April 6, 2012 -- John Klum, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Fire Chief, was invited to speak with Comcast Newsmakers yesterday afternoon about Fire Marshal Erin Janssens being selected as Portland’s next Fire Chief and Lieutenant Aimee Rooney being named Firefighter of the year by her colleagues.  Chief Klum also explained how emergency medical services calls have increased nearly 20 percent since 2002 here in Portland, thereby changing how the Fire Bureau trains and hires new firefighters.

The segment with Chief Klum will be aired at the end of April and the first part of May on CNN Headline News on Comcast Channel 45.

Comcast Newsmakers
Comcast Newsmakers is a professionally produced five-minute informal news interview program that can be seen each hour on CNN Headline News only on Comcast, reaching a large audience in Oregon and SW Washington.

Comcast Newsmakers segments feature informational discussions with local, state and federal elected officials as well as community, non-profit, education, and civic leaders interviewed by veteran broadcast journalist Ken Ackerman. Regional and local segments will be shown at 54 minutes past the hour with the exception of primetime on weekdays.

Incident Statistics: 

Total Incidents: 1,325

Medical: 1,100

Fire: 34

Other: 191

Major Incidents: 1 (further information provided below)

• 04/05/12@ 0604 hrs, Commercial Fire, 4100 block of NW St Helens Rd. Loss: $10,000 Cause: Sparks from Grinder ignited wood.

April 9, 2012 -- Spring is here once again. Click here and check out the spring season fire safety tips in the kitchen, home, and yard and garage that will help ensure you and your family a fire free entrance to summer 2012!

April 9, 2012 -- During the month of April, Portland Fire & Rescue is partnering with NW Natural Gas to bring citizens information on how to make a safe fuel even safer.

Video courtesy of NW Natural

Visit NW Natural online at https://www.nwnatural.com

Do You Detect a Rotten Egg or Sulfur Odor?
In its normal state, natural gas is odorless. For easy detection, NW Natural injects an odorant called mercaptan into the gas before it is inserted into the distribution system. Mercaptan gives off a foul smell, reminiscent of rotten eggs or sulfur. Any odor of natural gas inside your home or business may indicate a leak. If you SMELL rotten eggs, leave the area or GO and LET US KNOW by calling 9-1-1.

If You Detect a Natural Gas Leak

• Smell. Go. Let us Know.
• Do not use your telephone. This includes cellular phones and all types of portable communication and electronic devices that have a battery. These can spark and create a source of ignition.
• Do not light matches or create any other source of ignition.
• Do not operate ANY electrical switch, including lights, on or off. This could create a spark.
• Open windows and doors.
• Evacuate everyone from the area.
• Call 9-1-1 (from a phone NOT INSIDE the building with the leak).

Learn more by visiting the NW Natural Gas website at https://www.nwnatural.com/.