June 1, 2012

8:14 AM

Newly renovated Station 18 located at 8720 SW 30th

On Saturday, June 2nd Portland Fire & Rescue’s (PF&R) Station 18 will hold a Station Open House from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.  This event will mark the completion of the Multnomah Village station’s year long renovation process and over 60 years of service to the SW Portland community.  This is the last of PF&R’s 30 stations to be seismically upgraded under the 1998 General Obligation Bond.

The public and media are invited to tour the station, which is located at 8720 SW 30th.  The celebration will begin at 11:30 am with an opening ceremony, refreshments, station tours, and demonstrations.  Firefighters – past and present – will be on hand to share the station’s rich history with participants, as well as new ways that the crews go beyond firefighting and emergency response to reach out to and enrich their community.

Station 18 serves the Marshall Park, Markham, Far Southwest, West Portland Park, Multnomah, Ash Creek, Crestwood and Maplewood Neighborhood Associations. Station 18 responded to over 1,652 emergency runs in 2011.

Between 1913 and 1941, Station 18 was located at 203 NE 24th Avenue.  In 1951, Station 18 was relocated to a different location at 7780 SW Capital Highway.  In 1961 a new facility was constructed at its current location.  To meet the demands of the growing city, Station 18’s members, apparatus and equipment were temporarily moved to a vacant occupancy on SW Barbur Boulevard in order to seismically upgraded and remodel the structure with funds from a General Obligation bond.  This year-long renovation was completed in 2012.

June 1, 2012

2:55 PM

At 11:54 am, Portland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a commercial structure fire at a four-story concrete warehouse located at 2715 SE 8th Avenue.

Firefighters from Portland Fire Station 21 (Eastbank/Hawthorne) arrived first on scene to find smoke coming from the third floor of the abandoned building. The building, which is part of a complex of buildings that used to be part of the Darigold dairy and pet food manufacturing At facilities, was separated from Darigold in 1992 and is under different ownership. The building housed silos that were approximately 10' wide by 40' tall.

When firefighters got to the third floor, the staircase they were climbing began to shake and show signs of being compromised. Firefighters immediately began to back out of the building when one firefighter fell through a hole in the first floor. He was able to stop himself from falling through the floor with his arms and his crew pulled him out as they evacuated. He was not injured.

Firefighters immediately transitioned from an offensive attack to a defensive fire attack. Ladder trucks poured water onto the building from the outside.

The fire was brought under control at 3:00 pm and fire crews will stay on scene to monitor hot spots for the next couple of hours.

Construction workers were working inside the building at the time of the fire. Everyone inside escaped safely. Investigators are working to determine the cause of this fire. There are no damage estimates at this time. Although this building is next to the Darigold building where 11 workers were sickened during a HazMat incident on Wednesday, the incidents are unrelated.

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June 1, 2012

12:17 PM

At 11:54 am, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) was dispatched to a commercial structure fire at a four-story concrete warehouse located at 2715 SE 8th Avenue.

A Public Information Officer is en-route. Media staging will be at SE 8th and Division.

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

June 4, 2012

12:16 AM

Crews from Portland Fire and Rescue were kept busy this evening, responding to a Commercial Structure fire at Southeast 122nd and Stark, the second Commercial Fire in less than three hours.

Battalion Chief Chris Babcock arrived first on-scene and reported fire showing from the 122nd Street side of the building. Engine and Truck 7 from Portland Fire & Rescue Station 7 (Mill Park) arrived within three minutes of the dispatch time, reported smoke from the back of the structure, and prepared a fire attack.

Windows, boarded up to keep trespassers away, were an immediate concern for firefighters attempting to access the structure. Both fire attack and firefighter safety depend on maintaining safe access into and out of involved structures. Access to the building was made by removing the boards and the fire was brought under control in less than eight minutes. Firefighters from first due companies maintain familiarity with dangerous structures located within their Fire Management Area--this contributed to the safe and rapid response to this evenings fire.

With the bulk of the fire under control, firefighters performed overhaul operations to ensure complete extinguishment. Fire crews then secured the fire building so that no evidence would be disturbed and requested a fire investigator. The rapid response to this fire, limited damages, and allowed additional companies to be returned to service and available for response to other emergencies.

Engine and Truck 7 remain on scene with Incident Command; a Fire Investigator is responding.

No injuries to firefighters or civilians are reported as a result of this fire. Damage estimate, and fire cause information will be released once the investigation is complete and data are available.

Quick Facts:

• Units Dispatched: 11:39 PM
• Units Responding: 11:40 PM
• Units Arrived: 11:42 PM
• Fire Recalled: 12:00 AM

June 3, 2012

10:14 PM

Working fire sprinklers assisted Portland Fire & Rescue this evening as they responded to a commercial fire at 2831 SW Barbur Boulevard. Fire alarm dispatch received several calls this evening; reports of heavy smoke coming from the laundry room of All Star Fitness prompted the dispatch of a full first alarm commercial fire response. All Star Fitness is located in what used to be the YMCA building.

Engine 4 (Portland State University) arrived first, performing an evaluation of the structure and indications of fire--initial radio reports were that of "Nothing showing," a common finding on commercial fires where the shear size of the structure is able to contain the products of fire and combustion for a great duration. The Fire Lieutenant assumed command, sending a "B-team" with two firefighters into the structure to investigate. Once inside firefighters forced entry to the location of the reported fire and encountered "light lazy" smoke. Reading smoke is an essential skill among firefighters who are able to judge the severity and size of a fire using several characteristics of smoke behavior. Light smoke is often an indication that water has reached the fire and that steam is being produced as a result--this is an indication that the fire is successfully being attacked. In contrast, a fire without the application of water will produce large amounts of dark smoke, often "under pressure"--an indication that a fire is growing and not under control.

Once firefighters reached the seat of the fire, they found the fire contained to the room of origin and the clothes dryer. Checking for extension, and performing overhaul, firefighters determined that the fire was nearly extinguished by the fire sprinkler system before crews were able to reach it. In the absence of a working sprinkler system, the fire likely would have spread significantly in short time it took for crews to arrive--damage could have been far greater. Combined, firefighters and fire protection systems brought the fire under control in less than 10-minutes. Time is one of the greatest commodities when fighting fire--sprinkler systems activate between one and four minutes after a fire begins--limiting fire spread, often using less water than fire hoses.

Although fire sprinkler systems were once limited to commercial occupancies, they are now widely available for residential application. The National Fire Protection Association reports the risk of death from fire in homes protected by working smoke alarms and sprinklers is 82% less than in those without. Activation of just one sprinkler during a residential fire can reduce damage to the structure by up to 90%. Systems can be installed in new or existing homes. Persons interested in Residential Sprinkler Systems can contact Portland Fire & Rescue's Prevention Division at 503-823-3700.

No injuries, to civilians or firefighters, are reported as a result of this fire. Fire cause and damage estimates are under investigation. This information will be released as it becomes available.�@

June 4, 2012 -- This past Saturday, Portland Fire & Rescue’s (PF&R) Station 18 (Multnomah Village) held an Open House to mark the station’s year-long renovation process and over 60 years of service to the SW Portland community.  This is the last of PF&R’s 30 stations to be seismically upgraded under the 1998 General Obligation Bond.

The public and media were invited to tour the station, which is located at 8720 SW 30^th Avenue.

Left: Captain Derr welcomes visitors to the station.

Right: Chief Klum explains the station's seismic upgrades.

The celebration began at 11:30 am with opening remarks from City of Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Fire Chief John Klum, and Station Captain John Derr.

Hundreds of visitors toured the station, exploring Fire Engine 18 and enjoying cake, coffee, and finger foods donated by the local Fred Meyer store.

Left: Firefighter Rob gives engine tours.

Right: Fire Marshal Janssens talks with community members.

A slideshow played on the station’s television, displaying photos of past and present emergency calls, community activity, and station life at Station 18.

Left: Firefighter Krista offers cake to future firefighters.

Right: Firefighter John gets to know local community members.

Firefighters at PF&R’s Station 18 serve the Marshall Park, Markham, Far Southwest, West Portland Park, Multnomah, Ash Creek, Crestwood and Maplewood Neighborhood Associations. Station 18 responded to over 1,652 emergency runs in 2011.

Firefighters from Truck 4 stopped by to look at the newly renovated Station 18.

Between 1913 and 1941, Station 18 was located at 203 NE 24th Avenue.  In 1951, Station 18 was relocated to a different location at 7780 SW Capital Highway.  In 1961 a new facility was constructed at its current location.  To meet the demands of the growing city, Station 18’s members, apparatus, and equipment were temporarily moved to a vacant occupancy on SW Barbur Boulevard in order to seismically upgraded and remodel the structure with funds from a General Obligation bond.  This year-long renovation was completed in 2012.

Retired Portland Firefighters Mike Bell (left) and Ray Dunford (right) stand in front of Engine 18.  Firefighter Bell retired in 2005 after spending nine years of his career (1980-1989) on Engine 18. Firefighter Dunford retired in 1976 and spend ten years of his career on Engine 18.

A big thank you to the community that helped make the celebration so successful! Photographs courtesy of Greg Muhr, Portland Fire & Rescue.