Who We Are - About Us
The Sublimity Fire District is a political subdivision of Marion County, chartered under the authority granted by the Oregon State Constitution and governed by an elected board of five directors.
The 44-square mile Sublimity Fire District includes the incorporated limits of the City of Sublimity, its urban growth boundary and the rural area surrounding it. Some 4000 residents depend on the wide variety of services offered by the fire district.
Within the city limits, growth is a significant factor. Residential growth is ongoing. The city has approximately 75 developable acres within its limits. Several large tracts have not yet been developed.
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Currently, Sublimity Fire District has 30 volunteers who respond out of two fire stations: Station #51 (headquarters) and Station #52 (a sub-station northeast of the City of Sublimity). Three of the volunteers are unpaid residents who live at the station. Paid staff includes a full-time fire chief, and a part-time office administrator.
Our Board of Directors
As a body, the board of directors has a great deal of responsibility. The board of directors sets the direction, mission, tone and strategic vision for an organization, all of which must be done in keeping with the board’s fiduciary duties of obedience, care, and loyalty.
Current Board Members:
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Tyler Butenschoen
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Ralph Fisher
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Jim Heater
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Michael Boschler
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Josh Brooks
Our Staff
As a department, we are currently staffed with a full time Fire Chief, a full time Division Chief/Training Officer and Office Administrator.
Alan Hume
Fire Chief
Brad Mckenzie
Division Chief/ Training Officer
Amy Doran
Office Administrator
Our Stations
The Sublimity Fire District has 25 volunteers who respond out of two fire stations: Station #51 (headquarters) and Station #52 (a sub-station northeast of the City of Sublimity).
Station 51 (Admin)
Sublimity
Station 52Â
Drift Creek
Our Apparatus
The Sublimity Fire District has 25 volunteers who respond out of two fire stations: Station #51 (headquarters) and Station #52 (a sub-station northeast of the City of Sublimity).
Engine 51
Sublimity
Engine 52Â
Drift Creek
Our History
Sublimity, Oregon, is a rural community located 15 miles east of Salem in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades. Originally inhabited by the Calapooia, Santiams, and Molallas tribes, the area was forested until the 1840s when a large burn cleared the land. The town's origins trace back to an Indian village or trading post, with early white settlers, including Josef Brohn, establishing homes in the mid-1800s. Fast forward to 2005, when Chief McMahen retired, and Tim Frost became the new fire chief. However, in 2008, Frost moved to the Lebanon Fire District, and Brandon Hamilton took over as fire chief. In 2010, the district created an assistant chief/training officer position, which Alan Hume was hired to fill. Hume became interim fire chief in February 2014 and was officially appointed as fire chief in August 2015.
​In the 1900s, Sublimity grew with the chartering of St. Boniface Court in 1903 and the macadamizing of roads by 1906. The town established the fire department in 1912 and installed electric street lights by 1914-15. The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of sawmills and community sports. Eugene A. Ditter became fire chief in 1937, serving until 1979. In the 1940s, new schools and water systems were developed, and St. Boniface High School was built. By 1949, the Rural Fire District was formed, and the department expanded with modern equipment. In 1987, the Rural Fire District annexed the City Fire Department, and in 1995, Alan W. McMahen became the first career fire chief.​
Sublimity, Oregon, began in the 1840s as an Indian village and trading post, originally called "Hobson Corner" after Hadley Hobson, who settled near Mill Creek in 1848. In 1852, the town was renamed Sublimity for its "sublime scenery," making it the only place with that name. The town grew with the establishment of the Sublimity School District and Sublimity College, led by Milton Wright, father of the Wright brothers. After a population decline during the Civil War, German immigrant farmers revitalized the area in the 1870s. The Catholic faith grew with the first service in 1879 and the founding of St. Boniface Church in 1889. The Catholic Church purchased Sublimity College in 1882, converting it into a convent.