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Mercury article about adjustments to the City's Time, Place & Manner Ordinance that aims to address problem bars.
Oregonian article about the newest edition of the book chronicling the history of Portland's water.
Oregonian article about the Broadband Plan the City Council passed yesterday to increase access to the internet.
Commissioner Leonard announced his selections for this years Spirit of Portland Awards. This years honorees will receive their awards on October 27th from 7-9 pm, with a reception preceding at 6 pm in City Council Chambers in City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue.
Firefighters from Portland Fire and Rescue Station 3 responded at 9:29 this evening to reports of a male in his mid-thirties who fell from the chimney of Chapman Elementary School. Upon arrival, Engine Company 3 immediately requested an aerial apparatus to facilitate rescue of the patient from the first story roof.
The man, who was on a first date, attempted to climb the chimney by scaling a support cable. Chapman Elementary, located at Northwest 23rd and Marshall, often draws large crowds who gather to watch Swifts, a type of bird, fly into the chimney during the evening hours. Witnesses on scene say that the man fell approximately 20'. One person came to the aid of the patient and assisted fire crews throughout the incident.
Firefighters cross trained as paramedics stabilized the patient, who suffered traumatic injuries in the fall, before packaging the man into a rescue litter and carrying him down the aerial ladder. The patient was transported to Emanuel Hospital with life-threatening injuries. One firefighter/paramedic supported the ambulance crew during transport.
A total of eight firefighters on two apparatus responded to this call.
Contact Info: Public Information Officer Gabriel Watson
Pager: 503-955-0203
Email: gabe.watson@portlandoregon.gov
Mobile: 503-793-3462
In light of the EPA's recent declaration that they will be reviewing the LT2 rule, the City Council sent a letter to Senator Jeff Merkley expressing the entire City Council's interest in pursuing relief from the reservoir-covering requirement of LT2.
For more information, including the EPA's announcement of their review, along with correspondence on this issue from Commissioner Leonard to our federal delegation and Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff's letter to the State of Oregon, click here.
NWCN story about the 9/11 rememberance ceremony Randy took part in yesterday.
At 3:15 pm a 9-1-1 call was received reporting that a man had slipped below the surface of the Sandy River at the boat dock at Oxbow Park in Gresham. Gresham Fire & Emergency Services quickly responded to the park and deployed a rescue swimmer into the river to search for the individual. The rescue swimmer was unable to locate the man, and a joint dive rescue operation was initiated with dive team members from Portland and Gresham Fire.
After the dive team entered the water at 3:47 pm, the man was located approximately three minutes later and taken to shore where Gresham Firefighter/Paramedics began CPR. Although the man had been under water for 30 minutes, a weak heart rhythm was established and the victim was transferred to a Life Flight helicopter and flown to Emanuel Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical personnel to save him, the 21-year-old male died a short time after arriving at the hospital.
Reports indicate that the man was with a group of friends who had just left a day of college classes for a swim in the Sandy River on a hot, summer afternoon. This is the fourth drowning in the Portland Metro Area in four days. Both Gresham and Portland Fire urge citizens to use caution and never underestimate your swimming abilities around swimming pools and bodies of water.
Contact Info: PIO Lt. Steve Alexander, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office 503-271-0226 PIO Paul Corah, Portland Fire & Rescue 503-940-6003
All
As I am sure you are all aware, the Dollar Lake Fire is a lightning caused wildfire burning in the Mt. Hood National Forest. The western boundary of the fire is within approximately 3 miles of the eastern boundary of the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit.
The US Forest Service (USFS) has primary responsibility for fighting the fire. The Water Bureau has staff assigned full time to the fire command center located near Hood River and is participating in briefings and providing information regarding PWB operations in the watershed. We are working closely with the Forest Service and other agencies to monitor activities and provide assistance as needed. I have been authorized by Commissioner Leonard to offer the Forest Service any city resource available in fighting the fire and protecting the Bull Run.
Although the fire is in close proximity, the Management Unit is not affected at this time. The strong east winds that were predicted early this morning did not occur although they are expected to pick up later this afternoon. Additional helicopters have been allocated to fight the fire. While additional fires are cropping up in the state, protecting the Bull Run is a high priority and we expect that the Forest Service will allocate whatever resources are necessary to protect the watershed.
The Forest Service has developed fire control objectives which include: Minimize exposure of firefighters to only actions necessary to provide for public and aviation safety; Keep fire outside the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit; Full suppression management on the north and east sides of the fire to minimize impacts to Hood River County Lands, Cloud Cap, Tilly Jane Historic District, and other private lands; Utilize full suppression to minimize fire impacts to Longview Timber LCC industrial timberland, located in Upper West Fork Hood River, and the Bonneville Power Administration power transmission lines on the west side of the fire; Protect riparian areas and utilize minimum impact suppression tactics within the Mt. Hood Wilderness; Provide for initial attack of all new fires occurring within the TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) on federal lands; The Forest Service is viewing this as an extended threat event over a period of several days. We will continue to monitor and provide updates as information becomes available.
As I explained Incident Commander Jeff Pendleton this morning, it is hard for us to stand by when the Bull Run is threatened, but we understand the need for firefighter, employee and public safety. Jeff was clear that knowing where everyone involved in the response is at all times and under positive communication is of paramount importance. Having PWB employees engaged in separate fire patrols and not tied into the plan would make it difficult to provide safety to those individuals. Jeff told me that they have spotter aircraft in the air full time as well as people on the ground doing spot fire patrols. I let him know that the city has air resources that could be made available to augment whatever resources he has. I also understand from Jeff that while the probability of retardant use is low, it will only occur after consultation with the Water Bureau in accordance with the Bull Run Fire Plan.
The significance of these water parameter changes would depend on the delivery rate of ash to the watershed; however, it is unlikely that the amount of ash deposited initially through airborne transmission would be at a level to pose any public health risks.
Water quality changes may be more likely when the first rain events occur this fall if significant ash deposition occurs. If ash proves to be a factor during initial rain events this fall, Portland has a secondary high quality source of drinking water, the Columbia South Shore Well Field that can be used.
There are no actions that customers need to take at this time.
David Shaff, Administrator
Specific Public Information updates on the status of the Dollar Lake Fire can be found at the following sites:
Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center: http://nwccweb.us/information/fire_details.aspx?id=OR-MHF-000382
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2563/
Portland Water Bureau
"A Burn Ban is declared at a time of year when fires are most likely to start, spread rapidly and require fire control," said Fire Defense Board Chief Scott Lewis. "I want to thank our residents for their cooperation and help keeping the communities in our county safe during this time," said Lewis. During Fire Season no open fires of any kind are allowed; including backyard, agricultural or open burning. This also includes recreational fires, camping fires, or backyard fire pit fires. Gas, briquette, or pellet type barbeques are still allowed but should be used with extreme caution, with extra care given to coal and embers. Generally, no open flame fires will be allowed. Anyone found to have an open fire during this burn ban will likely have it extinguished by their local fire department and could be issued a citation or warning for this violation. We are also asking the public to use extreme caution when smoking. Please properly dispose of cigarettes in a container of water or sand and never put them out in landscaping or put them onto the ground. If we are all vigilant and use extreme caution during this burn ban we can keep our communities safe. Due to extreme fire conditions the Multnomah County Fire Defense Board announces the official declaration of a Burn Ban effective September 8, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. Burn Bans are formally declared in Oregon on a County by County basis. This includes the Cities of Portland, Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village as well as Corbett, Sauvie Island and all unincorporated areas of Multnomah County. The burn ban will be in effect until further notice.
Contact Info: Contact Portland Fire and Rescue PIO Paul Corah for details pager 503-940-6003
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered three accident victims. The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured. However, two individuals in the car had to be extricated using the Jaws of Life. One individual was pronounced dead at the scene. A second individual was extricated from the vehicle by firefighters and transported to an area hospital. The accident caused Highway 30 to be closed in both directions and there was a significant traffic back up. About 1/4 miles south of the St. Johns Bridge, a second accident took place on Highway 30 while firefighters and police were on scene of the earlier accident. At 12:36 pm, reports indicate that a minivan attempted to turn from the northbound lanes of Highway 30 where traffic was backed up, into the southbound lanes to go the opposite direction. Reports further indicate that the van collided with a large tow truck that was on its way to tow the semi-truck from the first accident. Firefighters from Stations 6 and 22 responded to the second accident and extricated two individuals from the mini-van using the Jaws of Life. Both individuals were transported to area hospitals. The tow truck driver was not injured. "This double accident is an important reminder to drivers to be vigilant whether traffic is stopped or moving," said Portland Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Paul Corah. "It appears that this situation was avoidable and that a single accident turned into a double accident on Highway 30 today."
At 9:39 am, firefighters from North Portland Fire Stations 6 and 22 were dispatched to reports of a head-on collision between a semi-truck and a car on Highway 30 just underneath the St. Johns Bridge.
Contact Info: PIO Paul Corah 503-940-6003
