A memorial service to honor St. Paul Firefighter Austin Smith will take place on Saturday, February 12th, 2022. The memorial procession of emergency vehicles and personnel will travel from Woodburn, Ore. to St. Paul, Ore. on Saturday, February 12th, 2022. The procession start time is anticipated for 10:15 a.m. The team coordinating the memorial service is anticipating around 400 emergency vehicles from fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies from Oregon and neighboring states. Closures will be in place and traffic will be impacted for several hours. Drivers should expect delays in Woodburn around the I-5 interchange, along the route on Hwy 219, and traveling through and around St. Paul.
The community members and members of the public are welcome to attend the memorial service at the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds. Those who are able to attend are asked to sit in the general public seating in sections B & C. Those traveling to the memorial should come into St. Paul from the South rather than Highway 219 to avoid traffic impacts. General parking can be accessed at the South Entrance to the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds from River Road. The entrance is marked by a large sign. All uniformed personnel attending are requested to enter the arena through the NW gate of the arena, and seating is in Section E. Uniformed personnel should be seated by noon at the latest. For attendees not participating in the procession, we recommend that you arrive in St. Paul no later than 11 am.
Memorial Attendance:
- The memorial service will begin promptly at 1 pm
- It is recommended that those wanting to attend, access the Rodeo Grounds from River Rd. NE on the southside of St. Paul.
- Parking for memorial attendees will be located at the South entrance to the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds off of River Rd NE where flaggers will be in place.
- There will be a high number of emergency vehicles and pedestrians, please drive carefully and slowly.
Additional traffic impacts in the North Marion County area to promote the safe flow of traffic during the memorial service:
- Highway 219 southbound from Newberg will be diverted east onto McKay Road NE starting at10:15 a.m. and should reopen around noon.
- River Road northbound will be diverted east onto DavidsonRoad for traffic unrelated to the memorial service starting at 10:15 a.m.
- Residents living in the St. Paul community should anticipate congestion and multiple road closures in the area surrounding the St. Paul Rodeo grounds between8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
The Smith family extends their sincerest thanks to the St. Paul Community, St. Paul Rodeo Committee, and the Oregon Fire Service Family for their support for the family and for honoring Austin. They would like to send their love and gratitude to all local firefighters who were on scene the day Austin passed. Those firefighters were with Austin in his last moments and tried their best to save his life. The family and the St. Paul community are hosting a reception directly following the memorial, all who attend are welcome at the reception.