Photo provided by LOFD

House fire at 5676 Suncreek Drive

At 10:13 pm on August 1^st, Lake Oswego Fire Department (LOFD) firefighters were dispatched to 5676 Suncreek Drive for a report of a house on fire. Several neighbors had called 9-1-1 explaining they could see flames coming from the house. When LOFD firefighters arrived, they confirmed that heavy fire was coming from a back bedroom. The crews acted quickly and were able to knock down the flames from the outside. As crews went inside the house they found the family dog alive and not injured.

Lake Oswego Fire was assisted by Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) firefighters from Station 18 and firefighters Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

PF&R Station 18 Captain John Derr reported that he and Firefighters Joshua, Robert, and Ryan provided mutual aid to LOFD firefighters by entering the home, checking the attic for fire extensions, and conducting a secondary search on the second floor of the home.

Photo provided by LOFD

House fire at 13463 SW 63rd Place

About four hours later, LOFD responded to a house fire at 13463 SW 63rd Place. An occupant in the home was cooking, noticed flames from underneath the burner, and attempted to extinguish the fire with baking soda. However, the flames spread quickly and the occupant and his mother evacuated the home and called 9-1-1.

Firefighters from Lake Oswego arrived and quickly extinguished flames that had engulfed the entire first floor of the house. Again, firefighters from PF&R’s Station 18 and TVF&R arrived as well to provide mutual aid.

Captain Derr and Firefighters Joshua, Robert, and Ryan helped to pull siding from the back of the home, checking for spots where the fire may have extended. They also performed a secondary search in the basement.

HELPING OTHER FIRE AGENCIES THROUGH MUTUAL AID

When fire agencies provide emergency response and protection support to one another such as the situation described above, it is called “Mutual Aid.”  Portland Fire & Rescue currently participates in mutual aid agreements with all fire agencies bordering the City of Portland including the Port of Portland Fire Department, Vancouver Fire & Rescue, TVF&R, Clackamas County Fire District #1, Lake Oswego Fire Department, and Gresham Fire & Emergency Services. The goal of mutual aid is to lend or receive fire protection and emergency medical services assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. 

HOW DOES MUTUAL AID WORK?

The City of Portland Bureau of Emergency Services (BOEC) receives a request by a neighboring fire jurisdiction asking for mutual aid assistance. Portland Firefighters are then contacted through normal dispatch procedures to respond to the structure fire or other significant event (e.g. hazardous materials, confined space, dive rescue) outside the City of Portland.  When PF&R needs assistance, the same process is used in reverse.

In 2010, PF&R provided mutual aid to surrounding fire agencies a total of 1,371 times. Most often, PF&R provided mutual aid to Gresham Fire & Emergency Services (971 times), Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (183 times), Clackamas Fire District #1 (68 times), Port of Portland Fire (65 times), Lake Oswego Fire Department (32 times), and Vancouver Fire Department (23 times).

PF&R received mutual aid support 2,531 times last year from surrounding agencies. Most often, PF&R received mutual aid from Gresham Fire & Emergency Services (1,205 times), Port of Portland Fire (1,070 times), Clackamas Fire District #1 (53 times), and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (34 times).

We trust and rely on the fact that if we do have a large scale incident here in the City of Portland, other surrounding agencies will provide further resources if called upon.  In addition, Fire personnel here at PF&R are committed to supporting and assisting other fire agencies that surround the City of Portland when in need.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   August 2, 2011 

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Portland Fire & Rescue - IN THE NEWS

The Bee

August 2, 2011

By: David Ashton

Garden helps Westmoreland’s firefighters eat well on a budget

With food prices rising, and the value of a dollar shrinking, everyone feels an economic pinch when grocery shopping — including Portland’s firefighters.

“Sometimes people misunderstand, when they see us shopping in the grocery store,” says Portland Fire & Rescue Station 20 Firefighter Stephen Scott. “We’re not given money for food; each person on a shift puts $10 into the day's food fund. And, with a $40 budget, it’s getting more and more difficult to buy three meals worth of food for the four us on our 24-hour shift.”

So, they, like many Portlanders, planted a vegetable garden! Theirs is behind PF&R Station 20, on S.E. Bybee Boulevard just west of the Bybee Bridge. Westmoreland Manor owns the land they farm, Scott explains.

“They’ve allowed us to do this for several years; we really appreciate it. With the cost of food going up at an alarming rate, we’ve expanded our garden this year. It’s healthy, it’s sustainable, it has no impact on the environment, and it helps us in our pocketbooks,” Scott observes (pictured on the right).

Each of the three rotating Station 20 crews helps tend the garden, and benefits from the harvest of two different kinds of squash, corn, pole beans, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, beets, carrots, radishes, and various herbs.

“We’re even trying watermelon this year,” smiles Scott as he picks a squash that will be incorporated into the evening’s dinner.

Next time you see firefighters shopping at your local grocery store, know that they are paying for their food out of their own pockets, and in the case of Westmoreland’s Station 20, they’re growing some of it nearby.

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   August 3, 2011 

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