The Keizer Fire Action Team, a support group that assists families and firefighters within the Keizer Fire District, began as a response to unfortunate circumstances. 

Erika Alderson and Nicole Olheiser were left alone on Thanksgiving as their husbands worked 48-hour shifts at the Keizer Fire District in 2022. 

“We both have really young kids, and we were like, ‘Well, that stinks. Our husbands are at the station for Thanksgiving,’” Olheiser said.

Refusing self-pity, the two hatched a plan. They gathered supplies, dialed phone numbers, and drove to the Keizer station. Sixteen families arrived at the station by dinner time, astonished by what greeted them in the community room.

Tables, cloaked in silk tablecloths, were set out. Games and activities were scattered throughout the room for children. And behind the kitchen counter, the husbands, still vigilant for emergency alarms, prepared the meal.

“That was really cool to have people come to the station and have that storybook, fire station feel,” Olheiser said.

Years later, Alderson, an elementary school teacher, and Olheiser, a pediatric nurse, officially formed the Keizer Fire Action Team, raising money from multiple organizations. They plan around 15 events per year, feed dozens of families during wildfire season, and even offer support to other public safety agencies. 

“It stemmed from us, as wives, feeling like we needed more connection here,” Alderson said. “If we’re feeling this way, then other families must feel this way too.”

The two also noticed a need among the firefighters. Their husbands, Andrew Alderson and Eric Olheiser, would come home visibly depleted. Through hosting small events – one day a soda bar, the next an ice cream buffet – they hoped to boost the station’s morale.

“We didn’t want it to just be a job for them,” Olheiser said. 

Chief Ryan Russell noticed their efforts in 2023, and wanted to make the Keizer Fire Action Team a stationwide phenomenon. In 2024, the team asked the Keizer Fire Foundation for funding.

Initially, their request was exclusive to the wildfire season. During conflagration assignments, sometimes keeping firefighters away from home for weeks, the team wanted to provide dinners for their families. 

“A lot of times these deployments are happening with two hours’ notice,” Alderson explained. “So we were like, ‘Hey let’s bring families dinner.’”

Last wildfire season, they delivered around 20 meals.

“We got two meals from KFAT, which was super helpful,” said Megan Finnerty, wife of firefighter Casey Finnerty. “One was a big basket, and it came with a frozen meal and snacks for our daughter, who at the time was just over 6 months.”

The team also wrote Finnerty a comforting note.

Later, they filled a pantry for firefighters deployed on conflagrations. Before, crews  would grab whatever snack they could find in their short window before departure, Alderson said. 

Now, they hit the road well supplied. The pantry is constantly replenished with applesauce, granola bars, and other compact sources of nutrients.

As the Keizer Fire Action Team has grown, so too has its funding. Now, they also receive funds from the Keizer Professional Firefighters, a local union, and the Keizer Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, which manages volunteer firefighters.

The team’s jurisdiction has also grown. Keizer police officers and local nurses were invited to a Fourth of July party this year.

Their biggest event, which is also Alderson and Olheiser’s personal favorite, is a dodgeball tournament in May. 

Families come eager for ice cream and to watch firefighters indulge in friendly competition. Alderson was shocked to see Russell replace his professionalism with sporty energy. Olheiser had never seen Chief Hector Blanco smile so much.

“You’re watching these guys laugh and have fun…it makes it worth it for sure,” Alderson said.

Despite their full-time jobs, Alderson and Olheiser have remained consistent with their initiatives. Seeing the joy that their efforts bring families fuels their ambition. 

“I think just knowing that it’s helping someone through a shift, or that it’s helping a family through one more holiday without their loved one…it compels us to keep going,” Olheiser said.

Moving forward, they realize the need for organization. Instead of deputizing volunteers at random, they hope to assemble a team.

They also hope to broaden their scope. At future events, they want to include more nurses, police officers, and people from neighboring fire agencies.

By partnering with the district’s new community engagement coordinator, Maddie Alsum, they want to develop relations with local schools.

“I hope other people recognize Keizer Fire and say, ‘That’s a good station to be at,’” Olheiser said.

For updates on the Keizer Fire Action Team, follow their Instagram: @kfat_3881