CITY OF PORTLAND FIRE AND RESCUE

Chief Erin A. Janssens, Director

Monday, July 2, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND FIRE & RESCUE GO BOND PROJECT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012

TIME:

3:00 PM. – 5:00 PM

LOCATION:

PortlandFire & Rescue Administration

Skidmore Conference Room

55 SW Ash Street

Portland,OR97204

AGENDA:

I.        Welcome

II.       Approve April 5 Meeting Minutes

III.      Committee Business

IV.      Review Project Status Reports

V.       Financial Reports

VI.      Questions / Next Steps

A request for an interpreter or assisted listening device for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to (503) 823-5540. (TTY 503-823-6868)

For more information, please contact Michael SIlva at (503) 823-3550 or michael.silva@portlandoregon.gov.

About the Portland Fire and Rescue GO Bond Project Oversight Committee

Portland Fire and Rescue will receive a total of $27.7M in General Obligation Bond proceeds, as authorized by Portland voters (Measure 26-117, November 2010 general election) to replace aging fire and emergency apparatus ($19.8M) and to construct a fire station near Willamette River ($7.9M). The Measure 26-117 ballot title requires that the City establish a five-member citizen oversight committee. This Independent Citizen Committee (ICC), as well as individual Project Oversight Committees is described in a December 20, 2010 memorandum from the City’s Chief Administrative Officer. Per this memorandum, the Portland Fire and Rescue GO Bond Project Oversight Committee will serve the City in both project advisory and oversight roles as follows:

1. Provide reports to the City of Portland’s Independent Citizen Committee (these reports will serve as the basis for the Independent Citizen Committee to develop their reports to the Chief Administrative Officer and City Council);

2. Provide oversight and guidance for the two Portland Fire and Rescue GO Bond funded projects: the replacement of apparatus and the construction of fire station;

3. Provide feedback on project planning and implementation to the Fire Chief and

4. Assist with communication to the Independent Citizen Committee and the City Council regarding the expenditures for the public safety General Obligation Bond Measure.

The 3rd Annual Community Integration Cup Soccer Tournament (formerly known as the Immigrant and Refugee Soccer World Cup) will take place at Delta Park on Fri-Sat, July 6-7. Spectators are welcome; the event is FREE and open to all.

Portland Parks & Recreation's Community Integration Cup is a soccer tournament and global cultural celebration spoken in the universal language of fútbol (soccer)!

When: Friday & Saturday, July 6 & 7, 2012; opening ceremonies are 7/6 at 10:00 AM

Where: Delta Park, N Denver Ave & Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

Opening ceremonies will be held Friday, July 6 at 10:00 AM.

Special guests include Portland Parks & Recreation Director Mike Abbaté, Portland Fire & Rescue Chief Erin Jannsens, and representatives from Portland's Office of Equity and the Portland Police Bureau.

This year, Portland Fire & Rescue's Station 7 (Mill Park) and 24 (Overlook/Swan Island) are each coaching teams in the tournament and for the first time two of our female firefighters are coaching a girls' team.  Good luck!

Nearly 300 boys and girls from all over the world who are now living in Portland, as well as native Portlanders, will play and participate.

Playing soccer has been a key way that many of them connect with their new home, and to others. The game has proven to foster camaraderie, and to break down cultural barriers for hundreds and hundreds of young Portland transplants.  Kids originally from the following countries will participate: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Congo, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, México, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.

These are all youth originally from abroad who now call Portland home. PP&R is partnering with Portland Fire & Rescue, the City of Portland's Office of Equity, Portland Police, and the African Youth Community Organization (AYCO), among other groups, to bring the Rose City this third annual celebration of culture and sport.

According to PF&R's partner in healthcare, Randall Children's Hospital at Emanuel, 11 children have fallen out of windows this year in Oregon.  This is a 36 percent increase from this date in 2011, when only seven children had fallen out of windows by the Fourth of July. As we head into more hot weather this week, we urge community members to take a moment and think about window safety and kids.  A traditional screen is not a safe enough device and is only set to prevent insects from coming in, but not keeping kids from falling out.

"We want to decrease the number of children who are being disabled or killed by window safety," said Sandy Nipper, a registered nurse and child safety coordinator at Randall Children's Hospital. "Window falls are the most dangerous type of fall that children can have."

Window fall injuries are predictable and preventable. Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Portland Fire & Rescue encourage families to follow these safety tips and install window stops or window guards on windows that pose a fall risk.

-Keep windows locked and closed when not in use. Make sure the hardware on them is properly attached.

-Only allow windows to open 4 inches and install a window stop to keep children from opening them further.  (Check out Stopat4.com, a site dedicated to window safety awareness.)

-Never try to move a child who appears to be seriously injured after a fall. Call 911 and let trained medical personnel move the child with proper precautions.

Hands-on practice and one-on-one education are available at The Safety Store and Resource Center at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.

The Safety Store is located at:

Legacy Emanuel Medical Center atrium
501 North Graham Street
Portland, OR 97227 (Free curbside valet parking available)
Phone: 503-413-4600
Hours: M-Th 9 am - noon or by appointment. Closed Fridays through Sundays and holidays.

July 3, 2012

7:58 AM

At 5:21 this morning, dispatchers received a report of fire coming from the roof and rear of a home at 11001 NE Flanders Street. Call takers reported that there was a language barrier with the occupants and that they were unsure if people had evacuated from the structure.

Incident Commanders reported that fire had extended into the attic space, and immediately sent truck crews to the roof to cut holes and ventilate hot gases vertically. After a quick coordinated interior attack fire crews had cleared the home of potential victims and stopped the progress of the fire.

After a thorough investigation and interview with the occupants, it was discovered that they were using a weed-burner to kill vegetation around the home yesterday. This process started a very small smoldering fire in surrounding bark mulch, which slowly grew undetected over the next day until it reached a wooden pallet that was next to the home. The wood, which burns more readily than bark mulch, ignited and eventually caught the exterior of the home on fire. After burning up the outside wall, the fire entered the attic space through the eaves allowing it to travel more quickly through the home.

No injuries were reported, and the homeowners will be staying with family until the home is repaired. Damage is estimated at $15,000 to the structure and $2,500 to contents.

Portland Fire & Rescue reminds its citizens to remain aware of the hazards associated with using open flame processes near structures. Wetting the work area after burning can reduce the risk of a delayed secondary ignition, but not completely eliminate it.

Portland Fire & Rescue wants you and your family to have a safe and happy 4th of July.  Check out what Portland Fire Public Information Officer Lt. Damon Simmons had to say about fireworks safety and the consequences of using illegal fireworks on KATU's AM Northwest yesterday....