Molalla Fire District is currently served by 16 career staff that includes one full time Office Administrator and the Fire Chief. There are approx. 35 volunteer and support staff. Six of the line firefighter/paramedics were hired from a combination of Federal Grant Funding and passed tax levy in May of 2014. Below is our administrative personnel and their duties.
Chief Officers
Vince Stafford
Chief Stafford was born and raised in Molalla and continues a long-time family tradition in firefighting of a combined 70 years with his own career totaling over 30 years of service. He began as a Molalla volunteer firefighter in 1992 and became an officer by 1995. He obtained his paramedic certification in 1997, got hired at Central Coast Fire and Rescue eventually becoming their Fire Chief. In 2006 Chief Stafford was hired by the Molalla Fire District as their Fire Chief to which he oversees operations of the entire district that includes career and volunteer firefighting staff, three fire stations, and two on-call ambulances. He is currently a member of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, Treasurer of the Clackamas County Fire Defense Board, Council Member of the Clackamas County Emergency Medical Service and is an Operations Section Chief for the Oregon State Fire Marshals Incident Management Team.
Dustin Hamilton
Division Chief Dustin Hamilton serves as the Division Chief of Operations and Training for Molalla Fire District, where he oversees operational readiness and all fire, rescue, and wildland training programs. He focuses on building capable teams, maintaining high training standards, and ensuring the district is prepared to serve the community.
Chief Hamilton began his fire service career in 2001 as a volunteer with Keizer Fire District. He later joined Sublimity Fire District in 2009, advancing into leadership roles including training coordinator. In 2018, he joined Molalla Fire District through a SAFER grant and has continued to promote through the ranks. He became a certified Paramedic in 2022.
A third-generation firefighter, Chief Hamilton continues a strong family tradition of public service, with his son representing the fourth generation. Outside of his role with the district, he teaches at Chemeketa Community College and owns a woodworking business.
Company Officers
Clint Shaver
Hi, I’m Captain Clinton Shaver. I am the Captain for the Main Station, Station 382. I started with the district in 1989 as a volunteer. In 2000, I achieved my goal and became a paid firefighter with the Molalla Fire District. I was born and raised in the greater Molalla area and lived here my entire life. I am proud to give back to the community I was raised in. My job is to oversee all daily shift operations, training and Shift Lieutenants. This covers all cleaning, maintenance and daily workings of the station. I currently work “B” Shift.
Mike Penunuri
Lt. Penunuri (Pronounced pa-noon-err-eee) is a day shift staff member that was hired in March of 2000. Mike’s primary role is to serve as Fire Marshal for Molalla Fire District. His other duties include, but are not limited to, equipment maintenance that includes all apparatus, compressors and gas detection equipment. Mike is also responsible for maintenance and programming of all district communications equipment, pagers and mobile data computers. Mike also serves as the Safety Committee Chair Person.
Ethan Hupp
Ethan was hired in June 2017 and serves as the C-shift officer. He serves as the EMS Coordinator, responsible for all medical services provided by the Molalla Fire District, including licensing of ambulances, medical supply ordering, managing the District medical report writing software in coordination with other Clackamas County fire and EMS agencies, and managing the District’s involvement with several local and national medical research studies. Additional duties include shift scheduling, supervision of new career employee’s medical protocol testing, and monthly statistics related to emergency responses by the District. Ethan worked for a private ambulance company as a paramedic for several years prior to becoming a career firefighter with Molalla Fire District. He holds two associates degrees from Chemeketa in Fire Protection Technology-Suppression and Emergency Medical Technology- Paramedic.
Loren Johnson
Lieutenant Loren Johnson started his journey as a volunteer firefighter in 2009. He gained employment in 2017 after working in private ambulance service as a paramedic with American Medical Response and worked seasonally on AMR’s water rescue team. For Molalla Fire he performs duties such as being the “Quarter Master”, heads our civil service testing program, and serves as the safety committee chairperson.
Loren on his off time enjoys SCUBA diving, Hunting and anything outdoors. Loren is also Owner of PNW First Response Training LLC which is our contracted company to perform Molalla Fire’s CPR Program. Loren is community service driven and was born and raised in the Molalla Community. His love for the community comes from support given when he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3-12 years old. He has chosen this path to “pay-it forward”. His focus on patient care and community relations is the embodiment of Molalla Fire’s core values.
Admin Staff
