Zero Is Our Hero: Portland Fire & Rescue's blueprint for keeping Portland safe

The public campaign to inform the community about PF&R’s most important plans is called Zero is Our Hero and is led by a cartoon mascot named “Nil,” a shorthand for zero.

While Nil is friendly and approachable, the campaign initiatives are very serious. You can see the full campaign brochure here: www.portlandoregon.gov/fire/ZeroHero.

The four areas of focus for the campaign are: Zero Fire Deaths, Zero Traffic Fatalities, Zero Firefighter Casualties, and Zero Neighbors Neglected. Some information about each of them:

Zero Fire Deaths: Aggressively working toward eliminating fire deaths in the City of Portland through fire prevention, education, and rapid response.

Zero Traffic Fatalities: Joining forces with public and private partners to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and make Vision Zero a reality.

Zero Firefighter Casualties: Eliminating work-related deaths and incident injuries through proactive training, programs, and state-of-readiness equipment.

Zero Neighbors Neglected: Evaluating the health and social issues in each neighborhood and proactively providing the appropriate resources for a healthier community.

The cornerstone of PF&R’s plan rests on four pillars to make Portland safe. These are:

PARTNER

We will address challenging public health and social issues facing each neighborhood alongside community collaborators because we are better together.

ADVOCATE

We will champion diversity and equity by ending disparities in the workplace and strengthening community outreach, public engagement, and access for underrepresented groups.

PROTECT

We will take measures to make Portland the safest city of our size in the U.S. by increasing response reliability, decreasing mortality, and implementing fire prevention innovations.

ADVANCE

We will work to be the most sustainable fire department in the U.S. by investing in renewable energy, recycling, and reducing our carbon footprint.