Meet our Mid-Valley: Andy Ponce credits Gervais High, Woodburn Fire to his success
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.
He was certified as an EMT and then tested at departments across Oregon before being hired in 1998 by Portland Fire & Rescue.
He said his colleagues have become his family, spending 24-hour shifts together and often in stressful situations where it is critical to mitigate the danger they’re in.
“I’m actually probably closer to a lot of the guys and gals that I work with than I am my own brother or sister,” Ponce joked.
Ponce was a lieutenant, a captain, then a deputy chief before his promotion to division chief last year. During his 25 years with Portland Fire, he has remained connected with the Woodburn Fire District for nearly three decades. Woodburn Chief Joe Budge praised Ponce’s service during his swearing-in last year.
Ponce said he had the opportunity to mentor the son of a Woodburn district captain who was hired in Portland and completed part of his probationary period at Ponce’s station.
“It kind of came full circle because his dad spent time with me and then I got to spend time with him to help him out,” he said.
His start at Woodburn is why he has remained committed to volunteering, and now serves on the Woodburn Fire District Board of Directors.
Ponce said there is a need for volunteers at Woodburn Fire District and districts across the state, especially when disasters like last month's winter storm occur. "That's when we need people to step up and help each other out," he said.
In his spare time, he is with his 13-year-old son, 11-year-old daughter and his high school sweetheart and wife, Heather. Both of their children play basketball and Ponce is a vocal dad on the sidelines.
He also turned a hobby making wood, carbon and aluminum arrows into a business, opening Addictive Archery in 2010. Ponce loves being outdoors and would relieve stress on his days off hiking, hunting, fishing or camping. He started making the arrows, first selling to friends and family before it "quickly exploded."
An old house on their Gervais farm was transformed into his hideout and store. Ponce said he has dozens of arrows in the process of being made at any given time. He made a YouTube series years ago demonstrating his arrow-making process and also serves on the board of directors for the Compton Traditional Bowhunters, a non-profit national traditional bowhunting organization.
"I turn the radio on and paint on arrows all day long. I kind of lose track of time quite often," he said. "It's kind of artwork for me. I try to come up with all these different designs and colors."
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Meet our Mid-Valley: Andy Ponce, veteran firefighter, arrow maker
