Portland Fire & Rescue investigators have determined the cause of the house fire this morning. Combustibles too close to a baseboard heater sparked the fire that displaced two people. The fire severely damaged the home and caused an estimated $80,000 in damage.

There have been numerous fires caused by heating devices in the metro area since the weather has turned colder. Any device that creates heat needs a space of about three feet around it clear of anything that will burn.

The home did not have a working smoke alarm and the two young men who escaped the fire this morning were very fortunate to have survived.

Keep yourself and your family safe by reading the warnings and recommendations that come with all portable heating devices.  And remember:

• Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom, one outside the bedrooms, and one on every level of your home. Test your smoke alarms every month.
• Space heaters need space. Keep combustibles at least three feet away from each heater.
• When buying a space heater, look for a control feature that automatically shuts off the power if the heater falls over.

At 4:50 am this morning, Portland Fire & Rescue firefighters responded to the report of a house on fire on SE 76th Avenue. Prior to the arrival of firefighters, a Portland Police sergeant on patrol in the area reported that the house was "fully engulfed in flame."

For more information, visit http://www.newsbridge.net/Portland_Fire_and_Rescue/.

Photos by Dick Harris, Portland Fire & Rescue

November 3, 2009

The City of Brookings, Oregon will be receiving a $350,000 Emergency Operating Center (EOC) in 2010, courtesy of the Office of Homeland Security.  If a major emergency such as a fire, flood, earthquake, or tsunami occurs, the EOC will provide a centralized command and control facility for the Police Chief, Fire Chief, representatives of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, the U.S. Coast Guard, and representatives of any other agencies involved in the emergency operations.  The EOC will also house emergency communications equipment, tables, wall screens, and charts to monitor emergency operations. Click here for more information.

Congratulations to the City of Brookings!

November 2, 2009

Visit www.flu.gov for more information.

Clackamas, Clark, Columbia, Multnomah, and Washington counties in conjunction with the State of Oregon and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) have established the region’s first Flue Joint Information Center (JIC).  The Flu JIC, located in Southeast Portland, is being staffed full-time by Public Information Officers (PIO) throughout the region to provide accurate, timely, and consistent information about H1N1 and the Seasonal Flu to the community.

Flu JIC staff are in daily contact with PIOs in each county and from the state, giving the information center a full picture of what is happening across the region.

Visit the NW Regional Flu Website at http://www.nwflunews.info/ for more information on the following topics:

• Daily updates
• Public guidance
• Vaccination locations
• Facts
• Trending topics
• Media releases 
• Educational materials 
• Contact information

November 2, 2009

Portland Fire & Rescue Investigators made an arrest on October 31, 2009 in connection with a fire that occurred on October 29, 2009 at the Uptown Arms & Manor Apartments in NW Portland, Oregon. 

For more information, visit http://www.newsbridge.net/Portland_Fire_and_Rescue/.

November 2, 2009

Halloween festivities can increase the risk of fire-related injuries and property damage. In Oregon between 2004 and 2008, in the days leading up to Halloween, there were 125 structure fires that caused over $2 million dollars in property damage.  Even of more consequence, these fires injured a civilian and three firefighters. 

With Halloween events and activities in full effect this weekend, Portland Fire & Rescue wants to remind you of simple tips to increase fire safety:

• Buy only costumes, wigs and props labeled flame-resistant or flame-retardant. If you are making your own costume, choose material that won’t easily ignite if it comes in contact with heat or flame. Stay away from billowing or long trailing fabric. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.
• Provide children with lightweight flashlights to carry for lighting or as part of their costume.
• Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs, and heaters.
• It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.
• Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.
• Tell children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice, stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)
• Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.
• If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for exits and plan how they would get out in an emergency.

October 30, 2009