October 7, 2011

12:40 PM

Liberty Mutual Insurance is partnering with Portland Fire & Rescue to launch their annual “Be Fire Smart” Fire Safety Pledge program. Liberty Mutual Insurance will be awarding ten fire agencies across the country a $10,000 grant based on community participation in their fire safety survey.

Through October 31, 2011, firefighters and citizens are encouraged to visit http://www.befiresmart.com/pledge to take the “Be Fire Smart Fire Safety Pledge”, a quiz designed to provide education on fire prevention. Simply complete the quiz and locate ‘Portland Fire & Rescue’ in the drop down menu to receive credit.

The fire agencies that earn the most credits win. If Portland Fire & Rescue earns the $10,000 with your votes, the money will be spent on fire safety educational materials and safety props for the Historic Belmont Firehouse & Safety Learning Center and Fire Museum.

The “Be Fire Smart” Fire Safety Pledge program is not only fun, but provides a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of fire safety.  It’s also a great way to support the mission of fire prevention and the firefighters committed to keeping you safe, at Portland Fire & Rescue.

 Portland Fire & Rescue

 We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

 October 7, 2011

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To keep their paramedic certification current, Firefighter paramedics from Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), Gresham Fire & Emergency Services, and Port of Portland alongside AMR ambulance paramedics are taking part in a Multnomah County Joint Training Session during the months of September and October.  

The lecture and hands-on exercises will be instructed by Dr. Jui. Dr. Jui is the Portland Fire and EMS medical direction as well as the Multnomah County Medical Director. Dr. Jui has been the County Medical Director since 1995. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Infection Control.

During the course of the joint training, paramedics will have the opportunity to practice various skills such as EZ-IO, medications, clinical assessment and interventions, and Airway Management.  There is also a megacode station where crews from the agencies run a newborn resuscitation.  This type of training helps establish relationships and fosters open lines of communication between the different agencies.

For the first time, the State of Oregonhas loaned the County EMS office their pediatric simulators.  These manikins have a computer generated pulse, respirations, lung sounds, and can make noises such as coughing.  The pediatric simulators were bought with grant money.  These manikins will be available at most of the training sessions to add realism to the scenarios.

Why Train?

Firefighter paramedics at PF&R are responsible for a range of knowledge and skills, including new information resulting from the constant growth and evolution of the field of emergency medical care. In order to maintain up-to-date proficiency, PF&R firefighter paramedics are required to regularly participate in educational programs that provide exposure to new knowledge and skills resulting from advances in emergency medical care.

More About Emergency Medical Services in Portland

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Portland is provided via public Advanced Life Support (ALS) agencies that provide first response and paramedic services and a contracted ambulance transport service. ALS first response is provided by PF&R while the ambulance transport is provided by AMR ambulance services. AMR is contracted through Multnomah County to provide ambulance transportation in the City of Portland.

 Portland Fire & Rescue

 We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

 October 7, 2011

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October 8, 2011

11:03 PM

Portland Firefighters responded to a fire at Adventist Medical Center this evening at approximately 8:00 pm. The fire occurred in the hospitals Behavioral Health Unit. No one was injured in the fire and all patients are safe. One patient escaped, but was quickly located and taken into custody by Portland Police.

The fire was contained to a mattress and bedding in one room. Nurses put out the fire using extinguishers while other staff evacuated patients to neighboring units of the hospital. Hospital staff acted quickly and efficiently to keep this fire small while protecting the safety of patients. Firefighters arrived and removed smoke from the building after ensuring that the fire was out.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. This fire caused approximately $500.00 in damage. The identity of the patient who escaped will not be released, as hospital patient information is confidential. This press release will be updated with the fire cause as soon as that information is available.

Portland Fire & Rescue Response
24 Firefighters
2 Chief Officers
1 Fire Investigator

Photos by Greg Muhr, Portland Fire & Rescue.

 Portland Fire & Rescue

 We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

 October 8, 2011

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October 9, 2011

Updated 11:56 AM

Investigators have determined that there were no working smoke detectors in the house and that the fire victim tried to fight the fire after placing a rag over his nose and mouth to filter smoke.

Investigators place the value of this home and contents at $108,760 with a loss of $33,000.

Portland Fire & Rescue asks residents to check and maintain smoke detectors.

-Smoke Detectors should be placed in every sleeping room and on every floor of your home.

Portland Fire & Rescue asks residents to think twice before attempting to fight even small fires.

-The smoke produced by modern materials is far more toxic.

-Indoor fires deplete oxygen in a space making filter systems ineffective (firefighters wear air tanks).

Never fight a fire:

-If the fire is spreading beyond the spot where it started

-If you can't fight the fire with your back to an escape exit

-If the fire can block your only escape

-If you don't have adequate fire-fighting equipment

A fire will double in size every 30-60 seconds so always call 911 before trying to fight a fire.

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October 9, 2011

6:43 AM

This morning at 3:48 am firefighters were dispatched to a residential fire at 8001 N Emerald Ave. Firefighters from Station 26 (5247 N. Lombard St.) arrived and found flames in the finished attic of this 1 story home. Firefighters immediately began fighting the fire and searching for occupants.

An adult male was found on the second floor and pulled from the house by firefighters, however he is deceased. The homes other occupant an adult female was able to escape the fire and won't require medical treatment. The Red Cross will be providing shelter for her and the family's dog.

The Medical Examiner's Office will be working to determine a cause of death for the male fire victim. The victim's identity won't be released until it's confirmed by the Medical Examiner's Office. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of this fire and damage estimates. This press release will be updated with this information as it becomes available.

Portland Fire & Rescue Response
21 Firefighters
3 Chief Officers
3 Fire Investigators

 Portland Fire & Rescue

 We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

 October 9, 2011

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Incident Statistics:

(October 2 - 8, 2011)

Total Incidents: 1,338

Medical: 1,100

Fire: 43

Other: 195

Major Incidents: 4 

• 10/02/11@ 2254 hrs, Residential Fire, 10200 block ofSE Boise St.  Loss: $25,000 Cause: Broken lamp bulb ignited curtains.
• 10/05/11@ 0647 hrs, Commercial Fire, 2400 block ofSE Belmont St.  Loss: $20,000 Cause: Under Investigation.
• 10/05/11@ 1615 hrs, Chemical or Biological Threat, 3700 block ofSW US Veterans Hospital Rd. 4 Civilian Employees decontaminated and evaluated.
• 10/06/11@ 1050 hrs, 2^nd Alarm Apartment Fire, 4600 block of NE Killingsworth St. Loss: $330,000.  Cause: Under Investigation.  1 Civilian Fatality, 3 Civilian Injuries with 2 transported to local hospital.

Year to Date Incident Statistics:

(January 2, 2011 - current)

Total Incidents: 53,785

Medical: 43,035

Fire: 2,478

Other: 10,262

Major Incidents: 140

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   October 10, 2011 

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