Incident Statistics:

(October 24 - 30, 2010)

Total Incidents: 1,267 

Medical: 1,020

Fire: 40

Other: 207

Major Incidents: 2 (further information below) 

• 10/24/10 @ 0245 hrs, Residential Fire, 800 block of NE Rosa Parks Way.  Loss: $30,000 Cause: Electrical arc / overload
• 10/28/10 @ 1026 hrs, Haz-Mat II, Ammonia Leak, 13400 block of N Woodrush Way. One person transported to local hospital.

Year to Date Incident Statistics:

(January 10, 2010 - current)

Total Incidents: 53,203

Medical: 42,171

Fire: 2,347

Other: 8,682

Major Incidents: 152

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   November 1, 2010

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSA) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products. Click here to find information on product recalls and search recalled products on the CPSA’s Recall and Product Safety News webpage.

In October 2010, CPSA announced over 30 product recalls. Several items were recalled because they create fire hazards - this included children's Halloween laterns, dishwashers, cooktops and slide-in ranges, projector flashlights, cordless drills, fire-lite alarms, fluorescent light bulbs, and home improvement books.

Portland Fire & Rescue wants to make sure you’re aware of the below recalled products:

• Girls’ Ruffle Vests Recalled by The Children’s Place Due to Choking Hazard
• Bicycles Recalled by Easton Sports; Seat Post Poses Fall Hazard
• CPSC Reminds Parents How to Prevent Halloween Costume and Decoration-Related Injuries
• Dollar Tree Recalls Children's Halloween Lanterns Due to Fire and Burn Hazards
• Primal Vantage Expands Recall of Plastic Tree Steps Due to Fall Hazard
• Mowers Equipped with Foot Lift Option and Foot Lift Options Kits Recalled by John Deere Due to Injury Hazard
• Meijer Recalls Infant Shoes Due to Choking Hazard
• GE Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard
• A Safe Sleep For All Babies: CPSC and Child Safety Partners Launch National Education Campaign on Crib Safety For New and Expectant Parents
• Victory Land Group Recalls to Repair Drop-Side Cribs Sold Exclusively at Kmart Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards
• Angel Line Recalls to Repair Longwood Forest Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards
• Ethan Allen Recalls to Repair Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards
• Claire-Sprayway Recalls Fabric Protector Due to Respiratory Hazard
• Frigidaire and Electrolux ICON Electric Smoothtop Cooktops and Slide-In Ranges Recalled Due to Fire Hazard
• Kohler Co. Recalls Bath Doors Due to Laceration Hazard; Sold Exclusively at Selected Lowe's and Home Depot Stores
• Graco Recalls Quattro™ and MetroLite™ Strollers Due to Risk of Entrapment and Strangulation
• Infant's Overalls Recalled by Lollytogs Due to Choking Hazard
• Dollar Tree Recalls Children's Projector Flashlights Due to Fire and Burn Hazards
• Bathtub Toys Recalled by Munchkin Due to Risk of Injury
• Additional Injuries Prompt JAKKS Pacific® to Reannounce Recall of Spa Factory™ Aromatherapy Kits Due to Explosion and Projectile Hazards
• Briggs & Stratton Recalls Riding Mowers Due to Injury Hazard from Projectiles; Sold Exclusively at Sears
• The Hive Announces Recall to Repair Revl Carbon Road Bicycle Brakes Due to Fall Hazard
• Ryobi Recalls Cordless Drills Due to Fire Hazard
• Iron Lover's Bench Sold Exclusively at Ross Stores Recalled Due to Fall Hazard
• Green Mountain Vista Inc. Recalls Roman Shades due to Risk of Strangulation
• Bravo Sports Recalls Trampolines Due to Fall Hazard
• "Alexander Designs" Brand Drop-Side Cribs Sold Exclusively at JCPenney Recalled for Repair Due to Entrapment, Suffocation and Fall Hazards
• Castalon Frying Pans Recalled By Tabletops Unlimited Due to Burn Hazard
• Valco Baby Recalls Jogging Strollers Due to Strangulation Hazard
• Tike Tech Recalls Jogging Strollers Due to Strangulation Hazard
• PBteen Recalls to Repair Sleep and Study Loft Beds Due to Fall and Injury Hazards
• Fire Alarm Control Panels Recalled by Fire-Lite Alarms Due to Alert Failure
• Trisonic Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Recalled Due To Fire Hazard
• Home Improvement Books Recalled by Oxmoor House Due to Faulty Wiring Instructions; Shock and Fire Hazards to Consumers

Stay informed of recalled products by bookmarking or adding CPSA’s website http://www.cpsc.gov/ to your favorites and check it often.  You can also sign up on CPSA’s subscription list to receive emails about recalled products. Visit https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx to join.

Keep you and your family safe and educated!

  Portland Fire & Rescue 

  We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

  November 1, 2010

How to Survive a Fire in a Crowded Place

If you're planning to attend a celebration during this holiday season, will you be able to get out safely should a fire unexpectedly erupt while you're busy celebrating?  It’s important to give thought to the possibility that trying to get out of a crowded place in an emergency could instantly become a matter of life and death.

If you haven't, now is the time to be prepared for that kind of emergency:

1. As soon as you get to your designated place, familiarize yourself with where all of the exits are. Don't just glance in the direction of the exits. Actually walk the path to at least one of those exits from where you will be standing or sitting. Remember, the power will likely go out from the fire. The possibility of becoming disoriented in the dark or from smoke inhalation is extremely high. It's crucial that you know in which direction to hurry to as soon as a fire erupts.
2. Wear non-flowing clothing and practical shoes. Keep any laces tied to prevent tripping.
3. Don’t stop to collect your possessions (e.g., purse, clothing, shoes).  Leave them behind and get out!  Prevent getting knocked down at all costs.
4. Should a stampede situation develop as celebration-goers surge for the nearest exit, turn in the direction of an alternate exit, such as the back door or a window you can throw a chair through if necessary to make your escape.
5. Take care when negotiating staircases, ramps and elevated flooring. The force of a moving crowd can become impossible to manage, causing you to trip, fall and possibly be trampled.
6. Stay as calm as possible as you try to exit the venue, taking care not to push those in front of you. The last thing you want to do is knock down anyone in front of you, which will cause you to trip and fall on them. The situation becomes extremely dangerous when people find themselves piled on top of one another, unable to continue moving.
7. If others in the venue begin to panic, your best bet is to avoid being in the center of the stampede. Keep your legs and arms moving at a diagonal to the direction the crowd is rush towards.  Try to drift yourself to the outside where the body flow will be weaker.
8. If you happen to fall, get up as quickly as you can. If you can't, reach for someone, or grab their clothes, to pull yourself up to your feet. If you aren't able to get up, try to maneuver yourself by crawling in the same direction as the crowd.
9. Let someone at home or a non-attending friend know where you will be, just to be on the safe side. If an emergency like a fire should happen while you are at the event, someone on the outside will know where you are to notify authorities and/or try to find you.

It's not about saving lives; it's about saving your life.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   November 1, 2010

The year 2010 marks the twenty-eighth annual Great Toy Drive for KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8. The drive will take place from now to December 20th. KGW is joining forces along with sponsors and local partners to collect and distribute toys to tens of thousands of needy children in Oregon and SW Washington.

Portland firefighters from Station 26 joined KGW Reporter Drew Carney and Boys & Girls Club employees to kick-off the toy drive in style on Thursday, October 28, 2010 by distributing donated toys, bikes, and sporting equipment to children at the Boys & Girls Club in New Columbia.

A portion of the toys from the Great Toy Drive will be donated to Portland Fire & Rescue Toy N Joy Makers. Since 1914, Toy N Joy Makers have been providing toys to underprivileged Portland children.

Stay tuned to the Fire Blog for ways you can help support the Toy N Joy Makers efforts. Learn more about the organization at http://www.toynjoymakers.org/.

  Portland Fire & Rescue 

  We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

  November 1, 2010

Portland Fire & Rescue - IN THE NEWS

FOX 12 News

November 2, 2010

2 Children Walking To School Hurt In Crash 

Portland, OR -- Foggy conditions may be to blame for a crash that injured two children walking to school in northeast Portland.

A 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl were rushed to Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital after the crash at Northeast 15th Avenue and Rosa Parks Way in Portland.

Portland police say the girl suffered a head injury and the boy suffered abrasions on his face. One of the children was entered into the hospital’s trauma unit as a precaution, said a spokesman with the Portland Fire Bureau.

Fire spokesman Paul Corah says the 45-year-old driver didn’t see the children crossing the street because of the fog. She stayed at the scene of the crash and fully cooperated with investigators, police say.

Officers say the driver was not impaired and speed was not a factor.

There is not a traffic light at the intersection where the children were trying to cross the street. Police say the boy and girl were trying to catch a bus on the other side of the street.

Portland police are still investigating.

Portland Fire & Recue offers the following recommendations to help keep children safe while traveling to school:

TIPS FOR DRIVERS:

• Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours.
• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

TIPS FOR STUDENTS:

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars.
• Make sure to always walk in front of the bus where the bus driver can see you.

  Portland Fire & Rescue 

  We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

  November 2, 2010