March 8, 2012 -- Portland firefighters collected donations for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in honor of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this past Saturday outside of the Pearl District REI.

Firefighters donned their full turnouts and helmet while climbing a step-mil stairclimber in the back of an antique fire engine.

This was a warm up Sunday, March 11, 2012, when a group of Portland firefighters will join 1,550 firefighters from across the U.S., Canada, and Germany and travel to Seattle to climb the 69 story Columbia Center tower for the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. At 788 feet of vertical elevation, the Columbia Center (formerly Bank of America Tower) in downtown Seattle stands as the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It takes 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the highly acclaimed observation deck overlooking the city.

The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb supports the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising, and entry fees. In 2011, the event featured over 1,500 firefighters from 281 different departments and brought in a record $930,000 for blood-cancer research and patient services. 

Lilli Skinner-Trippe, 2012 Honoree 

The 2012 stairclimb is set to honor Lillian Trippe of Corvallis, Oregon who at just three-years-old lost her battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in August. ALL is a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells and the most common form of leukemia among adolescents.

How to Help

Although the event is open only to firefighters, the public can contribute to a local firefighter or firehouse participating in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. To contribute, please visit www.FirefighterStairclimb.org.

Big Climb

On Sunday, March 25, the public can tackle the same Columbia Center steps at the 25th annual Big Climb, which also benefits LLS. For more information, visit www.BigClimb.org.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

March 9, 2012

10:11 AM

At 11:08 pm on March 8, 2012, Portland firefighters were dispatched to reports of fire coming from a houseboat located at 6901 SE Oaks Park Way, #9.  Firefighters from Station 21 (Eastbank/Hawthorne) arrived first at the scene on the Eldon Trinity Rescue Boat, followed by firefighters from Station 20 (Sellwood) on the engine.

Two firefighters from the rescue boat were dropped off at the dock with a pump can and began extinguishing the flames, while firefighters from the engine began extending a hoseline down the long dock to a standpipe.  The standpipe was charged by the marina's pumps and firefighters fully extinguished the blaze by 11:37 pm.

The fire was contained to one 8'x10' room; however, it burned the floor.  Damage to the $430,000 houseboat is estimated at $53,000.  The homeowner reportedly purchased the home about six months ago.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

March 9, 2011 -- On Friday, March 2, 2012, Portland firefighters from Station 26 (Portsmouth/University Park) made a special appearance at an assembly at Rosa Parks Elementary School in North Portland.

Fire Lieutenant Lee and Firefighters Tyson, Kenneth and Evan presented a “hero award” to a fourth grade student in front of his proud teachers and classmates.  On February 22, 2012, the young student was on his way home from school when he heard a smoke alarm alerting and smelled smoke.  The boy determined the noise and smoke were coming from a home on North Wayland Avenue.  He quickly jumped into action, knocking on the door of the home to attempt and alert its occupants to the danger.  When no one answered his knocks, he ran home and had his mother call 9-1-1.

Firefighters from Station 26 were on-scene in just under four minutes, determining that the threat was due to a pot left on the stove when the home occupants left to run an errand at the store.  The pot had overheated and ignited, and the fire melted the handle on the pot and the plastic face of the stove caught fire.

Luckily, the young student’s class had been talking about fire safety and knowing what to do to escape a fire and the importance of calling for help in an emergency.

The young student was commended by firefighters for trying to help a neighbor in need, keeping himself calm, finding a trusted adult to help call 9-1-1, and waiting in a safe spot while firefighters extinguished the fire. 

Each day hundreds of thousands of calls are placed to 9-1-1 dispatch centers across the country.   Many of these calls are made by young children.  

Teaching Children about Calling 9-1-1
Many children know to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency, but often do not know other important information, such as their address or how to reach a parent or guardian at work. Here is some of the most important information children need to now about calling 9-1-1:

• Teach your children their names, their parents/guardians names, their home address and home phone number
• Teach your children the name of your employer and phone number
• Teach your children what an emergency is and when to call 9-1-1
• Teach your children how to hold the phone properly so that they can speak clearly to the dispatcher
• Teach your children that it is against the law to call 9-1-1 as a joke or prank
• Teach your children not to be afraid to call 9-1-1 if there is any doubt whether they should call
• Calling a parent at work before calling 9-1-1 can waste valuable time. Give them permission to call 9-1-1 if they think there is an emergency