Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) has launched the April 2010 issue of our E-Newsletter! 

The newsletter is being introduced at a critical time for Portland Fire when a number of major initiatives are moving forward and exciting things are taking place.  Our goal is two-fold; to introduce ourselves to you and invite you to partner with us on upcoming initiatives that will shape the services you receive!

The April 2010 E-Newsletter focuses on the following topics:

• Inside Station 28
• Station 18 Hits Home Run with Safety for Little League
• Google Earth Used for Pre-Fire Drawings
• PF&R Monthly Statistics
• New Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules
• Safety Saturday at Belmont
• PF&R Receives $17,000 in Grants
• Most Common Accidental Fire Causes
• Strategic Planning Update
• Station 1 Design Award
• Fire Camp Applications Now Being Accepted

To read the entire April 2010 E-Newsletter issue and learn more about the above topics, visit http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102938290271/archive/1103267406671.html.   

Click here to subscribe and receive PF&R’s monthly newsletter via email!

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April 22, 2010

Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

Black Beans Salsa Ingredients:

• ½ cup canned black beans, rinsed, and drained
• ¼ cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast half
• Dash of salt
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper
• Lime slice (optional)

Preparation:

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 9 ingredients, tossing well to combine.
2. To prepare chicken, heat butter in a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with dash of salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with salsa and, if desired, lime slice. Yield: 1 serving (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and ¾ cup salsa).

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April 22, 2010

As a safety-oriented organization, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) does everything it can to enhance employee safety.  We provide all of our employees, fire fighters or otherwise, with state of the art personal protective equipment and tools, we try to maintain the safest workplace environment including ergonomically suitable office space, and we constantly look at our policies to find areas for improvement.  But even with all of these safeguards, we occasionally have accidents and injuries.

Every PF&R employee injury and every motor vehicle accident is fully investigated and documented.  Investigating an injury or accident might sound like we are trying to place blame and find out who is at fault, but that is not the case.  When we investigate an accident, our intent is to find the root cause.   There are times when the root cause might be the lack of a policy and a written guideline would be developed to prevent a reoccurrence. Other times the root cause for an injury might be insufficient protective equipment.  Determining the root cause involves asking ‘Why? Why? Why?’ multiple times as you investigate the accident or injury.  Ultimately, the underlying cause is determined.

Our supervisors, particularly our battalion chiefs, are responsible for investigating accidents and determining the root cause.  Click here to view PF&R's battalion chief job description. Three levels of investigation occur as the immediate supervisor, battalion chief, and finally the chief safety officer examine an injury or accident, and ultimately it will be reviewed by the Safety Committee.

PF&R will be working with an Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Division (OSHA) trainer in the coming weeks to train our battalion chiefs in the field of accident investigation. Battalion chiefs will brush up on their skills and will explore the art of determining the root cause of accidents and injuries. Oregon OSHA graciously provides this training for free! 

Determining the root cause of an accident or injury can be a tricky thing and it involves a lot of investigatory work.  The reason for getting to the bottom of the event is to prevent its reoccurring.  The safety of our employees is important to PF&R.  We need to keep ourselves safe so that we can do our jobs:  Keeping Portland safe!  Until next time – be safe!

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April 22, 2010

Keeping Children & Youth Fire Safe

Each year in the United States, children and youth that play with fire cause hundreds of deaths and injuries.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2006 an estimated 14,500 structure fires involving “fire-play” were reported to U.S. municipal fire departments.  These fires resulted in 130 civilian deaths, 810 civilian injuries, and $328 million dollars in direct property damage.

Preschoolers and kindergartners are most likely to start these fires, typically by playing with matches and lighters. Almost half of child-playing home structure fires begin in the bedroom.  Items ignited by home fire-play are most often mattresses, bedding, or clothing. 

Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) provides you the below safety tips that can help keep children and youth away from fire:

• Keep matches and lighters either on your person, or in a locked compartment.  Controlling the access to dangerous fire tools has been shown to be the most effective way to protect your family from child-set fires.
• Remember to always use matches and lighters in an appropriate and responsible manner.  Our children learn respect for fire tools from the example we set for them.
• If your child expresses curiosity about fire or has been playing with fire, calmly but firmly explain that matches and lighters are tools for adults only.
• Use only lighters designed with child-resistant features. Remember child-resistant does not mean child proof. *** In March 2009, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed House Bill 2365 which prohibits the selling or distribution of novelty (toylike) lighters in Oregon. The bill is designed to prevent lighters that look like toys from getting into the hands of children. Read more about the “Novelty/Toylike Lighter Program” on the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s website at http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/LP_NTLL_Program.shtml.
• Teach young children and school-age children to tell an adult if they see matches or lighters.

PF&R’s Juvenile Fire Setters Program

If you suspect your child is intentionally setting fires or maybe unduly fascinated with fire, please contact the Juvenile Fire Setting Intervention Manager in Portland Fire & Rescue’s Public Education Office at (503) 823-3806 or PF&R’s Main Office at (503) 823-3700 to set up an appointment for evaluation and education.

Click here for more Spring safety tips from Portland Fire & Rescue.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY TODAY!

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April 26, 2010

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April 26, 2010