Students meet with Camas-Washougal firefighters

WASHOUGAL — First-graders from Cape Horn-Skye Elementary school had the opportunity to meet a pair of Camas-Washougal firefighters: Chris Kassel and Matthew Miller. The two recently visited the school driving a new brush fire rig and were welcomed by a cluster of red balloons. Students wearing toy fire helmets and face masks gave the firefighters homemade thank you cards. “These written notes are so important because they provide an opportunity for the students to show gratitude and connect with people in our community who work and volunteer to keep them safe,” said teacher Nichol Yung, adding that in a more virtual learning environment, doing something in person gives the students something to talk about. The students learned about wildfires and how they impacted the area. “We had some students keenly aware of how some of their extended family members in Oregon were affected by the recent fires,” teacher Darcy Hickey said. “It was great to just be out in the community and see all of these happy kids,” said firefighter Miller. “The cards were very sweet and mean so much to us.”