When gas prices and utility costs were skyrocketing in 2007/2008, Captain Kevin Shanders and Principal Management Analyst Jay Guo, put their heads together and came up with a plan for reducing Portland Fire & Rescue's (PF&R) mounting utility costs.

The plan was innovative then, but became even more important once the recession materialized.  In February 2009, Captain Shanders and Jay Guo received approval to pilot their brainchild – the "Station Based Utility Budgeting and Incentive Program." Under the program, PF&R set a goal of reducing utility consumption and expenditures by 10% from the prior fiscal year.

All 30 station captains were enlisted to manage utility spending within targeted amounts for their station.

The results of the six-month long pilot are in! Stations 2/Training, 11, 13, 20, 25 and 29 had the biggest percentage savings saved a combined total of $8,994.  Congratulations to the winners and thanks to every station for making a great effort to reduce utility spending.

Station 11    

5707 SE 92nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97266

Station 13

926 NE Weidler Street Portland, Oregon 97232

Station 2/Training & Safety

4800 NE 122nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97230

How did they do it? Here’s just a few of the actions that Firefighters took to reduce PF&R’s utility costs and give planet earth a little CPR.

• Installing motion-sensing light controllers in appropriate rooms
• Increasing native plants and irrigating lawns for longer periods less frequently
• Identifying inefficient appliances for replacement
• Not allowing water hoses to flow unless in use
• Turning off computers not being actively used
• Checking washing machine settings to reduce hot water demands...and more!

Station 20

2235 SE Bybee

Portland, Oregon 97202

Station 25

5211 SE Mall Street

Portland, Oregon 97206

Station 29

13310 SE Foster Road

Portland, Oregon 97236

To find more information on the 30 PF&R Fire Stations located through the City of Portland, click here.

October 19, 2009