COMMISSIONER RANDY LEONARD'S BLOG

Erin A. Janssens selected as Portland's next Fire Chief



Portland Fire Responds to Residential Fire, 1968 Corvette destroyed

 
Portland Fire and Rescue responded to a fire caused by the gasoline vapors of a 1968 Chevy Corvette, two residents were displaced. Fire dispatch received a call from one of the residents stating that a fire, originating in the garage, was extending to the home; the call taker was also informed that all residents had evacuated.

Crews took less than five minutes to arrive on scene and observed pressurized smoke coming from the eves of the one-story home. Pressurized smoke is a positive sign of active fire within a closed structure. Crews from Station 11, located on 92nd and Reedway in Southeast Portland, used an aggressive fire attack to control the fire which was recalled less than 30 minutes after the first notification was received. The location of the structure, more than two blocks from the nearest hydrant, challenged crews to "lay-in" a long supply line to secure a water source. A crew from Clackamas County Fire assisted in firefighting efforts.

A Fire Investigator responded to the scene of the fire and determined the fire to be accidentally caused by gasoline vapors coming into contact with an electrical utility light lying on the ground. According to Fire Investigator Nicole Fuge, "Work was being done on the Corvette's engine when gasoline came into contact with the ignition source." There were no injuries caused by this fire. Damage to the building is estimated at over $50,000.

Portland Fire and Rescue reminds everyone to take extra precautions when working with or around flammable materials and to dispose of all flammable materials in an appropriate receptacle.

Quick Facts:

Fire Location: 6605 SE 91st Avenue

Time of Dispatch: 19:32

Arrival on-scene: 19:36

Fire Recalled: 19:56

Responding Units:

4 Engines, 1 Truck, 2 Chiefs, 1 Fire Investigator

23 firefighters

Contact Information:

Asst.PIO Gabriel Watson 940-6003

Photos courtesy of Dick Harris, Portland Fire & Rescue.

 

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a commercial fire at a manufacturing facility in NW Portland

 

Portland Firefighters were dispatched to report of a commercial fire this evening at ESCO Corp 2141 NW 25th Ave. Initial reports were that there was fire and black smoke coming from a 12' x 30' pit inside a manufacturing facility. Upon arrival fire crews confirmed the presence of fire in the conveyor belt mechanism and quickly began making preparations to attack it. There were additional safety factors to consider with this incident not normally present in the average residential fire. The facility is a foundry which was in operation until just before the fire was reported leaving hot metal surfaces throughout the building. Power was shut off to affected areas of the building to eliminate any electrical hazards. As a result of this action, cranes normally used to remove the steel plates that were covering the pit were inoperable. Finally, because of the lack of visibility due to smoke, and the size of and enclosed below grade nature of the involved area, the pit was considere d a confined space by the incident commander. Special air monitoring requirements and the use of RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) are used as additional safety precautions prior to making entry.

With assistance from ESCO personnel, the interior size of the pit and electrical shutoffs were confirmed, leading to safe and quick extinguishment of the fire.

STATISTICS:

Dispatched: 19:17

Arrived: 19:21

Knockdown: 19:43

Recall: 19:53 

Resources Assigned:

4 Engines

2 Ladder Trucks

1 Squad

2 Chief Officers

30 Personnel　

Contact Info: Contact Info: Tommy Schroeder, Firefighter / Public Information Officer Media Pager 503-940-6003

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,345 emergency calls last week

Last week, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,345 emergency calls; 1,083 were for medical calls and 48 were fire related.  Calls were up 84 from the prior week.

For more details and plenty more information about Portland Fire & Rescue click here!

 

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,279 emergency calls last week

Last week, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,279 emergency calls; 933 were for medical calls and 45 were fire related.  Calls were up 55 from the prior week.

For more details and plenty more information about Portland Fire & Rescue click here!

 

 

New fire rescue boat arrives!

In 2009, a mother threw her children off the Sellwood Bridge into the Willamette River, resulting in the death of a 4 year-old boy, while his 7 year-old sister survived after being pulled from the water by a citizen.

The event exposed a weakness in Portland's river rescue response, after it took 44 minutes for Portland Fire and Rescue to respond in the powerful but slow-moving David Campbell fireboat in the early morning darkness from Station 6 in Northwest Portland.  To insure more timely response for future river rescues, Commissioner Leonard and Chief Klum developed a plan to improve river response in the downtown core that included adding a maneuverable river rescue boat to the Bureau's fleet on the Willamette River, and ultimately placing the rescue boat at the to-be-reconstructed fire station located at the eastern foot of the Hawthorne Bridge.  The addition of a maneuverable rescue craft, coupled with its location at a central city fire station on the Willamette will dramatically decrease response times for river rescues in the downtown core.

In the Fall of 2009, Commissioner Leonard asked the Council to fund a new rescue craft as part of this approach, and the Council approved the funding.  Today, Portland Fire & Rescue took delivery of the new craft, and it was launched at Sundance Marina on the Columbia River.  This new boat is equipped with two powerful engines that will improve responses against the strong current in the Columbia.  The addition of this new craft allows the Fire Bureau to move Rescue Boat 17, currently located on the Columbia River near Jantzen Beach, to the Willamette River.  

Click here for Oregonian coverage of the new rescue boat.

Here are some photos of the new rescue boat, as well as a cool photo of Fire Boat 17, known in the Fire Bureau as "The Vernon Buss":

 
 

 

^{Fire Boat 17 "The Vernon Buss"}

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,196 emergency calls last week

Last week, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,196 emergency calls; 970 were for medical calls and 34 were fire related.  Calls were down 148 from the prior week.

For more details and plenty more information about Portland Fire & Rescue click here!

 

 

 

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,288 emergency calls last week

Last week, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to 1,288 emergency calls; 1,023 were medical calls and 55 were fire related.  Calls were up 83 from the prior week.

For more details and plenty more information about Portland Fire & Rescue click here!

 

Halloween Safety Tips from Portland Fire & Rescue

Halloween is a fun and spooky time of year for kids. Make trick-or-treating safe with a few easy safety tips.

Calculate your share of the proposed Fire Bond (Measure 26-117)

Just in time for ballots to go out, we've tapped into the magic of the Internet to bring you this handy calculator that allows you to estimate the annual impact of the City's proposed Fire Bond (Measure 26-117) on your property taxes.

The property tax impact of the proposed bond is a maximum of $0.1398 per $1000 of Multnomah County assessed value. For an average Portland home assessed by the County at $175,000, the estimated impact of the Fire Bond is $24.47 per year.

To find the assessed value of your property, you may visit Multnomah County's Property Tax website, login as a guest, and enter your address. Once you have the assessed value, simply enter it below (without commas, e.g. 173246) and click "Calculate" to find your estimated cost.

Click here for the information and statements on Measure 117-26 in the Multnomah County Voters' Pamphlet.

Fire Bond Measure 26-117 Property Tax Calculator

Multnomah County Assessed Property Value	$
Fire Bond tax per $1000 Assessed Value Cost	$0.1398/1000 Assessed Value
Estimated impact of Fire Bond on your property taxes	$PER YEAR

For even more detail on the Fire Bond Measure 26-117, click here.

Special thanks to Mayor Adams for the idea to make this calculator available.