This is part of a series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.
Gervais resident Andy Ponce doesn’t have much free time. Taking care of his family, designing custom arrows for his business, and his job as a division chief with Portland Fire & Rescue take up most of his time.
Ponce credits the Gervais School District and Woodburn’s Fire District for jumpstarting his ascension with Portland Fire and Rescue.
Ponce graduated in 1994 from Gervais where he participated in the district’s emergency services class. He said he wasn’t the best student and didn’t even expect to graduate, but the program changed all his plans. The basic firefighting class was all it took to hook him.
“I got to see the teamwork and the ability to help people out in their time of need,” Ponce said. “I was planning on just working construction and doing that for a living. I didn’t really have any plans and then I found this and I absolutely fell in love with it.”
The Woodburn Fire District took him in as a volunteer the moment he turned 18, Ponce said. Leaders there took the time to mentor him. And that mentorship and training were invaluable when he later competed with hundreds of others for promotions in Portland.