The Oregon Volunteer Fire Fighters Association has announced plans to open a new call center in Coos Bay, a move that will offer 100 new jobs to the Bay Area.

The center will open around April 1, in the downtown area, 180 N. Second St. It will employ customer service representatives to call throughout the state fund-raising for the volunteer firefighters.

According to Tina Greiner, vice president of the association, Coos Bay was selected as the site of the call center over the Medford area and Keizer.

“We looked at communities that are served primarily by volunteer firefighters, and needed a boost as far as jobs go,” Greiner said. “I think by adding the jobs, we'll be adding income to the area.”

Locating in an area actively served by volunteer firefighters was a huge consideration in the decision, Greiner said.

The Coos Bay Fire Department is served by a large volunteer firefighter force, according to Fire Chief Stan Gibson, as are North Bend and Charleston. The city is also surrounded by rural fire districts, which usually are staffed by local volunteer firefighters.

“Our number-one priority, was we wanted our call center to be in a town with volunteer firefighters, and number two, was to be in a town that had a population big enough for us to get enough employees, and three was being able to find a building that was suitable for the call center,” Greiner said.

Steve Schneiderman, president of the state association and a treasurer of the Coos Bay Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, worked with the state association to find a building in Coos Bay that would suit the needs of the new call center. The location on Second Street already is under renovation.

“Steve's been very instrumental in getting this thing going,” Greiner said.

The association will begin hiring representatives around the third week of March, and all employees of the center will undergo extensive training, Greiner added.

A little boost

Local leaders say the new call center is a win-win for the association and the Bay Area.

“It's great, I think it sounds good for their organization, and I think if we can house them downtown and provide some employment for people it would be great,” City Manager Scott McClure said.

According to McClure, the association did not consult with city officials or staff prior to making the decision, and received no incentives from the city.

“Half of the businesses that come into an area, come on their own,” he added.

The association just hopes the people it can employ makes a difference and helps the area, Greiner said.

“We're going to help the local economy even if it is minor,” she added.

“I think it's awesome,” said Shirley Liberante, executive director of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. “What a boost for downtown Coos Bay, and for the businesses down here. It just helps that area to revitalize.”

However, there are some concerns that more jobs for moderate or low pay won't be much help to workers in the area.

“I suspect it's probably minimum-wage jobs, but everything we can do to help is still help,” said Coos Bay City Councilor John Eck. “The building has recently gone through a sale, and finding some long-term tenants is a good use for that building.”

The tight parking situation also concerns city officials.

“I'm guessing we might see some congestion, which some people might see that as a good thing, as it means we're growing,” McClure said. “And some people may have to walk a bit in order to get to work down there.”

As the downtown is considered a parking district by the city, businesses are not required to provide designated parking for employees.

“I guess that will be a nice problem if we fill up all that parking downtown,” Benetti said. “But we also have some parking in the Chamber area and behind the old Penny's building.”

“That area is probably as tight as any area for parking, and parking probably will be a problem,” Eck said. “But a lot of those phone calls are made in the evening, so maybe parking lots that are full during the day will be utilized at night, too.”

Employing Oregonians

According to Schneiderman, the association used to contract the Civic Development Group in New Jersey, a business that works with police and fire associations all over the country, to do previous fund-raising campaigns.

The association decided to change that practice this year, and to employ Oregonians, not just generate funds from them.

“We think people who receive calls from this center will be pleased to hear they are located in Oregon, or at least sound like they are from Oregon, and not from New Jersey,” Greiner said with a laugh.

Although anyone can apply for the call center jobs, the association encourages volunteer firefighters and their families to do so as well.

Encouraging volunteer firefighters to work with the association and remain in the community was a great idea, said Gibson.

“The volunteer firefighting community mirrors our community as a whole, so I can imagine that the unemployment rate among volunteer firefighters is similar to that of any other group in this region,” he said.

Retaining volunteer firefighters is problematic for fire departments nationwide, Gibson said.

“It costs us money to train them, so if we can retrain them it saves us money in training costs and we get the benefits of a well-trained firefighter in our community,” he said. “I know we had at least one volunteer who left the area because he couldn't find work. We lost a good volunteer who would have stayed if he had an opportunity like this.”

According to Gibson, a survey conducted by the Coos Bay Volunteer Fire Fighter Association in 2003 showed there was an excess of 400 volunteer firefighters in Coos County.

The state association represents and supports more than 8,500 volunteer fire fighters and emergency personnel in Oregon, and provides benefits like scholarships and grants to communities with volunteer fire departments or districts.