall and heavy, posing a challenge for Fetters, who is just 5 foot 2. But Fetters, with the encouragement of fellow firefighters, practiced hard and pushed herself until she could throw a ladder on her own.
“They gave me pointers,” she said. “At the end of academy, I could do it. It really pushed me in the best way. It opened up a side of me I never had. It’s been a great experience.”
Fetters maintains a busy schedule besides her volunteering for Hoodland Fire District. She works as a veterinary nurse at a general practice animal hospital in Sandy and is a licensed cosmetologist.
An animal lover, she owns a dog, three cats, and fish. She also goes horseback riding on a friend’s horse.
Working with animals and medicine, she developed an interest that led her to pursue a career as a paramedic and firefighter. She is training to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
A lifelong Troutdale resident, Fetters, 25, has found something that she cares about, that fits her relatable personality. Something that helps people in emergencies.
“I love learning new things,” she said. “it’s very dynamic where we’re getting different calls. It’s not always just the same thing. We’re working in the community.”
She feels like the work environment around the Hoodland station is like that of a family.
“I love the unity at the station where we’re kind of like a little family,” Fetters said. “We cook together. We’re talking and we’re learning about each other’s lives. We’re working with each other during very stressful situations. And I just love that.”