From Fire Captain to Softball Coach, Dan Hammel Brings 30 Years of Collaborative Leadership to the NWCPUD Board
By Rodger Nichols
Dan Hammel is all about teamwork.
Although the newest member of the Northern Wasco County PUD board of directors was born in The Dalles, he was raised in the Seattle area until his high school graduation, when his mother and stepfather bought a furniture store in Klamath Falls. There, Dan joined the fire department, picking a profession where teamwork is necessary for both success and survival.
“I was there 19 years and worked my way through the ranks to engine captain,” Dan says. “Then, in 2008, I took a division chief job up here at Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue.”
Dan retired from the fire department at the end of 2018, but it wasn’t long before a new teamwork opportunity became possible with his newfound leisure time.
“My wife and I are raising and adopting 1 of our grandchildren,” Dan says. “She wanted to get into softball, and this was a chance to help.
For the first 3 years, his granddaughter’s team was organized under The Dalles Softball Association, so teams played in the local league.
“This last year was the first that Little League was able to bring softball back,” Dan says.
That opened up the possibility of advancing to district and state playoffs.
Dan says he just helped the coaches in his first year. The second year, he was an assistant coach. By the third year, he became head coach for the team he sponsored, Wildfire Protection Services.
This year, Dan was the head coach of Ernie’s Locks and Keys Little League team, plus the 8- to 10-year-old girls' softball team.
A big boost came to the program when Wasco County took over operations of Kramer Field and made enough upgrades to persuade Little League to hold its regional playoffs in The Dalles. Home-field advantage can be a confidence booster, but there are practical advantages as well. The players stay in the comfort of their own homes rather than living out of a motel, and there’s a special benefit: the wind.
“You’d be amazed if you watched these other teams playing,” Dan says. “A pop fly goes up, and they’re headed under it, but the wind picks up and moves it. We obviously had that advantage. We knew what to expect.”
Playing at home worked. The Dalles’ teams went through the local league undefeated. At season’s end, an 11-person all-star team was chosen. 7 were from Dan’s team, and 2 each came from the other 2 local teams.
The all-star team represented The Dalles in the district playoffs this year. There were 6 teams in the double-elimination contest.
“We played last year’s winners, Bend North, and we beat them,” Dan says. “We played Crook County second, and we beat them. Bend North was able to work their way back up through the losers’ bracket to the title game with us, where we beat them again. It was really a neat experience. Our girls had never expected that they were going to necessarily win the district.”
That win sent the team to the state playoffs in Wilsonville, representing District 5, which runs east from The Dalles to Hermiston, south to Bend and west to Hood River.
The Dalles opened the state tournament with a 15-3 win over North Portland and followed with an 8-6 victory over Del Norte of Crescent City, California.
Then they met the Hermiston team. “In our age group, there are only 6 innings in a game,” Dan says. “I believe we were the first and only team that held Hermiston, so that going into the 6th inning, we were still 0-0.”
Unfortunately, Hermiston racked up 5 runs in the top of the 6th, and The Dalles was not able to score.
But the players regrouped and notched a 5-4 win over South Beaverton to send them to the state championship— a rematch against Hermiston. This time, The Dalles did not get shut out, but the final was 11-1 in favor of Hermiston.
“These girls put their hearts into it,” Dan says. “The first time they had the opportunity to play beyond locally, they were able to win district and come in No. 2 in the state. That’s pretty special.”
He says the team even made a double play in this year’s tournament.
“That’s pretty unusual for 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds,” Dan says. “But what I’m most impressed with is the way they held Hermiston to no runs for 5 innings. Hermiston’s team was actually a higher caliber than every other team there. All but a couple of players are with the traveling softball team that they run out of Hermiston. And Hermiston plays at a league level above us.”
Dan is quick to acknowledge that the credit for the team’s success should go to a lot of people: the players and their families for their dedication, but also the sponsors and coaches, including Wes Faulkner and Alan Easling.
Dan has a strong interest in giving back to society. When his neighbor, former NWCPUD board member Connie Karp, suggested he run for the PUD board, he followed through. He joined the board in January 2023.
“In my 30 years as a firefighter, I dealt with government entities,” Dan says. “Back in the 1990s, I spent a year on the Red Cross board, so I have some experience with boards.”
Dan says he’s pleased NWCPUD General Manager and CEO Roger Kline has created a supportive work environment, where people look forward to coming to work, and the board is equally committed to doing their jobs well.
All 5 board members have achieved the prestigious Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. As the only Oregon PUD that is a member of NRECA, this remarkable accomplishment makes NWCPUD’s board members the only PUD board members in Oregon with this distinction.
For NWCPUD employees and the board of directors, it’s all about dedication—and teamwork.