Portland Fire & Rescue and the American Red Cross are joining together for the second consecutive year for a Sept. 11 Memorial Blood Drive to honor those lost during the 2001 terrorist attacks. The annual Portland Fire & Rescue Blood Drive will be held on Friday, Sept. 11 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Station 1, 55 SW Ash St.

Building on the success of last year's event, the Red Cross is expanding the capacity of the drive this year - with a goal to collect 100 pints of blood. The blood drive is open to the public and members of the community are encouraged to roll up a sleeve to join Portland firefighters in donating blood in honor of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives.

Portland Fire Chief Erin Janssens kicked off the blood drive last year because she wanted to offer an avenue of action for those marking this solemn day that has deep significance for first responders.

"On September 11th, our nation's resilience was tested. One way to honor the selfless act of our colleagues and to remember the nearly 3000 people who lost their lives is to join together as a community to strengthen our emergency resources," Janssens says. "Our drive last year was a great success and I know we can top it this year and bring in 100 pints of life saving blood."

Fire Commissioner Dan Saltzman encourages those who are able to sign up to donate.

"September 11th showed us that we must always be ready for the unimaginable. Our first responders train to face worst case scenarios such as we saw on that tragic day in 2001 and their bravery cannot be overstated," he says. "We as a community can also train for worst case scenarios; making sure we have plenty of life-saving blood on hand is one way that we can prepare. Please sign up to give blood on September 11th at Station 1."

"We are thankful for the opportunity to again partner with Portland Fire & Rescue in this lifesaving effort," said Jared Schultzman, communications manager for the Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood Services Region. "Donating blood is a meaningful way to honor those whose lives were lost during the Sept. 11 attacks, while also helping those whose lives depend on blood transfusions today."

Donors of all blood types - especially O negative, A negative and B negative - are needed. The Red Cross encourages donors to schedule their appointments in advance, but walk-ins also are welcome.

What: September 11 Memorial Blood Drive
When: Friday, September 11, 7 am to 6 pm.
Where: Portland Fire & Rescue Station 1, 55 SW Ash Street
Sign up: www.redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code PortlandFire or call 503-823-3700

To help ensure equal access to City programs, services and activities, the City of Portland will reasonably modify policies/procedures and provide auxiliary aids/services/alternative formats to persons with disabilities and provide language translation for persons with limited or no English. Call 503-823-3700, TTY 503-823-6868, or Oregon Relay Service at 503-735-2900 with requests or visit:
www.portlandoregon.gov/OMF/CivilRights
www.portlandoregon.gov/OMF/ADA

Portland Police Bureau, Portland Fire & Rescue teams to square off Sept. 12

PORTLAND, Ore. – Teams representing the Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue will square off in the second-annual “Rose City United” charitable match, presented by the Portland Timbers, at Providence Park on Saturday, Sept. 12, it was announced today. The match, which kicks off at 11 a.m. (Pacific), is free and open to the public with a suggested donation at the gate.

Following the successful inaugural event held in 2014 in which the Fire earned a last-minute, 2-1 win against the Police, the second-annual “Rose City United” match is a way of honoring the dedication and hard work that both agencies provide the city. Match attendees are strongly encouraged to bring a charitable donation of non-perishable food for the Portland Police Bureau’s Sunshine Division, a child’s toy for Portland Fire & Rescue Toy N Joy Makers or a $5 cash donation, which will be split between the two charities. All donations will be accepted at Gate 2 at Providence Park starting a 10 a.m. (Pacific).

In addition to the match, visitors will be treated to an array of interactive booths and tours of Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue emergency vehicles on the KeyBank Plaza and inside the concourse at Providence Park prior to and during the game.

Under the direction of Timbers assistant coaches Sean McAuley and Cameron Knowles as guest coaches for the two sides for a second straight year, the match will contain many of the familiar features of a regular Timbers MLS match, including the national anthem, color guard and ball kids. Two, 45-minute halves will be played with a short halftime break.

Portland Fire & Rescue is releasing today new technology that alerts people in Portland on their smartphones that they may have a chance to possibly save someone's life who is close by and in distress.

Implemented using Innovation Funding from the City of Portland, PF&R is launching PulsePoint Respond, an app that lets users know when a cardiac event is within their proximity; if they're trained in CPR, they may be able to make a difference before first responders can arrive.

PF&R is also releasing a second app called PulsePoint AED that lets users know where automatic external defibrillators (AED) are located nearby. The chance of saving a victim of cardiac arrest doubles when AEDs are used in addition to CPR.

The PulsePoint Respond app issues an alert and, once clicked, triggers a map to pop up on the smartphone of all registered users who are within a quarter mile of someone in cardiac distress. The PulsePoint AED version will also show the location of any nearby AED devices registered in PF&R's database. Users can help expand the AED database by registering AED locations through the app. Both of the free apps are available through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

New legislation signed by Gov. Kate Brown will require Oregon students to learn CPR before high school graduation. Portland Fire & Rescue also wants to encourage all citizens to get trained in CPR, learn how to use AEDs, and sign up to receive the PulsePoint alerts and respond if needed.

PulsePoint At a Glance: http://www.pulsepoint.org/pulsepoint-respond/
PulsePoint AED At a Glance http://www.pulsepoint.org/pulsepoint-aed/