On January 3, a new piece of public art was installed at Portland Fire & Rescue’s main administrative building at SW Ash Street and Naito Parkway. The colorful mural by Portland artists Addie Boswell and Antwoine Thomas was commissioned by Portland Fire Chief Sara Boone and managed by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).

When Fire Chief Sara Boone was sworn in, she communicated that the three areas she considers to be the pillars of Portland Fire & Rescue are community, service, and sacrifice.

In her first weeks, Chief Boone installed new lighting and painted an accent wall behind the portrait of Chief David Campbell, one of Portland Fire & Rescue’s most notable former chiefs. She wanted Chief Campbell’s portrait to be an area of focus because Campbell, who died in a fire, symbolizes the service and sacrifice every firefighter commits to when they are sworn into duty. Chief Campbell tragically died in the line of duty during a 1911 fire when he entered a building to make sure all firefighters had retreated; the building collapsed upon him before he could get out. Chief Campbell made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure his firefighters were safe.

Chief Boone also wanted to add a mural on the wall leading to the chief’s office to showcase the bureau’s deep connection to the community it serves. She wants to make sure that everyone who walks down the hallway to the chief’s office knows that they are welcome and included. The bureau engaged RACC to manage the project. The project was funded with percent-for-art dollars that earmarks the costs of certain City improvements for public art.

Through a paneled public process, Boswell and Thomas’s submission themed “It takes everyone to create community” was selected and commissioned. The colorful painting, now titled “Vibrant Cities Don’t Burn,” creates a bright tapestry of Portland imagery stitched together with symbolic threads denoting PF&R’s history and work. A flutter of 36 butterflies representing each of the 36 Portland Fire & Rescue firefighters lost in the line of duty (as noted by the downtown firefighters’ memorial) fly in the direction of Chief Campbell’s portrait down the hall. Among the scenes of nature and people working in harmony are roses, which are both a symbol of the city and the centerpiece of PF&R’s logo. The work honors the sacredness of the land and people who came before us. The piece is imbued with so many surprise bits of symbolism that a key will accompany it on the wall.

“I want to thank the artists for creating this celebratory, inclusive, and engaging piece of work that will greet those who head down the hall to the chief’s office. I appreciate the level of commitment and understanding that the artists put into this work as visual and visceral representations of service and community,” says Fire Chief Sara Boone. “Images are powerful and they play a meaningful role in who feels welcomed in certain spaces. Those who head down this hallway will understand our history and know that we are going into the future together. This artwork highlights the best of our city and Portland Fire & Rescue.”

Portland’s first renewable, resilient power project installed at an emergency response facility has gone online at Fire Station 1, the result of a partner project between The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) and Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R). In 2016, BPS applied for and received a $89,959 grant from the Portland General Electric’s 2016 Renewable Development Fund, and an additional $25,000 PGE Research and Development grant to collaborate with PF&R on installing Oregon’s first renewable microgrid on a fire station.

The vanguard project includes a 30 kW solar electric system, a commercial-sized battery, and an existing onsite generator. These three components allow the site to generate and store power from multiple sources in the event of a prolonged power outage. Since this was a frontrunner installation, BPS and PF&R worked tirelessly with a variety of partners over the past four years to work out the kinks of setting up a leading-edge system that uses sustainable energy in emergency response scenarios. The 30 kW / 60 kWh lithium-ion battery storage system allows the solar system to continue to power the building during an extended outage. The system stores excess solar for use at night making it possible for the fire station to use solar energy to power preselected critical loads indefinitely. You can now monitor the system’s output and usage from a screen in the building’s lobby,

“I want to thank our Facilities Manager Shawn Roberti and former Logistics Captain Tom Walsh on their incredible dedication to this project, as well as the crews at Station 1 who helped support the facilitation of this installation over four years,” says PF&R Chief Sara Boone. “PF&R takes the lead in emergency response and this installation allows us to use solar power to generate energy in the event of an extended outage for one of our most critical buildings.”

As more photovoltaic and energy storage systems come online, the importance of training first responders how to use these types of systems will continue to grow. The Fire Station 1 installation will help others in the firefighting and emergency response communities learn how to design and use solar-plus-storage installations.

“We need to be innovative in our energy approaches to make sure we are able to fuel our responses now and in the future. The addition of this solar-plus-battery system at Station 1 serves as a training opportunity involving a technology that is growing in the region and is a much-needed ingredient for our City’s sustainability efforts,” says Fire Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. “This is a great example of what we can accomplish by partnering across bureaus for innovative solutions.”

This system also creates a testing ground for similar installations at other City facilities. The battery storage system and controls installed at Fire Station 1 are also able to respond to signals from the utility (Portland General Electric) to provide additional demand response energy services to the grid. This  allows the battery to earn an additional value stream beyond the energy savings of the solar. Additional value streams would help the City, and other energy customers, to offset the cost of the battery. This pilot project will help test the potential for microgrids on City facilities to provide both resilience and energy services to the utility.

“The solar and battery installation at Fire Station 1 is a wonderful example of Portland’s climate leadership and innovation,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Tackling the climate crisis is going to require a broad coalition of partners and I want to thank BPS, PF&R and PGE for their effort to realize this project which reflects the need to prepare for climate impacts as we work to reduce emissions.”

This project would have not been possible without the collaboration of the following partners: Portland Fire and Rescue, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland General Electric, Energy Trust of Oregon, EC Electric, and vendors Ageto, Ideal Power Systems and EnergPort.

Drone footage and rooftop panel photography by EC Electric.

Drone footage: https://vimeo.com/379814651/608aad9747

FIRE PREVENTION MONTH POSTER CONTEST

Welcome to PF&R’s 2019 Fire Prevention Month Poster Contest! We hope you have fun while creating art that encourages fire safety in the home, school and community.

1. Each poster should be about one of the fire safety messages listed below.

2. Posters can be on any type of paper or poster board, and size can range from 8.5”x 11” to 18”x 24.

3. Crayons, markers, pencils, etc. can be used.

4. The back of the poster must clearly include:
• Name of student
• Grade and age of student
• Name of School and program (for example, SUN at Vestal School)
• Class or Teacher’s name

5. All posters must be turned in to Portland Fire & Rescue by Oct. 31st at 5:00pm. To submit posters, either mail them in or call us and we will pick them up at your school.
* Mailing address: 55 SW Ash St. * For pick up at school – call (503)823-3550
Portland, OR 97204

6. Posters will be judged in 2 categories: Grade K-2 and grades 3-5. Winners will be announced by early December 2019.

FIRE SAFETY MESSAGES

Create a poster using an idea from one of the messages below. You don’t have to include words, but you can if you want.

1)  “Not every hero wears a cape. PLAN and PRACTICE your ESCAPE.”
• Listen for the sound of a smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds.
• Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
• Have a meeting place. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.

2) “Every Second Counts – Plan Two Ways Out”
• Have 2 ways out.
• Get low and go! Smoke is poisonous; the clean air is down low. When you crawl or stay low, you can breathe the clean air that is below the smoke.
• In case of fire, Get out and stay out! Accidents happen when people try to go back inside a burning building.
• Have a “Safe Meeting Place” – so family and firefighters know you got out safely. It could be a nearby tree, a mailbox, a sign or fence that is a safe distance from the home, and where firefighters can see you.

3) “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep: Every Bedroom needs a working smoke alarm”
• When you are asleep, you cannot see, hear or smell fire.
• Smoke alarms let you know when there is a fire, so you can get outside and stay outside.
• Smoke alarms should be located in every bedroom, outside every bedroom, and on every level of your home.

Multnomah County fire departments/districts lift fire ban

September 12, 2019

Fire Defense Board Chief Scott Lewis has lifted the outdoor burn ban in all areas of Multnomah County.

The burn ban is lifted due to the recent rainfall and moderate temperatures, which has improved the moisture content of the local ground cover.

Recreational campfires, fire pits and agricultural burning is now permitted on DEQ-approved burn days.

Yard debris and open burning is still not permitted; the usual start date for these is on or around Oct. 1.

Check with your local fire department/district for more information. For updated information, call the burning information line at:

• 503-618-3083 for Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village, Fairview, Fire District 1
• 503-695-2225 for Corbett Fire District 14 
• 503-621-1242 for Sauvie Island District 30
• General Information for Portland Fire & Rescue, 503-823-3700

Portland Fire & Rescue and the American Red Cross are joining together for the sixth consecutive year for a Sept. 11 Memorial Blood Drive to honor those lost during the 2001 terrorist attacks. The annual Portland Fire & Rescue Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm at Station 1, 55 SW Ash St.

The blood drive is open to the public and members of the community are encouraged to roll up a sleeve to join Portland firefighters in donating blood in honor of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives on September 11th.

Portland Fire & Rescue kicked off the blood drive because the bureau wanted to offer an avenue of action for those marking this solemn day that has deep significance for first responders.

“For the past six years, Portland Fire & Rescue has hosted a September 11 blood drive because we wanted to offer an avenue of action for people to acknowledge this day of deep significance for first responders. On September 11th 2001, our nation’s resilience was tested,” says Fire Chief Sara Boone. “One way to honor the selfless acts of police, fire, and countless community members is to join together to strengthen our emergency resources. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood and one donation can potentially save up to three lives. Please join us at Station 1 on September 11th to roll up your sleeve to donate if you are able.”

Fire Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty encourages those who are able to sign up to donate blood.

"Our first responders train to face worst case scenarios and their bravery on September 11, 2001 cannot be overstated,” says Hardesty. “As fire commissioner, I see our first responders here in Portland always ready and responsive. We as a community we can do our part to make sure we have plenty of lifesaving blood on hand. Please sign up to give blood on September 11th at Station 1."

Donors of all blood types - especially O negative, A negative and B negative - are needed. The Red Cross encourages donors to schedule their appointments in advance, but walk-ins also are welcome.

“We appreciate Portland Fire & Rescue responding to the call to help patients in need year after year,” said Amie Rawson, director of Donor Recruitment for the Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood Services Region. “The annual Sept. 11 Memorial Blood Drive offers a way for area residents to support these local heroes and help save a life by giving blood.”

What: September 11 Memorial Blood Drive
When: Wednesday, September 11, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Where: Portland Fire & Rescue Station 1, 55 SW Ash Street
Sign up: www.redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code PortlandFire or call 1-800-REDCROSS