Meet Our Mid-Valley: Dr. John Heiser has patched up St. Paul Rodeo cowboys for 30 years

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The Statesman Journal's weekly Meet Our Mid-Valley feature focuses on passionate local people who live and work in our area.

This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.

Dr. John Heiser was shopping for tractors and farming equipment, but instead picked up a side job as the doctor for the St. Paul Rodeo.

Heiser, who was an emergency medical physician at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, and his wife, Kristi, had purchased a farm on Grand Island in rural Yamhill County.

Verl Scheibe, the manager of Ernst Hardware in St. Paul, recruited Heiser in 1995 while he was shopping at the store to become the medical director for the St. Paul Fire District.

Through his association with the district, Heiser finds himself behind the bucking chutes at the rodeo every year, stitching up cut cowboys and helping fans in medical distress in the arena.

"I have such admiration for the St. Paul community," Heiser said. "A town of 400-whatever puts on the biggest rodeo in the nation over the Fourth of July, all volunteer."

Tractors were John Heiser's first love at the St. Paul Rodeo

Heiser went to the St. Paul Rodeo as a child and liked the rodeo, "but I wanted to get there early to watch the tractors work the arena. That was my thing because I just loved tractors."

Heiser competed in equestrian events at some 4-H competitions as a youth, but high school sports took precedence. He played football, basketball and baseball at McMinnville High School. (He was inducted into the McMinnville Sports Hall of Fame in May.)

Heiser went on to play linebacker at Portland State University for Mouse Davis. When it came time to figure out what to do after college, he remembered the team doctors, who were orthopedic surgeons.

"I'll be a doctor. That interested me as much as anything," he said.

Heiser graduated from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine in 1987. He decided to focus on emergency medicine and started at Providence St. Vincent in Portland in 1990.

Heiser and his wife, Kristi, were living inNewberg when they found a piece of property for sale on Grand Island, in the southeast corner of Yamhill County, north of the Wheatland Ferry. The property had the one thing they wanted, a red Dutch barn.

They purchased it in 1991 and have been there since. It's not just a vanity or hobby farm. They renovated the buildings and planted a pumpkin patch.

In 1994, Heiser Farms opened to the public, and it's been open every fall since. Between the corn maze, fire truck rides and pumpkin cannons, Heiser Farms draws thousands of people to Grand Island.

Heiser has lots of tractors, but still loves seeing the ones working the St. Paul Rodeo arena.

"But the other thing that I'm very proud of is the St. Paul Fire Department's ability to staff the rodeo," Heiser said. "So a town of 420 (people), whatever, we have three advanced life support units at the rodeo from St. Paul. Three. That's amazing."

Heiser is the medical director for five fire districts

Heiser retired from Providence St. Vincent in 2021 after 31 years but keeps his hands in medicine as the medical director for fire districts that provide ambulance transport for patients.

He is responsible for protocols for medical treatment and direction for education and training for paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

Heiser first joined the St. Paul Fire District, which is an all-volunteer organization.

"They're such great people, volunteering their time, that I can't ask them to pay me any money," said Heiser, who also volunteers his time.

In 2005, Heiser became the medical director for the McMinnville Fire Department, now known as the McMinnville Fire District. The district provides ambulance transport for most of Yamhill County.

Since then, Heiser also has taken on the Sheridan Fire District, West Valley Fire District (now part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde emergency services), and the Southwestern Polk Fire District.

Heiser also is a volunteer for the Dayton Fire District, mostly answering calls south of Dayton.

"Yeah, I love it because it keeps me in medicine," he said. "I have some experience, 31 years, to pass on to them. And they're just very respectful and appreciative of what I have to offer them."

Patching up cowboys for 30 years at the St. Paul Rodeo

When Heiser joined the St. Paul Fire District, which contracts to provide medical services at the St. Paul Rodeo, in 1995, he was asked to assist at the rodeo. He could only attend a performance or two a year due to his emergency room schedule.

In the early 2000s, Heiser started working behind the chutes where contestants stage and start their events. That's when he got more involved in the rodeo.

There is far more medical care provided at the rodeo than just Heiser, as he points out. The fire district has two staffed ambulances at each performance, and the Justin Sports Medicine Team provides support for contestants, such as athletic training.

For years, Dr. David Krier was the rodeo's doctor, serving behind the chutes alongside Heiser. Now Heiser is often joined by Mark Daniel, the police chief and city manager for Mt. Angel, who also is a paramedic.

Heiser likes the St. Paul Rodeo, but he's not a rodeo fan.

"I could be standing next to the world champion bull rider, not know who he is," he says. "I have friends and relatives who follow it, and I always have to ask who is who."

He recalled a time when a bull rider got bucked off directly in front of the chutes. The cowboy's rope flew up and hit another contestant who was standing on the chutes, cutting his forehead.

Heiser stopped the bleeding and stitched his forehead up. He instructed the cowboy to have the stitches taken out in seven days and to guard against infection.

Heiser turned to another person and asked who he had just stitched up and was informed it was Cesar de la Cruz, one of the top ropers in the world.

"Oh, cool," Heiser responded.

The worst injury Heiser has seen was a bull rider thrown off a bull and knocked unconscious. They were in a coma and had broken bones and had to be taken to OHSU.

"Actually, a trauma surgeon was with me that night and he was the one that kind of did a lot of that care," Heser said.

If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email Statesman Journal executive editor Cherrill Crosby at crosbyc@statesmanjournal.com

Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com