Oregon Fire Loss Clock

On average, in Oregon there is:

A fire every 50 minutes.

An outside fire every 2 hours.

A home structure fire every 3 hours.

A civilian injury every 35 hours.

A civilian fatality every 15 days.

More than $300,000 in fire-related property loss every day.

Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), alongside the Oregon State Fire Marshal and other local fire agencies, is celebrating Fire Prevention Week beginning October 9^th.  Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

This year's theme, "Protect Your Family from Fire", highlights important information on how to easily protect your family from fire by planning ahead and integrating simple things into your everyday life.

Fire safety always begins at home, and Fire Prevention Week is a great time to start fire-safe habits,” noted Oregon State Fire Marshal Mark Wallace. “Last year, one out of every four structure fires was in a home with no smoke alarm or where a smoke alarm failed to operate. That’s why we continuously encourage residents to test and maintain their smoke alarms to be sure they are working properly. Families should also be sure to develop a home escape plan and practice it.”

In fact, just last year in Oregon, there were 2,733 fires in one- and two-family dwellings resulting in 16 deaths, 172 injuries, and more than $62 million in property loss.

Throughout the week, PF&R will provide recommendations and ways citizens can protect them and their loved ones from fire on PF&R’s Fire Blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. Topics will home fire sprinklers, escape planning, smoke alarms, and smoking materials. 

Stay tuned to the Fire Blog and stay safe!

   Portland Fire & Rescue 

   We Respond: Always Ready, Always There

   October 10, 2011 

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