April 23, 2012 -- This past Saturday, a two-year old fell from a second story window in Tigard.

Firefighter/paramedics from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue Station responded and found the girl conscious. They mobilized her and she was transported to an area hospital by Metro West Ambulance to be evaluated for injuries.

Fires and falls of all kinds are among the leading causes of injury and death in young children. While some falls occur from windows, it is important to realize that in the event of a fire, a window can also save a child’s life. This is why windows play a critical role in home safety.

Portland Fire & Rescue, in partnership with other local fire agencies, encourages citizens to stay safe around the windows in your home:

1. Only allow windows to open 4 inches. Install a window stop to keep children from opening them further. Be sure an adult can open the window in an emergency.
2. If you open windows wider than 4 inches, install window guards with an emergency release device.
3. Remember, windows also serve as a secondary means of escape during an emergency. Make sure windows are still accessible and can open fully without special knowledge or tools.
4. Do not rely on insect screens to prevent a window fall. Screens are to keep bugs out, not kids in.
5. Keep windows locked and closed when not in use.
6. Keep furniture or anything children can use to climb away from windows.
7. Teach children to play a safe distance from windows and enforce this rule in your home (i.e. "we play two big steps from windows")
8. When buying new windows, ask for ones with built-in-4-inch-limiters.

For information about Oregon's Campaign to StopWindowFalls, go to www.stopat4.com

Video Courtesy of Oregon PCEP / AMR NW

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April 24, 2012 -- June 15, 2009 was a typical Monday for 53-year old Wes Rogers. He arrived to work on time, ate lunch, and settled into his afternoon activities.

Shortly before 1:15 pm, Wes suffered sudden cardiac arrest sitting in his work chair. Luckily, his co-workers found him almost immediately and called 9-1-1.  In less than four minutes, Portland firefighters from Station 19 (Mt. Tabor) and AMR Ambulance paramedics arrived on-scene.

As Wes lay motionless, firefighters and paramedics performed Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for over 20 minutes which helped deliver a limited amount of blood and oxygen to his brain. During that time, firefighters applied an electric shock to his chest with a procedure called defibrillation.

Thankfully, after three years, Wes has fully recovered from his heart attack. He is taking steps to prevent future heart problems and living a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky as Wes. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), approximately 80% of cardiac arrests happen somewhere other than a hospital and about 92% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before they even get to the hospital.

Wes knows that getting help right away was crucial to his survival.

If more people knew Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), more lives could be saved. Statistics show that immediate CPR can more than double a victim's chance of survival.

Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) has a high cardiac arrest survival rate; in order to achieve even greater success, we need your help. Bystanders who are able to recognize a medical emergency, quickly call 9-1-1 to summon emergency help, and begin CPR have the power to be life-savers.

Learn CPR

PF&R encourages anyone and everyone to learn CPR. By knowing this life-saving technique, you will have the power to save a life.

What is CPR?

CPR is a combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions delivered to victims thought to be in cardiac arrest. When cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops pumping blood. CPR can support a small amount of blood flow to the heart and brain to "buy time" until normal heart function is restored.

Get Trained

The American Red Cross offers first aid, CPR, and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training to meet the needs of workplace responders, school staffs, professional responders and healthcare providers, as well as the general public. To learn more and register for training, visit http://www.redcross.org/takeaclass.

April 23, 2012

12:33 PM

At 10:14 am, Portland firefighters responded to reports of magnesium shavings on fire at Oregon Engraving & Rubber Plates located at 2415 SE 10^th Avenue.

While en-route, 911 dispatchers informed crews that witnesses were reporting four-foot high flames and neighboring businesses were evacuating to safety.

Firefighters from Portland Fire Station 21 (Eastbank/Hawthorne) arrived and reacted quickly, conducting a size up of the scene and then attacking the fire with dry chemical and CO2 extinguishers. Crews from Engines 1, 9, 13 and 21, Squad 1, Truck 1 arrived shortly to support suppression and venting operations.

The fire was difficult to extinguish because it involved magnesium shavings and plates. Portland Station 7 (Mill Park) Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Response Team was then called to the scene to bring fire extinguishers for combustible metal fires.

According to HazMat Lieutenant Jeff Ripley, “The smoke that emits from magnesium shavings presents a serious health hazard if inhaled.  As a safety precaution, we evacuated neighboring businesses and civilians on the street to a safe location.”

A building supply representative next door to the incident contacted a battalion chief on scene and offered the use of 15 100-pound bags of sand which were eventually used to suppress the fire.

Firefighters are remaining on scene to pull the magnesium plates from the sand and utilizing the combustible metal fire extinguishers to fully extinguish the fire.

Photographs courtesy of Greg Muhr, Portland Fire & Rescue.

April 23, 2012

1:27 PM

At 10:40 am a train hit a heavy equipment hauler (low boy) knocking it's contents off of the trailer. The driver of the trailer was intending to cross Sandy Blvd. at 142nd when the train clipped the back end. Portland Fire & Rescue crews from Station 12 (Sandy Blvd.) and Station 2 (Parkrose) acted swiftly to mitigate any further damage. The driver of the trailer was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

There were 1,956 vehicle-train collisions in the U.S. in 2011 compared to 2,017 incidents in 2010; those collisions resulted in 262 deaths (up 2.3 percent from 2010) and 964 injuries (up 12.9 percent). There were 428 trespass-related pedestrian deaths last year (down 1.4 percent).

Even with these safety gains, a person or vehicle is hit about every three hours in the U.S. by a train.

Portland Fire & Rescue wants to remind everyone to pay attention to posted railroad signs and be extra careful around train tracks.