US Senate Candidate Grant County Commissioner Sam Palmer Discussing his Campaign 4PM Monday, October 11, 2021 on KWRO
Working Hard. It’s What Sam Does.
Sam is a hard worker. Plain and simple. He has worked 10 seasons with the John Day Helitack crew fighting wildland fires, most of them as a crew leader. As a leader, he earned numerous awards including one for saving the life of a civilian bus driver during a firestorm event. During this time, Sam put himself through college earning his nursing degree in 1986. In addition, he was certified as an emergency medical technician and a firefighter through the Pendleton Fire and Ambulance Service. Sam went on to run a hospital-based ambulance service, become a helicopter flight nurse in Las Vegas, manage an emergency room, work trauma and critical care, to currently working in surgery and oncology.
With a skill for teaching, Sam always had a passion to teach new up-and-coming young professionals. During these years he was also able to start a small yet successful logging company. Hard work is nothing Sam ever shied away from.
A Record of Giving Back.
Outside of normal work hours, Sam has given back to the community that helped mold him into the person he is today. He was elected to be a Grant County Commissioner in 2019 where he helped guide the county through a flood, fire, drought, and a global pandemic. Ever since his first act of public service, Sam has never slowed down.
Sam currently volunteers for Grant County Search and Rescue and serves with the non-profit Sleep in Heavenly Peace where he helps build beds for children in need.
“No child sleeps on the floor in our town.”
Dedicated to agriculture and the responsible management of our forests, Sam is a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau, an elected member of the Grant County Forest Commission, and a member of the Blue Intergovernmental Council (BIC) where he co-chairs the Forest Health Subcommittee. While a part of these organizations, Sam has effectively rewritten plans that lead to the improvement of eastern Oregon national forest health and brought the federal government to the table in seeking resolution on land use issues.
Sam also serves as an usher in his local church.