December 16, 2011

11:07 PM

At 3:15 pm a 59-year-old man arrived home at 4924 NE 47th Ave. from a week-long, out-of-town job working on a crane. He reportedly called his wife and let her know he was going to try to get some grease stains out of his coat when he got home.

When his wife arrived home at 6:20 pm she was immediately overwhelmed by the odor of what smelled like paint thinner in the house. She went to look for her husband and found him in a bathtub soaked with what appeared to be a solvent-based chemical. She immediately called 9-1-1. AMR paramedics arrived first on scene and found that the man was semi-conscious. Holding their breath, the paramedics took the patient out to the front yard to render first aid.

A crew from PF&R's Station 28 (Hollywood) arrived at the scene, removed all the patient's clothes and placed him in a HazMat suit. The patient has severe chemical burns on over 70% of his body.

Portland Firefighter/Paramedic, David Paul, reported that he was so overwhelmed by fumes that he and the other paramedics wore gas masks in the ambulance while riding with the patient to the Oregon Burn Center.

After the patient was transported, Station 28 firefighters investigated the bathroom and found a three gallon bucket with about two cups of solvent left inside. Engine 28 used gas fans to clear the house of fumes for the next 30 minutes. PF&R Station 7 (Mill Park) HazMat Firefighters were consulted and are working to identify the chemical used to clean the coat. Reports indicate that the bathroom was very small and not ventilated.

According to Paul, "Chemical burns are extremely dangerous, and in some cases can be deadly. Citizens should always wear protective gear while working with hazardous chemicals and use them only in well ventilated areas."Photos courtesy of Greg Muhr, Portland Fire & Rescue.

Portland Fire & Rescue

December 16, 2011

7:02 PM

At 9:03 pm, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a commercial fire at 9710 NE Glass Plant Rd. - the Owens Illinois glass container manufacturing plant.

The plant houses four large kettles where recycled glass is melted to make new glass containers such as beer and wine bottles. Today, only two glass kettles were in use - one for clear glass and one for amber glass. The amber glass kettle was holding over 200 tons of molten glass when the kettle split at the bottom. The molten glass inside the kettle began oozing into the containment area below the tank. Responding firefighters immediately began pulling hose lines and spraying water on the kettle and areas around the kettle where the molten glass was spilling to cool them. 


 

At 9:51 pm, the Incident Commander called for a 2nd alarm bringing additional firefighters and resources to the scene. Additional firefighters were needed to pull more hose lines, surround the kettle on the first and second levels of the plant, and protect the structure and surrounding machinery. 

 

Firefighters are continuing to cool the kettle and areas around it where molten glass spilled. It will take several hours for the tank and its contents to cool. Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the night to ensure this process occurs slowly and completely. There were no reported injuries.

Photos courtesy of Dick Harris/Portland Fire.

Portland Fire & Rescue

Incident Statistics:

(December 11 - 17, 2011)

Total Incidents: 1,300

Medical: 1,058

Fire: 34

Other: 208

Major Incidents: 2

• 12/15/11@ 0806 hrs, Residential Fire, 2600 block ofSW Taylors Ferry Rd.Loss: $43,000.  Cause: Electrical Short.
• 12/16/11@ 2103 hrs, 2^nd Alarm - Commercial Fire, 9700 block ofNE Glass Plant Rd. Loss: Undetermined at this time. Cause: Under investigation.

Year to Date Incident Statistics:

(January 2, 2011 - current)

Total Incidents: 66,855

Medical: 53,647

Fire: 2,885

Other: 12,313

Major Incidents: 171 

  Portland Fire & Rescue 

Firefighter Fraijo onscene at a residential fire

Portland Fire & Rescue is pleased to announce that Firefighter Jeremy Fraijo has been selected as the recipient of the “2011 Safe Driving Award” sponsored by the City of Portland Risk Management.

Firefighter Fraijo was hired in August 1999 and currently serves on the Truck at Station 8 (Kenton/Piedmont), A-Shift in North Portland.  Here at Portland Fire & Rescue, Fraijo is a tillerman and works on PF&R's Wildfire Strike Team. Fraijo drives and helps maintain Station 8’s fire truck and has an impeccable driving record.

Safe driving is extremely important since nationally, vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of on-duty death for firefighters.  Safe driving skills are one of the keys to preventing a similar tragedy for the firefighters of Portland Fire & Rescue.

Firefighter Jeremy Fraijo will be receiving a Letter of Commendation at Portland Fire & Rescue’s Award Ceremony in the Spring of 2012 as recognition of his achievement as Safe Driver of the Year 2011!

Portland Fire & Rescue appreciates Firefighter Jeremy Fraijo’s dedication to safe driving throughout his career.

Congratulations Firefighter Fraijo!

  Portland Fire & Rescue