Forest Grove Fire & Rescue

STAIR CLIMB FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT A CURE FOR CANCER

2012-01-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 9am – 12pm, firefighters from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Cornelius Fire Department will throw on their gear and hit the stair climbers at The Edge Gym in Beaverton to raise money for the 2012 Scott Firefighter Stair Climb that takes place on March 11, 2012 in Seattle.

The firefighters will be practicing for Stair Climb which consists of 69 flights (1,311 stairs) - not an easy task in full gear, a mask and an air pack. The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb is an annual event that is one of the largest firefighter competitions in the world. Every year firefighters from all over the world come together in Seattle for the grueling climb up the Columbia Center, all to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help aid in the fight against blood cancers.

While the firefighters practice climbing, the public is invited to come out and cheer them on and leave donations in the fire helmets. Anyone is invited to come, even if you are not a member of The Edge Gym.

The event details are as follows:

Where: The Edge Gym located at 16365 NW Twin Oaks Drive, Beaverton, OR 97006
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Time: 9am – 12pm

For more information about the fundraiser or the Stair Climb, you may contact Dave Doornink at ddoornink@forestgrove-or.gov

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO MAN INJURED BY WOOD WORKING EQUIPMENT

2011-12-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Just after 2:30 p.m. on Monday December 5, 2011 Forest Grove Fire & Rescue responded to the Woodfold Manufacturing Facility to treat an employee who had been injured while operating equipment. When firefighters arrived at the facility, which is just 2 blocks from their Fire Station, they found that a 33 year old man was operating a straight line rip saw when a piece of wood approximately 1 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick by 2 feet long had come out of his machine and struck him in the front of his lower abdomen. Paramedics reported that though the man was in extreme pain he was conscious and talking to them, but that it was apparent that the piece of wood had actually broken off inside his body, and was close to puncturing through his back.

Due to the severity of the man’s injuries, Paramedics quickly requested that a Lifeflight helicopter come to the scene to transport the injured man to a Portland Trauma Center. Lifeflight landed at the nearby Forest Grove School District Office (located at 18th Avenue and A Street), briefly interrupting a physical education class from the Forest Grove Community School that had been using the ball field where the helicopter would end up landing. An ambulance from Metro West brought the injured worker to the waiting Lifeflight helicopter where he was taken to the Trauma Center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland for further treatment of his injuries. Woodfold Manufacturing is a long standing business in downtown Forest Grove, with a history dating back over fifty (50) years, they produce custom made wood folding and accordion doors out of their facility which is located at 1811 18th Avenue.

FIRE INVESTIGATORS COMPLETE INVESTIGATION INTO CAUSE OF THE PRIMETIME FIRE

2011-11-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

The following information is from a media release that went out to local news outlets earlier today detailing the work that fire investigators completed to determine the cause of last week's fire at Primetime Sports Bar:

Fire investigators from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and two Insurance Companies spent Monday (11.28.11) morning sifting through the remains of the Primetime Sports Bar in Forest Grove after the popular local hang out had been destroyed by a fire just before 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday November 23, 2011. By surveying the damage to the building and it's contents and considering witness and firefighter statements from the night of the fire, investigators were able to trace the area where the fire started back to a laundry and utility room that is located just off the kitchen in the south east corner of the restaurant. Fire investigators believe that it is possible that rags with traces of cooking oil that were stored in this area are a probable cause of the fire, and the Insurance Company Investigators have taken samples of the burned rag debris to be evaluated by a forensic science lab. At this time fire investigators are considering this fire accidental and have been able to rule out any act of foul play in the cause of this devastating fire.

Fire Investigators believe that the fire started in this area, a utility and laundry room near the prep room behind the kitchen.

Early estimates place the total loss of property and contents at well over 1.5 million dollars. The fire went to three alarms bringing in over 60 firefighters from all over Washington County on November 23, 2011. Crews remained on scene until mid afternoon on the day of the fire, extinguishing hot spots and salvaging items from the building for the owners. At one point heavy equipment from the Public Works Departments of the Cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius were called in to remove part of the collapsed dining room area so fire crews could safely get to the heavy burning area around the kitchen. One Forest Grove firefighter was injured during the fire, suffering exhaustion type injuries, he was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released. At this point the Primetime Sports Bar is considered a total loss and the fire has displaced approximately 50 employees, a relief fund has been established at the Forest Grove Branch of the Columbia Community Bank for the restaurant's staff, as well as number of local fundraisers are in the works. Over the weekend the Forest Grove Firefighter's Association and the Cornelius Firefighter's Association, non profit groups made up of Volunteer and Union Firefighters to support community projects, pledged $1,000 from each association to support the relief fund as the holidays approach.

EARLY MORNING FIRE DESTROYS POPULAR PRIMETIME SPORTS BAR

2011-11-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

Just before 4:00 on Wednesday (November 23, 2011) a passerby called 9-1-1 to report that smoke was coming from the Primetime Sports Bar in the 4200 block of Pacific Avenue. When firefighters arrived they initially did not see any flames, but found heavy black smoke inside the restaurant. Crews from Forest Grove and Cornelius quickly went to work to try and find where the fire was located but they soon discovered that the fire had already spread to the attic space and was burning throughout the structure that supports the roof of the building. At this point with an established fire burning so quickly inside the building, Incident Commanders made a tactical decision for firefighter safety to remove all crews from the building and fight this fire defensively from the outside. Within minutes flames began to show as the roof structure failed and our Incident Command Team requested a second and third alarm to bring in firefighters from every fire agency in Washington County in to control the massive blaze. Ladder trucks from Forest Grove and Hillsboro were set up to spray thousands of gallons of water per minute into the burning structure that had collapsed into the shell of the building and firefighters from different departments worked seamlessly side by side as they operated streams of water from hand held hoses and used power tools to tear into the building and extinguish the fire. Eventually Incident Commanders had to call in heavy equipment from the Public Works Departments of the cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius to pull apart the stubbornly burning debris from the dining area which had by that time collapsed in on itself so that crews could get close enough to the remaining hot spots to extinguish them. A firefighter from our Gales Creek Station was injured during the firefighting efforts, suffering chest pains, and was transported to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro where he was treated and released showing signs of over-exertion.

As fire investigators worked to determine the cause of the devastating fire, firefighters worked to save what they could from the popular local hang out. Crews brought out memorabilia that had been autographed by sports legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as historic photos of Forest Grove from the large banquet room that was considered the least damaged part of the building. Firefighters were also able to dig through the collapsed building to recover the safe which had the paychecks for the employees as well as the money from the business. A team of fire investigators from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, the Hillsboro Fire Department, and the Insurance Company that covered the business worked through out the day to narrow down what was responsible for the fire and have so far been able to confirm that the fire is accidental in nature but an official cause is not being released at this time.

Primetime Sports Bar has been an icon in the Forest Grove business scene for decades, not just for their great food, but their support of community projects. It's a popular place to catch a bite to eat while you enjoyed the big game, and with it being one of the largest restaurants in Forest Grove it always was one of the great places for big groups, and by the volume of comments on social media sites like Facebook you can tell that it's loss is strongly felt in our community. It's an ironic fact that because of Primetime's large seating areas, hours of operation, and quality of food that it was a frequent place where Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighters would gather to grab a hot meal after working long hours on a fire somewhere in our community. With the holidays approaching our Fire Chaplains are working with the owners of Primetime to establish a list of needs for the families of the employees and a fund to assist has also been set up at the Columbia Community Bank in Forest Grove. Our thoughts are with the employees and owners of Primetime as they try and recover from this loss, we wish all of them the best.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WORKING TO IMPROVE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY

2011-11-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

For the last few months we have had the pleasure of working with an exceptional team of students from the Pacific University Exercise Science Department on a series of studies that we hope can lead to improvements for the health and safety of firefighters. It's often easy to think of the dangerous parts of being a firefighter involve rushing into burning buildings or rescuing victims trapped in perilous situations, but in all reality it's the little things that more often lead to injuries and death. That's why this unique year long study is taking a look at three different ways that firefighters can get hurt in the hopes that we can gain information to help prevent injuries and death from occuring in the future.

The first portion of this study focused on the heart rate of firefighters. Career firefighters at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue wore heart rhythm monitors during their 24 hours shift as well as their 48 hours off and kept a journal of what they were doing throughout the day. This was intended to take a look at what effects being on shift at the fire station has on the heart. The fire service has often wondered about the effects of a 24 hour shift on your body and how your heart reacts to being asleep during the night time and then having to wake up suddenly and be completely responsive for an emergency need.

The second portion of the study involved evaluating the exercises and work out regiments of the firefighters and finding ways to improve the methods to ensure that our firefighters are in tip top shape and ready when you need them. Each firefighter was evaluated and work was completed to develop a personalized work out plan that the firefighter could use to improve their well being.

C Shift Lieutenant Chris Woodford is on the balance evaluating machine while a Student from Pacific University assits him with his test.

Lastly, and perhaps most unique, is the study of how the protective equipment that a firefighter wears effects things like balance and range of motion. Firefighters were asked to put on their protective clothing and climb on board a special machine that put them through a grueling series of tests to determine how well they balanced and how easy it was for them to move in various directions. Based on these tests the students hoped to be able to provide information to protective clothing manufacturers to improve the ergonomics and comfort of firefighter gear all in an effort to prevent injuries caused by improperly fitted, designed, or worn protective clothing.

We want to especially thank our partners at Pacific University and the Hillsboro Fire Department for helping complete this study and working so hard to improve the safety and well being of firefighters. Hopefully information gained here can prevent an injury down the road and improve the fire service in the United States.

FRYING THE BIRD THIS THANKSGIVING?

2011-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

The most glorious of food holidays is upon us and many of you will be filling your home with family and friends as you prepare that wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Some will be roasting your turkey, while others are enjoying the delicacy that is deep fried turkey. If you have never had deep fried turkey, it is an amazing way of quickly cooking your turkey into pure white or dark meat bliss, but it comes with a dangerous side as well.

According to our friends at the Underwriters Laboratories there are some consistent safety hazards with frying your Thanksgiving Turkey:

- Many units easily tip over, spilling the hot oil from the cooking pot.

- If the cooking pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill out of the unit when the turkey is placed into the cooking pot. Oil may hit the burner or flames, causing a fire to engulf the entire unit.

- Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can cause a spillover effect. This too may result
in an extensive fire.

- With no thermostat controls, the units also have the potential to overheat the oil to the point of combustion.

- The lid and handles on the sides of the cooking pot get dangerously hot, posing severe burn hazards.

So that being said, what do you need to consider if you absolutely want to enjoy a fried turkey this Thursday?

- Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.

- Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.

- Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.

- Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.

- Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.

- To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.

- Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.

- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.

- The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.

- Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.

Are you still not convinced that frying turkey is dangerous? Well we at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spared no expense to improve your safety and brought in a special guest to help show you the dangers involved with frying turkey. Just kidding, we actually found this great video of William Shatner online and wanted to share it with you here. We wish you and yours a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Viewing Platform Heavily Damaged by Fire at Fern Hill Wetlands

2011-11-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Early Friday morning at approximately 6:30am, Forest Grove Firefighters were dispatched to a reported fire located at 1345 SW Fern Hill Road. This address is the location of the Fern Hill Wetlands, a very popular place for walkers, bird watchers, and photographers. Firefighters arrived to find a small viewing structure on fire approximately 400 yards from the main entrance. Firefighters had to use smaller brush vehicles to drive on the walking paths to access the fire. Using two brush rigs, it took only ten minutes to extinguish the fire. Damage was contained to the structure itself (which was destroyed) and did not spread to the surrounding wildlife area. Firefighters remained on scene for approximately an hour extinguishing hot spots.

The estimated loss is unknown at this time. Fire investigators spent several hours investigating the cause of the fire. Investigators have not determined the cause, but at this time it is considered suspicious. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue is working with Forest Grove Police Department on the investigation.

We ask that if you saw anyone or anything in the area of the Fern Hill Wetlands between 6am and 7am Friday morning, to please call one of the following numbers:

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue - 503-992-3240
Forest Grove Police Department - 503-992-3260
Washington County Non Emergency - 503-629-0111 (use after business hours)

Matt Johnston - Public Information Officer

FIRE DESTROYS GARAGE IN GALES CREEK

2011-11-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

On Sunday evening two teenage boys in Gales Creek were inside the family home in the 54700 block of the NW Wilson River Highway when they noticed the lights in their room suddenly go dim. One of the boys went to investigate and looked out the window to find a fire burning in the detached garage about 20 feet away from their home. He yelled for his brother to call 9-1-1 and then immediately went out to try and get the family's pet chickens free from the coop that was attached to the backside of the garage. By this time the entire structure was burning and fire was coming out the open front of the carport style garage building.

Investigators spent Monday afternoon digging through the remains of the garage, trying to determine the cause of the Sunday evening fire.

Volunteer firefighters from Forest Grove Fire & Rescues nearby Gales Creek Fire Station responded, as did crews from the Forest Grove Station, and the neighboring Banks Fire District #13 Station but the fast moving fire destroyed the garage before the fire engines could get there. Even though the vinyl siding was melted, firefighters were able to keep the fire from damaging the structure of the family home; the fire also melted the front ends of two cars parked in the driveway and burned the exterior wall of a nearby shed that one of the brothers had used as a practice building for his band. All told approximately 20 firefighters worked for just over an hour to contain the fire to the garage and get it under control so that it would not spread to the other structures nearby. The Wilson River Highway was closed during the firefighting efforts so engines and water tenders could maneuver in the roadway safely.

The heat fromt he burning garage was so intense that it melted the vinyl siding of the home over 20 feet away

Fire Investigators from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but the garage and it's contents are considered a total loss with estimates of damages approaching $40,000. No one was injured by the blaze, however the family did lose two of their pet chickens that perished in the fire.

ARE YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS READY IF YOU NEED THEM?

2011-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

A resident of Forest Grove's Historic Old Town can call herself pretty fortunate this afternoon, all things considered of course, as she was luckily able to control a fire on her stove top and keep it from engulfing the rest of the kitchen. The women was cleaning the kitchen of the home in the 2100 block of 16th Avenue earlier today when she apparently bumped the dial on the electric range, turning on one of the stove's burners. Just before 2:30 pm she began to smell smoke and discovered that a pan of cooking oil that had been on the stove top had caught fire, she quickly grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. She ran to grab a second fire extinguisher and again squeezed the trigger and again nothing happened, both fire extinguishers were dead and not able to function. She poured a box of bulk table salt onto the flames and then grabbed the pan lid and was finally able to get the fire out.

When firefighters arrived they found light smoke coming from the open front door and that the smoke had filled up the first floor of the two story home. Crews went in to make sure the fire was out and found that the damage was confined to the cook top and the stairs and walls that were on both sides of the electric range. Fire Investigators believe that the actual damage to the home is less than $3,000 and mostly from the smoke damage, but it could have been much worse. Please take a second and find the fire extinguishers in your home. Make sure they are inspected regularly and that the gauge shows that they are charged. If it's an older extinguisher you should replace it, and if you don't have a fire extinguisher now would be a good time to invest in one. Home remedies like salt and baking soda may work to extinguish a fire sometimes, but they'll never beat a tight fitting lid and a good ABC rated fire extinguisher. The key is that the fire extinguishers must be ready to work when you need them to.

If you do encounter a fire on the cook top follow these simple steps. Use an oven mitt to slide a tight fitting lid on top of the pan that is on fire. Never use water on a grease fire, or try and carry a burning pan from the cook top. If the fire is bigger than the pan you could try and quickly use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but don't risk your personal safety to do so. Turn off the burner if you can, and execute your family fire escape plan. Call 9-1-1 from a safe location outside the home and let firefighters make sure that the fire is out. Make sure that everyone in your family who cooks knows how to do it safely!

Busy November Monday

2011-11-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today so far has been above normal for the Forest Grove Firefighters on ‘A’ Shift, not only have they ran 11 calls so for their shift (average is 7 for the entire shift) but of those 11, two have been out of the ordinary. The first of those two was dispatched shortly after 2pm; it was reported that up to five people were feeling light headed and dizzy at Knight Hall on the campus of Pacific University. Those employees working in the building were thinking it was possibly carbon monoxide poisoning. With that possibility, one crew was sent into the building to check the air for poisonous gases and a second crew was sent to triage and evaluate the possible patients that had complaints of being light headed and dizzy. The crew that went into the structure found no dangerous gases present and crews evaluating the patients found no symptoms serious enough to require transport to the hospital. Without finding any evidence of carbon monoxide, it is unsure whether or not that caused the symptoms, or if something else in the building caused the symptoms. Regardless, this is great reminder that if you have anything that burns wood, natural gas or fuel oil in your residence that you should install a carbon monoxide detector. If you have multiple floors to your house, it is recommended that a detector be placed on each floor. They generally cost around $10 to $50 and are found at your local hardware or variety store.

The second call that was uncommon came in around 3:30pm and was initially dispatched as an Industrial Accident in the community of Dilley. At first it wasn’t clear exactly where the incident location was or exactly what the injuries were due to a language barrier between the caller and dispatchers. It was determined that there had been a vehicle accident involving a work vehicle at the Montinore Estates Vineyard located at 3663 SW Dilley Road. At first it was reported that someone was trapped under a vehicle that had rolled over, due to this information, firefighters activated Lifeflight to respond to the scene. When crews arrived on scene they found only one patient and they were no longer trapped under the vehicle. Like the dispatchers, firefighters found a language barrier on scene and had a hard time finding out exactly what occurred and what the extent of the injuries were to the patient. Firefighters stabilized the patient and transported them by Lifeflight helicopter to the trauma center at Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

FALL BACK THIS WEEKEND AND CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARM

2011-11-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

For years we have heard that when you change your clocks you also need to change your smoke alarm battery. The catchy message "Change your clock - change your smoke alarm battery" has been one of the most effective public education campaigns that the fire service has ever came up with. Yet since 1998 it hasn't really matched what we do here in Oregon. In 1998 Oregon State law has required that all ionization type smoke alarms that receive their power from a battery are to have a battery that is capable of powering your smoke alarm for ten years without being replaced. Smoke alarm manufacturers have worked to make their devices compliant with the Oregon law and have designed smoke alarms that are meant to work only with these long life batteries that are typically a lithium power cell. If you replace these long life batteries with the standard, and often cheaper, alkaline battery you actually void the warranty of the smoke alarm and it may not function as it was intended to work. This is obviously a potentially dangerous situation for your family, so what we are suggesting this year is that when you set your clocks back one hour that you also check your smoke alarm to make sure that it works. This is usually a simple process where you find the test button on the alarm and push it until you hear the "beeping" sound that signals you that the alarm is working like it's supposed to.

This should work for most smoke alarms in Oregon that receive their power from a battery. Notice that we said most, there are a few exceptions to this however. First is that if the smoke alarm is hard wired into the building it is not required to have a long life battery as a back up power source and a standard alkaline battery will suffice; it is a good idea however to replace this back up battery twice a year when you change your clock. The second situation would be if your battery operated smoke alarm is not an ionization type; ionization is a term used to describe how your smoke alarm will detect smoke and there are usually two types - one being ionization and the other being photo electric. A photo electric type of smoke alarm typically will receive power from a lithium type power cell and will drain the charge from an alkaline battery rather quickly. The smoke alarm will say somewhere either on the face of the alarm, or on a label inside, if it is a photo electric or an ionization type.

So are you confused yet? It basically boils down to asking yourself a few questions?

1. Is your smoke alarm over ten years old? If it is, replace it, regardless of the type of smoke alarm.

2. Do you have an ionization type smoke alarm that is battery operated? If so then you shouldn't need to make any changes to the alarm, just test it to make sure that the alarm works by using the test button. Never use a candle, match, or other burning material to test the alarm.

3. Do you have a smoke alarm that is hard wired to your home's electrical power? If you do, replace the back up battery with a new battery.

It's always a good idea to have a family fire drill when you test your smoke alarm. Make sure the kids know what the sound of the smoke alarm in your home is and that it's not something they should be afraid of. Everyone should practice two ways out of their home and finding their safe family meeting place outside the home and always reinforce that once we escape a fire that we never go back into the home for anything.

SEVEN PEOPLE INJURED WHEN TRI-MET BUS SUDDENLY STOPS

2011-10-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just after 2:00 pm on Tuesday October 25, 2011 we were dispatched to a call for a person who had fallen on the Tri-Met #57 bus that was on Pacific Avenue near Quince Street. When firefighters arrived the bus driver reported that he was traveling east on Pacific Avenue when he had been "cut off" by another car and suddenly stopped to avoid hitting the car in front of him, when this happened a number of riders were jolted from their seats and reported suffering injuries. Our initial responding Engine Company found that not only was there one person injured but that there were seven of the riders were injured and decided at that time requested a full medical box assignment be made to handle this incident. This full medical box is a term that we use to describe resources needed which brought in an Engine from the Cornelius Fire Department and a Volunteer Rescue Company from Forest Grove as well as two Metro West Ambulances.

Crews began to triage the victims at which point they determined that four of the initial seven victims required that an ambulance transport them to area hospitals for further evaluation for suspected hand, wrist, and knee injuries consistent with striking the seat in front of them during a sudden stop. All of the victims who were transported suffered non life threatening injuries and were sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons. Crews were able to clear the scene within an hour and re-open both lanes of traffic eastbound on Pacific Avenue into Cornelius.

Trick or Treating Safely

2011-10-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we introduced some safety concepts for parents to consider as they looked at costumes for the little trick or treater in the family. So now with just seven days left until one of the most popular children's holidays of the year we thought it would be timely to throw out a few safety reminders before you head out to fill that orange plastic bucket with sugary goodness.

First is that safety is found in numbers. It's not all about the big kids jumping out of the bushes and taking your candy either, being a part of a large group of people makes it easier to be seen by drivers. If a big group of trick or treaters is in store for you it's also appropriate to have established rules that the kids must follow and adequete adult supervision to help keep the excited kids safely together and not let their excitement get too out of hand.

Second would be how important it is to be seen. Halloween falls at the time of year where the precious daylight is getting shorter and most trick or treaters are hitting the neighborhoods around that difficult to see dusk hour where it's not quite dark enough for headlights to work effectively. Hang a glow stick, or attach reflective tape to their costumes, and make sure they are carrying a flashlight that is on at all times. As part of our "Be Seen at Halloween Campaign" the Forest Grove Firefighters and Police Officers Labor Unions have teamed with Forest Grove's Volunteer Firefighters to provide glow sticks to trick or treaters and we will be in downtown handing them out until we run out on Halloween night - once you get yours snap it and hang it around your neck.

Third would be safety on or near the roads. Try and choose routes that have sidewalks or a good safe area for the children to walk. Make sure that your trick or treaters watch for cars and that they stop and look both ways before crossing the street and always follow pedestrian laws. For driver's it's equally important to pay extra attention during your commute home on Halloween evening. Downtown Forest Grove has an annual "Trick or Treat your Merchants Event" that draws thousands of kids to the downtown area over a period of just a few hours, this is great for the kids but it is also something that driver's should plan accordingly for and avoid the area if at all possible.

Don't forget to trick or treat our Forest Grove Fire Station and have a safe and happy Halloween!

Worker Injured by Farm Equipment

2011-10-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier today around 11:35am, Forest Grove Firefighters were dispatched to an Industrial Accident located on NW Strohmayer Road, North of Forest Grove. When crews were responding they got word that a farm worker had gotten his hand severely injured in a walnut harvester while working in the orchard about 700 feet away from the closest address. Crews arrived to find other workers providing first aid care to the injured coworker. Firefighters treated and stabilized the patient for transport by Metro West Ambulance to a local trauma hospital.

After speaking with coworkers, it was found that while sweeping up the walnuts the debris removal fan became clogged. At that point the worker tried to clear the debris and for an unknown reason the internal fan struck their hand. They were able to remove the workers hand easily and no specialized rescue equipment was needed.

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue wants to remind everyone that whenever using motorized equipment to always turn off the device completely before doing any kind of work or adjustment to it. Whether it is a small chain saw for yard work or large piece of farm equipment in a field, always have safety in mind.

FIREFIGHTER'S CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE DATES

2011-10-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

I know, we haven't even had Halloween yet, and we should be celebrating one holiday at a time right, so what is this blog post doing talking Christmas? We'll keep it brief but believe it or not we have actually been planning our annual Christmas Toy Drive since June, and October is when we typically get people in our community asking for help during the holidays and we wanted to get a few of the important dates out to you now so families could plan for the season and know what to expect.

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Applications for families requesting assistance this year will be available starting November 1st. You can stop by the fire station and fill out an application in person or you can find applications on our Facebook and Twitter pages as well as on the City of Forest Grove website. Completed applications can be turned in to the Forest Grove or Cornelius Fire Stations during normal business hours beginning Tuesday November 1, 2011, and the application period will run until Friday, December 16, 2011. If you can't make it to the fire stations during normal business hours you can also call our "Toy Drive Hot line" at 503.992.3184 and leave a message with your family information.

November 21, 2011

Starting the week of November 21st donation bins will be out at the Forest Grove and Cornelius Fire Stations as well as local businesses where toys and non perishable food donations can be dropped off.

December 16, 2011

On December 16, 2011 the application period for this year's project closes. That doesn't necessarily mean that if you come in after the 16th that you won't be able to receive assistance, if we have remaining toys left over we will of course continue to help out. Families who ask for help after December 16th, just have less of an opportunity to have their requests filled as our supply of toys decreases when we fill baskets.

December 16 - 23, 2011

Firefighters will begin filling gift baskets on or around December 16th and we hope to have all orders ready to be picked up at your local fire station by no later than December 23rd. We will call you when your order is ready, gift baskets can be picked up on those days during normal business hours which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Conference Room at Station 4 filled up with donated toys last year

As always, this project is provided by private donations and is first come first serve for families in the Forest Grove and Cornelius Community. We will make every effort to help as many families as possible, but our ability to do so will depend on how many toys or donated items that we receive. Last year our project served over 300 families and nearly 1,000 children in the Forest Grove and Cornelius community and we didn't have to turn anyone away, our goal is to do the same in 2011.

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK AND OPEN HOUSE

2011-10-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

October 9th through the 15th is the National Fire Prevention Week and is the traditional chance for firefighters nationwide to get out and visit with their community and spread the fire safety message. Forest Grove was no different, as firefighters visited classrooms and held the annual Open House event on Saturday October 15th to wrap up the festivities.

After fundraising during the spring and summer months we were able to purchase special fire safety work books for the students in our elementary schools. These work books are what our firefighters used when they visited Joseph Gale, Harvey Clarke, and Dilley Elementary Schools during the week of October 9th. All told around 1,000 kids heard our fire safety message that week with everything from firefighters dressed in full protective gear visiting kindergarten and first grade classrooms, to firefighters working closely with students in the 2nd through 4th grade to give them more personal attention and help them through the work book. These special work books were funded through the National Fire Safety Council's Fire Pup Program and were created with age appropriate lessons covering everything from what firefighters do in our community to safety tips to use at home. While at the schools the firefighters didn't just help out in the classroom, they stayed for lunches with the kids and recess fun as well and played a number of pretty intense "wall ball" games during the week!

At the end of the week our Open House was held that showcased not just firefighters, but just about every public service that our neighbors depend on was on hand to share their programs and meet our guests. Forest Grove was well showcased with attendees from Light and Power, Forest Grove Police, The Forest Grove Library, Forest Grove Public Works, and our Parks and Recreation Departments on hand. Our friends from the Washington County Sheriff's Office were also there, as were Clean Water Services, and Metro West Ambulance. We unfortunately were not able to get Lifeflight out for this year's event because of heavy foggy weather at their home station, but that didn't stop over 700 people from stopping by our Forest Grove Station and taking a fire engine ride or going up over 70 feet into the air above downtown in the Light and Power Bucket Truck!

Special thanks to these local businesses and individuals for helping support us and donating money to the Fire Pup Program that provided work books for this year's Fire Prevention Week:

Forest Grove Kiwanis

Kem's Woodworking LLC

Tom & Raean Johnston

WSC Inc.

American Legion Post #2

Ireland & Ireland PC

TF Draper Company

Church of Jesus Christ

Don Hunker

VanDyke Seed Co.

Thomas Alexander DDS

Knights of Pythias

Forest Grove Beehive

7-Eleven

Forest Grove Grange

The Homestead Community

Holbrooke Lodge #30

David Hill Vineyards

A&J Electric

Grand Lodge AF & AM of Oregon

Ace Hardware

Halloween Costumes and Safety

2011-10-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

This time of year the local retail stores are full of Halloween costumes and the kids are already planning what version of movie character, scary monster, or cute little princess is going to help them get the most candy this year. Halloween is one of the biggest holidays of the year for kids and as parents we want them to be able to go out there and have fun, but we also want our little ones to be safe while they trick or treat. So what can you do as a parent to help make sure that your child has a safe Halloween this year?

It all starts with the costume, and you want to choose a costume that has certain safety features. Look for costumes, wigs, and masks that have a fire resistant label - fire resistant does't mean that the costume can't burn, but it does mean that it should resist burning and should be able to be extinguished easily if it does catch on fire. Along with flame resistance you should look for a costume that isn't too baggy or too long; this can help prevent not only accidently catching the costume on fire from a candle or lamp, but it can also help your child move easier and not trip over the costume. Fit is also important when it comes to the shoes the kids will wear, trick or treating in mom's heels can be a real problem for little feet so choose good fitting shoes that are warm, dry, and comfortable for the child. With Halloween comes earlier sunset and time spent out after dark so making sure that your child's costume has some reflective material to help them be seen at night is very important. You can add things like reflective fabric strips or decals to the costume or candy buckets to help motorists see your little trick or treater easier in low light or dark conditions. Another great idea to help when it gets dark is to use glow sticks on the costume, and have the child carry a flashlight with them that is turned on at all times while they are walking.

It's not all about the costume though, check out our blog again during the week before Halloween for more tips about how to trick or treat safely on Halloween night.

It's Fire Prevention Week

2011-10-05T16:02:00.001-07:00

October 9th through the 15th is National Fire Prevention Week. Forest Grove Firefighters will be kicking off the week long celebration of fire safety with visits to some of the elementary schools in our area. During these visits students will have a chance to meet the firefighters as they will be spending time in their classrooms, as well as having lunch and recess with the kids. While at the schools we will be spending approximately 20 to 30 minutes in each classroom where we will be reading fire safety stories with the kindergartners and first graders, and helping the second, third, and fourth graders with special fire safety lessons. Every student will receive a fire safety work book that they can work on in class and take home to show their parents and reinforce the special safety messages that the firefighters shared with them during the school day. Here's our school visit schedule for Fire Prevention Week:

Monday October 10 Joseph Gale Elementary School

Tuesday October 11 Joseph Gale Elementary School

Wednesday October 12 Harvey Clarke Elementary School

Thursday October 13 Dilley Elementary School

All of this will culminate with the always popular Fire Station and Public Service Open House which will be held on Saturday October 15th at the Forest Grove Fire Station. This event will run from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and will include things from not just the firefighters but just about every public service agency that works to keep Forest Grove going will have special information or equipment at the Open House. Our guests at the Open House will include Forest Grove Police, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Metro West Ambulance, Lifeflight Network, Forest Grove Light and Power, Forest Grove Public Works, Clean Water Services, Forest Grove Library Services, and the Forest Grove Parks and Recreation Department. There will be countless activities for kids and adults alike including fire engine rides, static displays of vehicles and equipment, aerial lift rides in the Light and Power bucket truck, and if the weather permits a special visit from Lifeflight when they land in our parking lot. Also at the Open House you are welcome to tour the fire station and visit our newly updated Fire Museum which showcases the 117 year history of firefighting in Forest Grove and includes our newest exhibit of the three foot long I-beam from the collapsed World Trade Centers on 9/11/01.

What can you do to get involved with Fire Prevention Week at home?

Install smoke alarms in areas where people sleep and on each level of the home. Replace all of your existing smoke alarms that are over ten years old with new ones, and test all of your smoke alarms monthly.

Practice a home fire drill with your family. Test your smoke alarm and have your children practice two ways out of the home and meeting at a family meeting place like a tree or mailbox outside of the home.

Hunt for home hazards like extension cords, things left too close to heaters, or matches and lighters that are left out.

Make sure that you have an ABC rated fire extinguisher available in the kitchen and that it is fully charged and accessible quickly in an emergency.

Fall Backyard Burn Season

2011-10-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's October and that means the return of the backyard burning season in and around Forest Grove. The fall burn season will run from October 1st until December 15th, but not every day is an open burning day. Daily, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality determines if burning will be allowed based on air quality observations. To find out if burning is allowed in our area call 503.992.3242 after 8:00 a.m. for the day's burning information.

Before you burn remember that backyard burning is for yard debris only. This means you may burn things like small piles of limbs, and other landscaping debris from around your property. Backyard burning is not for large land clearing piles, construction debris, or plastics and garbage. But what if you live outside of the city, does that automatically make you eligible for agricultural burning? Not quite, actually agricultural burning is for farmers and nurseries only and only allows them to burn the debris from their agricultural operations. For instance a farmer who has a hazelnut orchard may burn limbs from his orchard and be considered agricultural burning, where if he burned pruning from the hedge around his farm house that would be considered back yard burning.

If you have any questions about backyard burning and what it means in Forest Grove feel free to call our office at 503.992.3240. To report an illegal burn please call the DEQ directly at 503.229.5393. We ask that you call the DEQ and not the Fire Department for smoke complaints because the Fire Codes do not regulate smoke complaints in our community.

SEMI-TRUCK TANKER ROLLS OVER ON NW MARTIN ROAD

2011-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighters were called to the scene of a semi truck rolled over on NW Martin Road around 2:00 pm this afternoon. When crews arrived on scene a passing motorist was inside the cab of the crashed semi holding the unconscious truck driver up and preventing further injury. Crews had to use ladders to access the cab of the vehicle and remove the driver who was transported to the trauma center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland for treatment. The semi truck had no signs visible to initially identify it’s cargo but a Forest Grove Police Officer crawled into the cab of the truck to find identification papers that indicated that the semi-truck was pulling a trailer that was full of a chemical called magnesium hydroxide at the time of the accident.

Firefighters evaluated the trailer and found that though it was damaged it was not leaking and after consulting with the regional hazardous materials response team determined that there was no threat to the public or the environment. There was however a small diesel fuel spill from the fuel tanks of the semi that firefighters cleaned up on scene and also made a small dam in the ditch to prevent diesel from getting into the rest of the road drainage system. NW Martin Road was closed for approximately two hours while crews worked to remove the injured driver and right the flipped over semi truck and trailer.

Total Burn Ban Now In Effect

2011-09-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Due to extreme fire conditions, the Washington County Fire Defense Board has implemented a burn ban effective immediately. The burn ban will be in effect until further notice.

The Burn Ban includes the following situations:

Recreational burning (i.e., cooking fires, backyard pits).
Backyard burning
Agricultural burning
Land clearing or slash burning (not associated with Oregon Department of Forestry jurisdiction)
Ceremonial type fires.

Typically, burn bans allow some open burning. Since early August we have had a partial burn ban that still allowed camp fires and recreational fires, but because of dry conditions, high temperatures and winds we ask that no outdoor burning take place. In these extreme fire conditions, one spark can cause a catastrophic wildfire. Please note that you can still barbecue in an approved container designed for cooking. Please keep your barbecue well away from anything that can burn however.

Individuals found to be in violation of these requirements during the burn ban, may be held liable for the cost fighting the fire and for any property damage resulting from an illegal fire. The burn ban will remain in effect until cooler temperatures minimize the fire danger.

Keep It Safe this School Year

2011-08-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

As we find ourselves once again starting the school year, we have some safety tips for those going away to college or coming to Forest Grove to study at Pacific University. College living is often the first opportunity for young people to live outside of their home. With all the excitement and anticipation of school, new friends, and freedom, safety often gets pushed to the side. Fire safety could not be a more important issue at this juncture in life.

Every year there are a report 1,800 fires on college campuses, and additionally many more fire occur that aren’t reported. These fires account for over $9 million in property loss as well as result in critical injuries and death. Studies have found that alcohol and drug use is a factor in the starting of these fires and inability to escape the dangerous conditions.

It is important to not only look out for yourself, but those that live with you. Their actions can directly impact you and everyone else living in the building. It is also important to be fire safe if you live off-campus. It is estimated that 75% of college fire deaths occur in off campus housing.

Here are some safety tips to keep you safe during your college experience:

Smoke Alarms Save Lives! – Smoke alarms and smoke detection systems are located throughout campus residences. Never cover or disable a smoke alarm. Keep these devices in working order. They are your best defense against fire and give early warning when a fire occurs, allowing time to escape. And remember to test them if you live off campus.
Respond To Alarms, Always – When the alarm sounds, always take action. The fire alarm you ignore may well be the real thing. It isn’t worth the chance. Discourage people from misusing fire alarms so when they do go off, you know it’s likely the real thing.

Get Out! Stay Out! Learn your exits as soon as you move in. Always know two ways out of your room (without using an elevator). When the fire alarm sounds, get out and stay out of the building until an official tells you it’s okay to return. Try not to use the same exit and practice going to and from your room with different routes throughout the year.

Automatic Sprinklers…Not a Towel Rack – Your college residence has Automatic Fire Sprinklers, take care to keep them clear. Hanging items from them keeps the water spray from controlling a fire. When working properly, a fire in a room with a sprinkler will be controlled by that sprinkler almost every time. That saves lives.

Cooking in??? – There are rules about candles, cooking, and other things related to flames and heat that are for everyone’s protection. Check your universities handbook for a complete list of “prohibited items.” Do not allow any of these items in your living space or anyone else’s. Remember, you are no safer than the most unsafe person in the building. Do you trust them with these items???

Fire Extinguishers – Fire extinguishers can be a good item, if you know how to use them and have had practice. Just because an extinguisher hangs on the wall does not mean you need to use it. Life safety is the number one priority so secure that first. Only use a fire extinguisher if you feel competent. The best choice may be to get out and contact the fire department quickly.

For more campus safety information please contact your local fire department or campus public safety.

Crews rescue elderly man who crashed into canyon off the Wilson River Highway

2011-08-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday August 17th we were called to a car crash on the Wilson River Highway near the summit. When we got there we found that an elderly man had went off the roadway rolling his car down an embankment approximately 150 feet into a steep canyon. He was badly trapped in the car and our crews worked for over an hour to cut the car away from him. He then had to be gen...tly hauled out of the canyon using a rope and pulley system. In this photo Lieutenant Karen Nordstrom, as well as Firefighters Keith Baas and Geoff McFarland, and Intern Gabe Welp are bringing the injured man out of the canyon.

We were assisted by Banks Fire District and the Tillamook Fire Department on this call. The injured man was then transported by Lifeflight to the trauma center at Legacy Emmanuel in Portland with what we would consider serious injuries. This call was interesting in that a driver of another car saw dirt flying in their rear view mirror so they turned around to check and see what had happened. When they got there they saw where he had left the roadway and crashed down through a heavily timbered canyon on the north side of the highway. He ended up on his wheels but was unable to get out of the car, had the car in front not thought to check on the dust or had not seen him crash all together this could have had a much more tragic ending as he was not visible from the roadway.

Fireworks: Keep It Legal, Keep It Safe

2011-06-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

This upcoming Fourth of July, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue (FGF&R) will be partnering again with the Forest Grove Police Department to enforce laws against the possession or use of illegal fireworks within the City of Forest Grove.

What fireworks are illegal in Oregon you may ask? The State of Oregon defines it as “fireworks which explode, flies into the air, or travels more than 6 feet on the ground or 12 inches into the air.” That means firecrackers, sky rockets, missile rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles and mortars are illegal for citizens to use in the state of Oregon.

This year a Forest Grove Fire Inspector will team up with a Forest Grove Police Officer to patrol the city of Forest Grove looking for illegal fireworks. Officials may seize illegal fireworks and fine offenders up to $1,000 per violation under City of Forest Grove Regulations. Those who misuse fireworks or allow fireworks to cause damage are liable and may be required to pay fire suppression costs or other damage. Parents are also liable for fireworks damage caused by their children.

Some people ask why some fireworks are outlawed in Oregon and not Washington? Well here are some numbers to look at. Last year there were 117 fireworks-related fires resulting in 26 injuries and causing more than $1.5 million in damage. Now compared to Washington, there were 414 fireworks related fires and 162 injuries.

On top of the joint patrol detail, FGF&R and Cornelius Fire Department will have small brush rigs out educating the public on the correct use of fireworks as well as how to properly dispose of fireworks. They will also be mobile and can easily respond to fires when dispatched.

In the last 4 years, Forest Grove has had 2 house fires start from legal fireworks being thrown away and later catching the house on fire. To properly dispose of fireworks, get a metal bucket and fill it halfway with water. Once fireworks are cooled enough to touch, submerge them into the water in the bucket and leave overnight.

If you plan to go on a trip for July 4th, also remember that all fireworks are prohibited on all beaches, state parks and campgrounds.

FGF&R encourages everyone to use the four B’s of safe fireworks use.
-Be Prepared before lighting fireworks: keep water available by using a garden hose or bucket.

-Be Safe when lighting fireworks: keep children and pets away from fireworks.

-Be Responsible after lighting fireworks: never relight a dud. Wait 15 to 20 minutes then soak in a bucket of water before disposal.

-Be Aware use only legal fireworks and use them only in legal places.

If you have any questions regarding fireworks, please contact FGF&R at 503-992-3240.

Summer vacation can be deadly for teen drivers

2011-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

For kids who attend Forest Grove Schools, this week will bring the start of summer vacation and with it the nearly three months of freedom that comes with the warmest months of the year. Parents do you remember that feeling? Summer vacation was about to start and you were free to go hang out with your friends and enjoy being a kid, as a kid it was all about bicycle riding and playing outside. Then as a teenager it was all about loading up your friends into the car and cruising the abundant local back roads with the music up loud until the stars came out and the cooler night air came through the windows. Do you also remember those times when maybe you had a close call - driving too fast, losing control and spinning the car out or putting it into the ditch, or maybe it was the time that you really crashed hard and the car flipped and you walked away?

The summer can be a time where we build those lifelong memories of our youth, but it is also recognized as the most deadly season for our teenage drivers. Parents now is a great time to sit down with your new drivers and have a serious chat about what you expect from them when they turn the key in the ignition and head out onto the roads. Our friends at AAA have identified the top ten deadly teen driver mistakes.

Risk Taking

Unbuckled

Speed

Rowdy drivers and passengers

Cell phones and texting or talking

Messing with the radio

Light night cruising

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Peer pressure to do things that they shouldn't be doing

Overconfidence

We all remember our summers off from school, and for our teenage kids they are already looking forward to summer freedom and building memories of their own, while at the same time parents are dreading this time of year. A little trust, communication, and shared responsibility now will go a long way to helping instill the values that the new driver needs to be expected to be a safe driver later. Please talk to your kids about safe driving this summer.

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer reminds us to grill safely

2011-05-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and wet northwest Oregon winter and Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner. For many this will kick off the unofficial start of the summer. As people roll out their barbecue grills and get ready for a summer of cooking outside we thought we would take a few minutes to offer some safety advice for the outdoor chef in your house.

Always grill outdoors. This seems silly to most of us, especially after being cooped up in our homes all winter, but people still try and bring a small barbecue indoors from time to time. Not only is this a fire hazard but it can also fill your home with poisonous carbon monoxide gas.

Keep the grill well away from the home, this includes siding, deck railings, and from under the eaves.

Clean your grill regularly to remove excess grease build up from all parts of your grill.

Create a safe zone of at least three feet around your grill where the kids can't play and keep the little ones, including your pets, away from your grill whenever it's in use. Always put the matches and lighter fluid away when you are done and keep these in a place where curious kids cannot get to them.

If you are a fan of charcoal grills use only a small amount of charcoal starter fluid (never use gasoline or another flammable liquid to start your coals) and never add charcoal starter fluid after the fire has been lit.

Do you have a propane grill? Check the condition of the propane hoses and connections before using your grill. Put a little bit of soapy water over these hoses and if you see where bubbles are being formed it means that you likely have a leak and need to make repairs before using your grill. Any cracked hoses or damaged connections need to be repaired as well before you cook.

Have a fire extinguisher handy if you use propane and a garden hose if you use charcoal or wood. Never leave the grill unattended and keep an eye around the area after you are done cooking to make sure no rogue embers made their way into the dry grass or landscaping around your home.

By following these simple steps you can have a safe summer cooking under the hopefully clear but sometimes cloudy, northwest Oregon summer sky.

Forest Grove Firefighter is recognized with Oregon Public Service Award

2011-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 14th was a special evening for our department as B Shift Firefighter Geoff McFarland received recognition at the Oregon Fire Service Meritorious Awards Banquet in Salem for his outstanding car seat inspection program. This annual event recognizes firefighters from across the State for the work that they do in our communities each and every day. Below the photo of Geoff is what the Oregon Fire Chief's Association had to say about why Geoff was chosen for recognition this year. Congratulations to Geoff for the recognition of his amazing work that he does with this project!

Geoff McFarland recipient of the 2011 Oregon Fire Chief's Association Public Service Award

"The Public Service Award may be awarded to an individual or group who has unselfishly given to the fire service, above and beyond expected performance. This individual or group will have shown distinguished public service, promoting fire and life safety in the state of Oregon.

Statistics show that 80% of all child restraints in cars are used incorrectly, and according to the National Safe Kids Campaign children are three and a half times more likely to be injured when their safety seat is improperly installed. Acting in response to these sobering statistics, Forest Grove Firefighter Geoff McFarland spent three years developing a community-wide program that gives parents the opportunity to receive a free safety seat inspection. Each month, Geoff coordinates an experienced team with members from the fire personnel, law enforcement, and the Oregon Safe Kids Coalition to volunteer at the event. Geoff is also an educator, spending quality time with everybody to ensure his visitors are capable of installing the safety seat correctly and understand how to protect their most precious cargo. In 2010 Geoff personally helped ensure that 100 car seats were safe and ready for the open road. The clinic, run out of Forest Grove Fire and Rescue headquarters, is on e of only three regularly offered to the 529,000 residents of Washington County. Making it clear that the children's safety was his top priority, Geoff's enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to this program made it an overwhelming success. Subsequently, Geoff has become a leader in the region for his promotion of fire and life safety through innovative programs similar to this one. For his life saving efforts Geoff McFarland received the Public Service award."

Former High School Cadet Firefighters promoted to Volunteer Lieutenant

2011-05-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Monday night we officially promoted two volunteer Firefighters to the rank of volunteer Lieutenant. The two newly pinned Lieutenants are Brooke Brown and Damian Peters. Brooke became a volunteer firefighter in 2005 out of the Gales Creek Station as well as an intern and temporary firefighter at the Forest Grove Station. She achieved her degree in Fire Science from PCC in 2009 and is currently working on her Paramedic degree. Damian became a volunteer and intern at the Forest Grove Station in 2008 and just recently received his fire science degree from Chemeketa Community College, where he was a Cadet Captain for his class. Brooke and Damian are also graduates of the joint Forest Grove High School and FGF&R Cadet Program, which Damian is the current instructor of the 2010-2011 Class. Both Lieutenants look forward to serving the citizens of the Forest Grove and Gales Creek communities. The members of FGF&R congratulate Brooke and Damian on the promotion.

Celebrating our past with our present, new Volunteer Lieutenant's Damian Peters and Brooke Brown sit in the seat of our 1907 American LaFrance steam powered pumper after receiving their new badges

New Recruit Volunteer Firefighter Rescues Puppy

2011-05-19T07:53:00.001-07:00

Around 6 am on the morning of Friday May 13th a mother was up preparing breakfast while her daughter and her new puppy slept peacefully in a bedroom of their nearly 100 year old home on 22nd Avenue in a historic downtown Forest Grove neighborhood. Suddenly the pan caught fire on the stove and the mother ran to a neighbor's for a fire extinguisher. The fire in the pan grew and in the seconds it took for the mother to grab a fire extinguisher the fire was already out of control. Scared for her daughter and unable to enter the home, the mother ran to the back of the house and beat on the window eventually awaking her daughter who kicked out the glass and jumped from the window to safety. The new puppy, just weeks old, hid scared in a corner of the bedroom.

By now someone had called 9-1-1 and firefighters from Forest Grove, Cornelius, and Hillsboro were on their way; our own Station 4 was just a few blocks away and firefighters could already see a dark cloud of smoke rising into the still morning air above the neighborhood. When the engines arrived there was heavy fire pouring from the windows and crews worked to knock that fire down so that they could safely enter the burning structure.

Just weeks before we graduated eleven new volunteer firefighters from their Training Academy. It was our largest graduating class in recent years and on the morning of the fire four of the eleven were with our crews on the fire. One of them, a 30 year old husband and father of two young children, named Scott Jewell was assigned to go into the home with his crew and extinguish the fire. While searching the home Firefighter Jewell found a small black puppy. Surprisingly despite the fire completely gutting the rest of the home, the puppy was alive and well and Firefighter Jewell snatched it up and carefully carried it to safety. Outside the home Firefighter Jewell carefully handed the puppy off the caring hands of its' grateful owner who asked the name of her puppy's rescuer. Firefighter Jewell introduced himself and the young lady thought for a moment and told Scott that she would name the puppy "Jewell" after her new found hero.

Volunteer Firefighter Scott Jewell with one of the residents that escaped the burning home and her puppy "Jewell"

Luckily, everyone escaped the fire and no one was injured. Unfortunately, the fire destroyed the home and only a handful of the family's possessions could be saved - they did not have renter's insurance. The Forest Grove Firefighters Association has started a fund to collect money to help the family recover. If you are interested in helping we are accepting cash donations only at this time because the family has no means of storing other household donations. You can call 503.992.3240 to find out how you can help the family.

Firefighter's honored at FGF&R Awards and Appreciation Banquet

2011-05-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we took a moment to honor the hard work of our firefighters and the sacrificies of their families in service to the community in 2010 - over 130 people, including retired firefighters, City Councilors, and Rural Fire District Directors - gathered at the Forest Grove Armory to recognize their own during our annual awards and appreciation dinner. The casual event with a "Wild West" theme and barbecue dinner allowed us to not only give recognition to our people, but it brought together our past and present as families mingled, stories were shared, and laughs were heard around the room throughout the evening.

These individuals recieved recognition at this year's event:

5 Years of Service

Lieutenant Jason Lawson - Station 4 (volunteer)
Lieutenant Nick Chan - Station 4 (volunteer)
Lieutenant Brooke Brown - Station 7 (volunteer)
Firefighter Dirk Jacobs - Station 7 (volunteer)

10 Years of Service

Firefighter/Paramedic Keith Baas - Station 4 A Shift (career)

20 Years of Service

Engineer Dallas Boge - Station 7 (volunteer)

40 Years of Service

Captain Robert Haney - Station 4 (volunteer)

Distinguished Conduct Commendation

Firefighter/Paramedic Rick Ilg - Station 4 A Shift (career)
Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Rawls - Station 4 C Shift (career)

Rookie of the Year

John McGinnis - Station 7 (volunteer)

Firefighter of the Year

Damian Peters - Station 4 (volunteer)
Tony Carter - Station 4 B Shift (career)

Officer of the Year

Lieutenant Stephen Prichard - Station 7 (volunteer)
Captain Joe Smith - Station 4 A Shift (career)

Fire Chief's Award

Lieutenant Tad Buckingham - Station 4 B Shift (career)
Administrative Assistant Sharon Cox

New Carbon Monoxide Detector Rules in Oregon

2011-04-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

We recently were given this notice from the Oregon State Fire Marshal in a fire service news letter:

"Effective April 1, 2011 all new and remodeled residential structures are required to have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. Affected residential structures include hotels, motels, apartments, dormitories, fraternities, sororities, one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, and residential care/assisted living facilities. Remodeled residences are defined as those requiring a building permit. April 1st is also the effective date requiring home sellers of one- and two-family dwellings, manufactured dwellings, or multifamily housing units containing a carbon monoxide source to have one or more properly functioning CO alarms before conveying fee title or transferring possession of a dwelling. Landlords also must provide properly functioning CO alarms for all rental dwelling units with or within a structure containing a carbon monoxide source."

So what does this all mean? Basically if you have a home that meets the state's criteria described above, that also has a carbon monoxide source (anything with an open flame such as natural gas or propane appliances, wood burning stoves or fireplaces, fuel oil furnaces, etc.) then you need to protect your home with a carbon monoxide alarm. Believe it or not, a carbon monoxide alarm is a totally different type of alarm device than the smoke alarm that you should already have in your home. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, invisible gas created when fuels burn incompletely. It cannot be detected by the common stand alone smoke alarm and the big reason that a carbon monoxide alarm is now required is because often times people do not know that they are exposed to the poisonous gas until it is too late. Common stand alone smoke alarms detect smoke either by detecting the ions in the smoke molecules (ionization type smoke alarms) or by sensing that the visible products of smoke are present (photo electric type smoke alarms); neither of these types of systems has the ability to "sniff" the air for the dangerous carbon monoxide that could be present in your home.

Okay, so if after reading this you have now determined that you need a carbon monoxide alarm the next question is where do you put it? Like smoke alarms they need to be in place where you live. Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for placement, but generally speaking a carbon monoxide alarm should be:

On each level of the home where there are bedrooms

In each bedroom or within 15 feet outside of each bedroom

Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for exact placement

For more information check out the State Fire Marshal Website for facts and installation tips.

SPACE HEATER IS DETERMINED AS CAUSE OF FATAL FIRE

2011-03-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

A space heater left on and in use too close to a couch is what fire investigators believe caused a fire in Forest Grove that left a grandmother dead and her teenage grandson badly burned early Monday (March 28, 2011) morning. That is the determination of fire investigators who were at the home at 2235 Laurel Street. The elderly couple who lived in the home with their two teenage grandsons had used the portable electric space heater in the room where they slept. According to the husband, Hyrum Long (76), he had went to help his wheel chair bound wife Velvalee (also 76) use the restroom in the middle of the night. During this, Mr. Long told investigators that he heard crackling noises and discovered the fire burning in the living room of the home. Mr. Long was not able to get Mrs. Long out of the home, but he escaped with his two grandsons, one of which suffered burns as he ran through the fire to get out of the home. When fire crews arrived on scene at 1:57 am they found heavy fire coming from the front and back of the home and discovered Mrs. Long deceased inside the bathroom of the 1960’s era brick home.

Fire Investigators from Forest Grove Fire and Police Departments, the Oregon State Police, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Portland Field Office worked all day Monday to sift through the debris from the fire and they determined that the probable cause of this fire was an electric portable heater that was in the living room. They discovered what appeared to be boxes of clothing inches away from the heater, the clothing likely ignited first and spread the fire to a nearby couch as well as the hospital style bed used by Mrs. Long. The tremendous fuel load of the couch and bed caused the fire to burn extremely quickly and the fire spread rapidly throughout the rest of the home. No working smoke alarms were found by fire investigators, though a very old heat detector was found; it appeared that it did not function.

This is the first structure fire fatality in Forest Grove in 13 years and has some characteristics that are common in fires involving our elderly population. Fire Officials urge that the community take steps to make sure that this kind of tragedy does not happen to them:

- Place space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, and never leave space heaters on when you leave the room or go to bed.

- Make sure that you have working smoke alarms that are less than 10 years old in your home. Test all of your smoke alarms monthly.

- Have a family fire escape plan and practice it regularly. If you have people in your home with special needs (like those in wheel chairs) identify ways that they can escape safely.

- Keep your exit paths clear, do not leave items in hallways and in doorways that can cause your exit from the home to be slowed down.

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue wants you to make fire safety a priority and we will help you identify ways to make your home fire safe. If you have questions about improving the fire safety of your home please call us today at 503.992.3240.

Forest Grove Firefighters Climb For a Cure

2011-03-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday March 6th, fifteen career and volunteer Forest Grove Fire & Rescue firefighters made the 3-hour journey north to Seattle to compete in the 20th Annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb. They joined 1,500 other firefighters from the across the northwest and as far away as New Zealand in raising money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In this annual charity fundraising event firefighters race to the top of the 73-story Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, while carrying 50 pounds of gear including an oxygen tank and mask.

Prior to the event, Forest Grove firefighters trained rigorously for months in an effort to prepare themselves for the daunting task of climbing 1,311 stairs in full firefighting gear. That training paid off well as the team as a whole placed 62 out of 118 fire departments. A number of the team members achieved personal best times including intern firefighter Nick McEvoy who also accomplished the fastest team time at 17 minutes 6 seconds!

Firefighter Ivan Bratchuk gets a hug from his son just before he made the climb up the Columbia Center

In addition to a great performance on the stairs, the Forest Grove team also raised over $5,846 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue would like to graciously thank the community, friends and families for their support. In a few months, some of the team members will begin training again – this time for the Portland Firefighter Stair Climb on September 29 that will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Even on a cloudy day, the view from the top is still impressive

The following firefighters also competed in the stairclimb: Keith Baas, 17 minutes, 54.99 seconds; Robert Webb, 18 minutes, 54.74 seconds; Ivan Bratchuk, 20 minutes, 39.99 seconds; Dave Doornink, 21 minutes, 58.64 seconds; Will Murphy, 22 minutes, 16.38 seconds; Tommy Heisler 22 minutes, 26.18 seconds; Damian Peters, 24 minutes, 14.29 seconds; Tony Carter, 27 minutes, 10.48 seconds; Rick Ilg, 27 minutes, 47.49 seconds; Ted Penge 28 minutes, 53.31 seconds; Jason Lawson, 29 minutes, 37.65 seconds; Joe Smith, 30 minutes, 23.18 seconds; Nick Chan, 41 minutes, 58.89 seconds.

Federal grant will improve firefighter training

2011-02-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Recently Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was the recipient of some very good news from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when we were informed that we had been awarded a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant for Firefighter Operations and Safety. This $425,000 grant will allow us to purchase a live fire training simulator that we will be able use here in Forest Grove to train our career and volunteer firefighters as well as to share regionally with our neighbors to train other firefighters from all over western Washington County.

Live fire training is vitally important for us to maintain high levels of training and readiness for our crews. On average we bring on 12 new volunteer firefighters each year and these new recruits require significant amounts of initial training before we can allow them to respond to emergencies on our engines. Right now in order to put our firefighters through any live fire training we either wait for someone in the community to donate a home that we can burn, or we have to travel outside the area to a live fire training center. To put this in perspective, last week we teamed with our neighbors in Cornelius and traveled to the MERTS Center at Clatsop Community College near Astoria so that we could make this kind of training happen. In the cases where people donate homes for us to practice in, the structure has to pass a very strict safety criteria before we can use them. All of this can make it quite difficult for us to coordinate safe, timely, and effective live fire training for our firefighters.

FEMA will pick up 90% of the grant, with our share at ten percent ($42,500). Still, without the support of this grant it is likely that we would not have been able to fund the total cost of this project to improve our training and safety on our own. We are in the process of evaluating the simulators that are available and gathering information so that we can purchase the equipment that best suits our needs. It is our goal to purchase the equipment somtime this summer and we estimate that it will take 8 to 9 months for the vendor to complete the project and have it up and running sometime in early 2012.

Since 2003 Forest Grove Fire & Rescue alone has recieved $1,154,298 in grants to support our operations. These grants have helped us update our protective equipment for our firefighters, replaced our breathing air compressor, purchased 11,650 feet of fire hose, improved our communication ability with new radios and satellite phones, provided for training on confined space rescue, and so much more. Some of these grants have required us to match a percentage of the funds that have been granted, since 2003 our total share has been $103,699.

Here is a break down of our history with grants.

2003 FEMA Grant $119,970 to replace breathing air compressor and 20 self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
2003 State of Oregon Domestic Preparedness Grant for Hazardous materials response equipment
2005 FEMA Grant $158,844 replacing 65 sets of firefighter protective clothing
2005 FEMA Grant $218,290 to standerdize SCBA used on west end of county (this was a million dollar grant that was shared by Hillsboro, Washington County District #2, Cornelius, Banks, and FGF&R)
2005 State Homeland Security Program $2,000 to train firefighters on weapons of mass destruction
2005 Urban Areas Security Initiative $20,000 for Mobile Data Terminals (MDT's) - computers in our engines
2007 FEMA Grant $141,666 to replace 11,650 feet of fire hose. This was a shared grant between Gaston, Banks, and FGF&R that allowed us to standerdize our fire hose sizes and types.
2008 Oregon Office of Emergency Management $108,000 to update and replace radios and MDT's
2009 Volunteer Fire Assitant Grant $2,850 to update our fire shelters that are used on wildfires to protect firefighters
2010 Oregon Office of Emergency Management $43,900 to provide MDT's, and VHF radios for statewide communication
2010 Local Emergency Planning Grant $5,625 to provide confinded space training to our staff and volunteers
2010 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Grant $29,000 to purchase a backup power generator for Station 7 in Gales Creek, and to purchase satellite phones for emergency communication
2011 FEMA Grant $382,500 for live fire training simulator

FGF&R Interns recognized for helping injured high school football player

2011-01-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Forest Grove Intern Firefighters Jake Stone and Damian Peters were honored at the City Council Meeting this evening with the Unit Citation Award from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue for their actions during an emergency medical call at a November High School Football game. At the Council meeting Division Chief David Nemeyer and Mayor Pete Truax presented the two interns with ribbons that are worn on their uniform. Below is what Chief Nemeyer had to say about their recognition.

FGF&R Interns Jake Stone and Damian Peters wearing their commendation ribbons

On Friday November 5, 2010 Volunteer Firefighters Jake Stone and Damian Peters were performing a medical standby at a Forest Grove High School Varsity Football game. During the first half one of the Forest Grove players experienced a very hard helmet to helmet hit and was down on the field being tended to by team trainers when they signaled for Jake and Damian to come onto the field to assist.

When they reached the injured player, our crew found that the young man was complaining of severe neck pain. In front of hundreds in attendance at the game, Jake and Damian worked with the team trainers and family members and immediately began taking precautions to secure the injured player’s neck and spine from any unnecessary movement. They followed football injury protocols and placed the young man on a long back board and had him transported by ambulance to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro.

While at the hospital an x ray revealed that the injured football player had fractured his C4 vertebrae, this bone is located near the top of his spine. If not treated appropriately, an injury of this magnitude has the potential for permanent nerve damage. In fact slight movements of only fractions of an inch can cause paralysis from the injury down if the spine is not immobilized properly. Jake and Damian had no way of knowing at the time that this was the exact injury that the player had suffered; yet they dealt with a difficult situation of conflicting opinions of the injury in a very public setting respectfully and tactfully with only the best interests of the injured player in mind. Because of their quick thinking and appropriate treatment a potentially life changing injury was discovered and a positive difference was made in the life of this young football player. Therefore we present Intern Firefighters Jake Stone and Damian Peters with the Unit Citation Award from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Turn Around - Don't Drown

2011-01-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you waiting for spring to get here we know it's a bit depressing, but northwest Oregon is still a few months away from sunny and warm weather, so for now we are all dealing with the heavy gray clouds and rainy weather. Around Forest Grove this liquid sunshine is creating havoc with our roadways and some of our most traveled routes are flooded and closed. Even though barricades are up in places and signs say "HIGH WATER" or "ROAD CLOSED" people still try and drive through these flooded areas and more often then not this causes a very dangerous situation to occur.

SW Fernhill Road is one of the most commonly flooded roads in Forest Grove

Most of us do not realize that as little as six inches of water can cause your car to actually float away. In places like where the Tualatin River floods SW Fernhill Road the river's current can actually be strong enough to not only float your car but push it downstream rather quickly. The same can be said for B Street where Gales Creek often floods over the popular route into Forest Grove from the south. For some types of cars, it takes even less water to flood your engine and cause it to stall. These are common situations that we deal with each year when people try and drive around these barricades and go through the flooded streets.

Firefighters practice using our rescue boat at Hagg Lake earlier today

Firefighters are out today training for these situations. At Hagg Lake we are working right now on training firefighters on safe boat operation, and later today we will be out in the flooded Fernhill Wetlands practicing in the dangerous current of the Tualatin River that has flooded over its' banks. Please help us so that we never have to put this training to use. If you come across a place where water is over the road carefully turn around and find another route. It may look shallow enough but it can be deceiving as the water can hide hazards like potholes and places where it has actually damaged the roadway making it hazardous to drive. In some places the roadway may actually not be visible and we have found people that crashed into the ditch when they lost track of where the road because of the water flowing over it. Please remember to turn around and don't drown when it comes to flooded roads in Washington County.

Are your numbers up?

2011-01-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of the winter season. Nights are longer now then they are all year and couple that with increased darkness from rain, fog, and other wintry weather and it can be quite difficult for us to see your address numbers. This inability to see your address quickly can delay our service to you and in an emergency where seconds really do count this could make a big difference in the outcome of the call. This is especially true in the rural areas where homes are sometimes located on longer driveways and are not always visible from the road.

So what can you do? It may sound cliche, but help us help you. Make sure that your address numbers are posted so that they are clearly visible from both directions of travel on the roadway to your home. Each number should be four inches tall and the colors need to contrast their background so that they stand out and can be easily seen. To some this can seem straight forward, but to others this task of where to put the numbers and get them up correctly can be quite daunting so we're here to help you. You can call 503.992.3240 and order a free address sign from us and our crews will even put it up for you and make sure that it is in the right spot. The signs come with white reflective numbers attached to a green reflective sign. All signs are 12 inches by 6 inches and are made out of aluminum so that they won't rust. For the rural residents that share driveways with other neighbors or agricultural or forestry roads we will even evaluate your sign needs to make sure that enough signs are in place to point us to your house.

These signs not only benefit emergency responders but they can help delivery drivers bringing everything from pizza to parcels, out of town guests, and others find your home more effectively. Again, these signs can be ordered for free by calling our Administration Office at 503.992.3240. Turnaround time from order to install is usually around three to four weeks.

Toy Drive helps over 1,000 local kids

2011-01-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas was almost two weeks ago but firefighters are wrapping up their work and closing the book on Toy Drive 2010. Demand was high again as starting in October and as late as Christmas Day families came in record numbers to request assistance through out program. When it was all said and done approximately 170 families in Forest Grove, and 100 in Cornelius asked for assistance this year. All together over 1,000 children in the Forest Grove and Cornelius community were able to wake up on Christmas morning and receive a gift that they otherwise would not have been able to.

We did not accomplish this on our own however as local schools, businesses, civic groups, churches, and countless individuals helped our efforts. We would like to especially thank the following groups for their support of this year's project.

City Club of Forest Grove
Forest Grove United Church of Christ
Forest Grove Movie Theatre and Cornelius Cinemas
Stephanie Lommen Attorney at Law
John L. Scott Market Center
Forest Grove Chamber of Commerce
Forest Grove High School Staff and Students
Mrs. Schramm's Kindergarten Class at Gales Creek Elementary School
Mrs. Bond's Kindergarten Classes at Harvey Clarke Elementary School
Mrs. Vandehey's Kindergarten Classes at Harvey Clarke Elementary School
Forest Grove School District Administration Office Staff
Joseph Gale Elementary School Staff and Students
Summit Pointe Neighborhood Association
Cornelius Walmart
KGW News Channel 8
Stimson Lumber Employees
Forest Vila Apartment Residents
Forest Grove Les Schwab
City of Forest Grove employees
Cornelius Dutch Bros. Coffee

The "Toy Room" at Station 4 just before Christmas Week

All of these business and local groups put bins up and brought in donated items for us to get to the right families. The week before Christmas our firefighters started to sort through the massive pile of toys that had amassed in our Station 4 Conference Room organizing all of it and finally taking one afternoon to go through and find the perfect gift for an 8 year old boy or a 3 year old girl. With Christmas music playing in the background it took volunteers just over one hour to fill orders for 157 families, and the line began to form outside Station 4 as people came in to pick up their gift baskets. On December 26th Firefighters loaded up the small amount of items that were left over and put them in storage for families that need help throughout the year or to help at Christmas 2011.

Thank you Forest Grove and Cornelius for donating items and showing your generosity once again in 2010. We look forward to a day when this project is not needed in our community but we are so thankful that you are here to make it happen!

Fire starts in closet, damages Forest Grove home

2010-12-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Firefighters were called to a home in the 2300 block of Main Street in Forest Grove on Saturday afternoon when neighbors noticed smoke coming from the roof of the home. When fire crews arrived just after 12:30 pm they found light gray colored smoke coming out of the roof vents and from under the eaves. No one was home at the time, so firefighters from Engine 421 had to break a door down to get into the home and they were quickly able to locate and contain the fire that was burning in a hall closet of the 1940's era home.

Firefighters from Cornelius Fire Department Squirt 8 cut a hole in the roof of this home to help remove the smoke that was in the attic of the home.

The homeowners told fire investigators that they had smelled what they thought was something burning in the home off and on for the last week and had tried to determine what the cause of the burning smell was earlier in the day. They looked throughout the house but were unable to find the cause of the smell and by then the smell had dissipated and they had to leave for work. All of the while the fire was burning deep at the bottom of a hallway closet where some kitty litter and wood chip type pet bedding was stored in a plastic bag. Investigators believe that this kitty litter and pet bedding material had spontaneously combusted on it's own and that this naturally occurring process was accelerated because the materials in question were stored in direct contact with hot water pipes in a shut closet. The combination of the heat from the hot water pipes as well as the poor ventilation from the closet caused the material to decompose which naturally generates heat. In the un-vented closet this heat had no place to escape so it eventually built up enough that the material caught fire and spread to some camping equipment and other materials in the closet.

The closet where fire investigators found the cause of the fire

"No one did anything wrong here, but our safety message is that no matter how simple you think something like this is please call 9-1-1 and let us investigate it" said Forest Grove Fire Marshal Dave Nemeyer, he goes on to say: "Often times we find small fires like this that smolder in hidden areas and even though you may see nothing out of the ordinary we have special tools and cameras that can detect even the slightest difference in temperature. Our thermal imaging cameras will even enable us to look inside walls, above ceilings, and under floors to see if a fire is burning there."

Twenty-five firefighters responded to the blaze including fire crews from Cornelius and Hillsboro to assist in extinguishing the fire. Even though no one was home at the time, the family cat perished from apparent exposure to smoke and toxic gasses that are produced when a fire burns inside a home. To keep the fire crews safe, Forest Grove Police Officers closed Main Street for over two hours during the fire because firefighters were working in the roadway and had people attempting to drive through the emergency scene. Fire investigators believe that the fire caused over $20,000 in damages to the home and contents.

Safe Holiday Decorating Tips

2010-12-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Tis the season, as the song says "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." which for many of us is very true but at the same time all of the things we do to decorate and make our home into it's own winter wonderland can also bring with them a certain level of risk if not done properly. We hope that you and yours have a safe and joyous holiday season so we wanted to share with you a few tips to make holiday decorating as safe as it is beautiful.

Keep that tree green! It is so important to make a fresh cut and remove about 1 inch from the bottom of your Christmas Tree right before you put it into your stand. This will help remove the pitch that has built up that would otherwise prevent your tree from taking in water. Beyond this check the water in your tree at least twice a day and keep the tree stand full of water at all times. You can test your tree to see if it is dry by gently pulling on a branch, if the needles come off easily the tree is too dry and needs to be removed from the home. There is a video out there that shows a dry Christmas tree burning down in less than 45 seconds, we are completely serious when we say that they should be removed as soon as you see them showing signs of drying out.
Be careful with candles. About three years ago a church in our fire district brought out the Christmas decorations from the year prior and did not replace the candles in their decorations. This allowed a candle that was much too short to be in place and it caught the decorations and nearby flooring on fire before suddenly burning out on its own. Take a close look at your candles. Are they away from combustible materials like decorations, drapes, and of course the tree? Are they in a place where the pets and kids won't knock them over? Always blow your candles out when you leave the room and never leave them burning while you are sleeping.
Use electricity safely. It's not the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" so be careful with the extension cords. If you haven't seen the movie I just mentioned the character in the movie has more extension cords in use for his Christmas lights then the local Home Depot has in stock on their shelves. Do not overload your extension cords, if you are constantly blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers you have a problem with your circuit and it needs to be looked at. Decrease the number of lights and make sure they are free from damage. If you have cords that are damaged replace them immediately. Avoid coiling cords as this can cause them to overheat, and do not use a bunch of multi-plug adapters or power strips, just because the power strip has 8 places to plug something into it, that doesn't mean you can safely. Always turn your Christmas lights off at night before you head to bed and never leave them on when you are out of the home.

No one wants to have a fire in their home, but they can be especially troublesome this time of year. Let us know if you need help deciding what you should and shouldn't use for decorations. Call our Fire and Life Safety Division at 503.992.3240 and we would gladly help you learn how to decorate your home safely.

We wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

In Oregon, changing your clocks does not always mean you have to change your smoke alarm battery

2010-11-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

For years the national fire safety message that came along with the bi-annual changing of our clocks has been "Change your clock...change your smoke alarm batteries". In Oregon however our state laws require that if the smoke alarms in your home receive their power from only a battery, that the battery be considered a "long life" battery capable of ten years of continuous life. Obviously this poses a bit of a problem for Oregonians as the national message in effect actually voids the warranty on your battery operated smoke alarm. So what to do?

First, how old are your smoke alarms? All smoke alarms have about a ten year life span, once they get around 8 to 10 years old it is more likely that they will have more frequent false alarms, or worse yet fail to function when needed. If you have a smoke alarm, regardless of how it is powered and it is over ten years old replace it as soon as possible.

Second, identify if your smoke alarms are battery operated or if they are hard wired. Since 1998, battery operated smoke alarms sold in Oregon have been required to have a long life lithium battery that is designed to last ten years (conveniently the life of the smoke alarm). Now realistically we find that these batteries often times wont make it the entire ten years, but they consistently last longer then the older 9 volt Alkaline batteries we all used prior to the new style Lithium 9V.

If your smoke alarm is solely battery operated and does have a long life battery all you have to do is test it. You can do this by pushing the test button until you hear a beep. That should be all it takes to make sure your smoke alarm will function when needed. Really twice a year isn't enough though, you should test these smoke alarms monthly and when you do it is also a great time to practice a family fire drill.

If you find that you have a battery operated smoke alarm without a long life battery replace the entire smoke alarm with one that does have a long life battery. You can find these at most retail stores, locally Ace Hardware, Bi-Mart, and Fred Meyer all sell smoke alarms, as well as the big box home improvement stores in Hillsboro.

Not all of us have a battery operated smoke alarm however, modern homes have their smoke alarms wired into the home's electrical system. If this is the case a battery back up (for if the power goes out) is required, but it does not have to be of the long life variety. Since the smoke alarm receives its power from the home, a standard 9V alkaline battery will be able to keep your smoke alarm operating if the power in your home does go out. These alkaline back up batteries are the only battery you should replace in a smoke alarm when you change your clocks.

If you are a low income resident FGF&R has a smoke alarm assistance program that is funded solely through private donations and grants that allows us to help you. You can call our fire station at 503.992.3240 and one of our firefighters will make sure that we get a smoke alarm out to you and we'll even install it in your home.

So you're changing your clocks this weekend, now what...

If your smoke alarm is ten years old, replace it.
If your smoke alarm is battery operated and has a long life battery, test it.
If your smoke alarm is hard wired, replace the back up battery.
If your smoke alarm is battery operated and does not have a long life battery, and is less then ten years old, get a long life battery for it.

Smoke alarm tips

Install smoke alarms on each story of your home and outside all sleeping areas. If you sleep with your bedroom door shut a smoke alarm inside your bedroom is recommended.
Clean your smoke alarm every so often, a little vacuum or computer keyboard cleaner will help keep the dust, and little mites and spiders that come with it from making a home inside your smoke alarm and creating false alarms.
Test it! You walk past it each day and probably never notice it, but it takes only seconds to make sure it will work. In a fire the smoke is what kills, testing your smoke alarm monthly will drastically improve your chances of surviving a fire in your home.
Practice, practice, practice a fire drill. Kids in school have to practice a fire drill every month, it seems so redundant at times, but our statistics prove that people do not lose their lives in school fires. Most fire deaths in Oregon occur in the home (most occur in homes without a working smoke alarm), and often times we find that families aren't prepared to handle an emergency in their homes. A simple family fire drill at different times of the day/night every month can help you all identify how to get out and what to do. The State Fire Marshal has a excellent fire drill form that your family can use to prepare and practice this absolutely vital safety item.
If you have a false alarm, use the "hush" feature on your smoke alarms (also an Oregon requirement since 1998) to silence your alarm temporarily. Never unplug your alarm or remove it.

If you have questions please call us at 503.992.3240 or post a comment here and we will answer it. These devices are too inexpensive and too important to put off taking care of. Forest Grove has not had a fatality in a house fire since 1998; please help us be able to continue to say that, make sure that your smoke alarm is ready to protect your family.

Be Seen at Halloween!

2010-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

There were a dozen or so adults dressed up like firefighters during Forest Grove's downtown Trick or Treat your merchants event this Halloween, but the costumes were pretty realistic. That's because they actually were not costumes at all, they were real firefighters from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and they were on hand to pass out not only candy, but glow sticks as well.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Forest Grove Firefighter's Association, Forest Grove Firefighter's Union, and the Forest Grove Police Officer's Union we were able to purchase 1,500 glowsticks to share with the trick or treaters. This is all part of our "Be seen at Halloween" project that is intended to help kids get noticed by passing motorists and avoid the tragedy of a trick or treater being hit by a car. Over the course of the two hour event we were able to hand out all of our glowsticks and we are proud to report that no one was struck by a car during Halloween 2010!

Be Safe, Be Seen on Halloween!

2010-10-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Halloween night in Forest Grove is always a fun and enjoyable experience. Thousands of ghouls and goblins flock to the downtown area to trick or treat the merchants, visit the "Hall - O - Safe" at Pacific University, or flood local sidewalks in search of the sugary goodness that fills the orange plastic pumpkin buckets. At the same time it can be a stressful night for drivers as they try and negotiate traffic filled roads at night, in who knows what kind of weather, with all of these "new" pedestrians hitting the streets and sidewalks. According to the child injury prevention group Safe Kids USA, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than the other 364 days in a year, so can parents do to prevent this tragedy from happening to their little ones? It really all starts with being seen on Halloween!

1. Choose light colored costumes that can be seen in the dark.

2. Consider adding reflective materials to your child's costume. Simple reflective decals can be found at craft stores, or talk to your local fabric shop about reflective material that can be sewn onto your child's costumes. It is amazing how bright these reflective strips are when headlights shine on them.

3. Have your children carry flashlights and glow sticks with them at all times, even if it is still daylight when they start.

4. Walk on sidewalks or established paths, never walk in the street and only cross at marked cross walks with traffic lights. Always look both ways when you cross the street and walk, don't run.

5. Help your kids slow down, it is so easy for them to be excited and rush from place to place, but teaching them to slow down and be alert of what is around them will help them see cars that are backing up or turning.

6. For drivers please be safe, pay attention, slow down, and turn off all distractions. Do not eat or drink in the car, talk or text on the cell phone, and be extra vigilant of kids of all ages.

On Halloween night starting at 4:00 p.m. our firefighters will be in downtown Forest Grove passing out glow sticks to the trick or treaters so that they can be seen at Halloween, and don't forget that even though our Station 4 is off the beaten path downtown we still have candy and would love to have the kids trick or treat the fire station.

Be Safe, Be Seen at Halloween!

Fire Station Open House and Public Service Fair

2010-10-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue partnered with departments from all over the City of Forest Grove as well as our friends at the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Metro West Ambulance, and the Lifeflight Network when we hosted the annual Forest Grove Public Service Fair. This event started a few years ago as a way of expanding on the already popular fire prevention week fire station open house so that all public safety and city departments could showcase what they have to offer to the community.

Even though this event definitely catered to the younger at heart, there were still plenty of things to see and do and it was an excellent chance for a one stop shopping experience for everyone to get their questions answered about city services in Forest Grove. On hand during the event were representatives from the Forest Grove Library, Parks and Recreation, Water Department, Public Works, Police, and Light and Power departments. Outside of the umbrella of the City of Forest Grove we also had the Washington County Sheriff Crime Prevention Team, an actual ambulance and crew from the county's private ambulance provider Metro West Ambulance, as well as one of the helicopters from the Lifeflight Network landed at our heli-stop for a few hour visit during the event. Children were able to get rides on our fire engines, could walk inside any number of assorted vehicles from backhoes to helicopters and police cars, and our Light and Power Department would take those without a fear of heights up into the air on a bucket truck ride.

So far the fall weather has been fantastic in NW Oregon and we were lucky enough that it continued one more weekend as we were able to have a sun shine filled, comfortable open house. Combining the outstanding weather, and excellent assortment of things to do and see we think that this year was the best ever for our open house. It was hard to get a good count of attendees but we estimate that over 1,000 visitors came through our fire station for this year's event which was a few hundred more then our typical 500 to 700 guests. We are already planning for Open House 2011, so we hope to see all of you again next year.

It's Fire Prevention Week!

2010-10-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

October 3 - 9 marks the annual week that the fire service declares as National Fire Prevention Week. Fire prevention week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire which occur ed started on October 8, 1871 which destroyed much of the city over the course of three days. The first fire prevention week was declared in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. Each year the fire service selects a theme so that firefighters all over the United States can remind their communities how to be safe from the perils of fire. This year the national theme is "Smoke alarms, a sound you can live with!"

In Forest Grove we actually take the entire month of October and work specifically with our elementary schools to start this safety message with our youngest audience. In the coming weeks our Fire and Life Safety Division will visit almost all of our K-4 schools in the coming weeks sharing safety information with the kids and answering their questions about firefighters and fire safety. All of this culminates with our annual Public Service and Safety Open House which will be held this year on Saturday October 16th at our Forest Grove Fire Station.

Smoke Alarms, a Sound You Can Live With Safety Tips

Install smoke alarms inside each bedroom, in the hallway outside the bedrooms, and on each floor of the home. Avoid placing smoke alarms near kitchens and bathrooms where steam and smoke can cause frequent false alarms.
Replace your smoke alarms every ten years.
Test your smoke alarms monthly and practice a family fire drill when you do. Many kids do not know what to do when they hear their smoke alarm so they react by hiding instead of escaping the home. Teach your kids how to safely get out of the home and meet at the family emergency meeting place.
Keep your smoke alarm clean by gently dusting or vacuuming it regularly, if it chirps consider replacing the battery or the entire alarm.

Fall Backyard Burn Season

2010-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Friday October 1st is the official kick off for the fall backyard burn season. From October 1st to December 15th the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) allows residents to burn the yard debris from their property. Backyard burning is allowed in and around Forest Grove, however it's not a burning free for all and there are a number of rules that must be followed to avoid a visit from us or a letter in the mail from the DEQ.

First only burn on open burn days. Each day the DEQ tests the air quality in our area and based on this test they will let us know if burning is allowed that day or not. We update the Washington County Open Burning Hotline each morning with this information. You can hear our pre-recorded message by calling 503.992.3242 to see if you can burn that day. It is very important that you burn only on open days during the time limits allowed.

Second, be sure that you are only burning allowed materials. Backyard burning is for yard debris like limbs, clippings, and leaves. You cannot burn items like lumber, garbage, paper, plastics, or tires. Each year there are also questions from people that live in the rural area about agricultural (Ag) burning. Ag burning is for the removal of debris from a farming operation, just because a person may live in the country they are not considered Ag burning by default. For instance a filbert grower who burns the limbs from his orchard is considered to be ag burning but if the same farmer was to burn some hedges that he pulled out from around his home this would fall under the backyard burning requirements instead of those for Ag.

Third be fire safe and a courteous neighbor when you burn. Make sure your pile is dry before you light it off. Smoke complaints are one of the big reasons we get called by angry neighbors so a dry burn pile will help you burn cleaner without putting off a large amount of smoke. Locate your burn pile away from property lines and so that it is well clear of fences, buildings, trees, and anywhere else where you do not want the fire to spread. Constantly attend to your pile while it is burning and have firefighting equipment like a garden hose and hand tools close by to help control the fire. When you are done burning wet down the burn pile and the area around it with water so to be sure that the fire is completely out and will not flare up after you leave it.

We obviously encourage that you choose non burning methods such as composting or the curbside yard debris removal service instead of burning, but we understand that these options are not always good ones for every property owner. For more information check out the Oregon DEQ website about backyard burning by clicking on this link. To report an illegal burn or smoke related complaint please do not call our fire station, instead call 503.229.5393 and report it to the DEQ directly. If a burn pile gets out of hand always call 9-1-1 immediately.

9-11 Memorial in Forest Grove

2010-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Even though Forest Grove, Oregon is just about as far away from the east coast of the United States as you can get, we as Americans were all touched by the events of September 11, 2001. For those in the fire service, it was the largest loss of life in the line of duty in one day in the history of our profession. On that tragic day 2,977 innocent Americans were killed in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. In the City of New York 343 members of the Fire Department New York, and 60 law enforcement officers were killed while trying to serve the people trapped in the buildings of the World Trade Center. September 11, 2001 is regarded as the single most deadly day for firefighters and police officers in the history of the United States.

Last Saturday was the nine year anniversary of the attack on our country and we were joined by firefighters, police officers, current military members and veterans, as well as community leaders from all over western Washington County for a ceremony to remember one of the most significant events of our generation. We gathered alongside about 50 of our community neighbors at the community flag pole on Pacific Avenue in Forest Grove to remember the tragic day that will forever be recognized as a defining moment for the fire service.

Purchase of AED units will provide for better response to cardiac emergencies

2010-09-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

In an effort to improve our ability to respond to cardiac emergencies we have recently completed the purchase of six new automated external defibrillators, commonly called AED's, and placed them in service on a number of our emergency vehicles. Prior to this purchase we only had four of these units (three at Station 4 in Forest Grove, and one at Station 7 in Gales Creek) and there were times when all of these could have been tied up on calls so we made it a priority in this year's budget to ensure that we were able to add to our inventory with the total cost of these new devices coming in at $13,800 dollars. In total we now have ten of these life saving tools ready to respond to emergencies in our community.

One of our new Phillips FR2 AED with ECG Units shows a normal heart rythym during testing last week

For the last few years you may have been seeing more and more AED's in the community. You can find them at malls, stores, airports, public swimming pools, offices, and other public places where they are becoming just as commonplace as a fire extinguisher or first aid kit. You really can't fault this either as statistics from the Heart Rhythm Foundation show that there are approximately 325,000 deaths per year from sudden cardiac arrest and that 93 to 95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before they even reach the hospital. Studies involving better access to a defibrillator show that the survivability rates increase to 50% or better when an AED is applied within minutes of the event. The Phillips model FR2 AED that we purchased is quite a bit different from the ones you see in public places however, all in a good way. According to our Emergency Medical Services Officer, Paramedic Will Murphy "These are not an AED alone like in the mall, our units have the capability for us to monitor the ECG (electrocardiography) of the patient and get us a better look at what is creating the reason they called 9-1-1."

Our new AED's will also allow us to work more efficiently. According to Murphy "These devices match the current ones that we use so no additional training will be needed, in fact they are able to be used by all certification levels of EMT from the Volunteer Firefighter/First Responder to the career Firefighter/Paramedic." In addition the Phillips FR2 model is compatible with other local area emergency crews so that we will be able to disconnect the cord and plug them directly into the same unit from Metro West Ambulance when they arrive to take the patient to the hospital. One more added benefit for our department is that we can also record data on these so that we can do regular quality control checks on our calls to ensure that we are indeed providing the first class emergency medical care that we would expect.

FGF&R Emergency Medical Services Officer Will Murphy places one of the new AED units on our Engine 423, until last week's purchase this engine did not carry an AED as part of it's normal compliment of equipment

An AED works by analyzing your heart rhythm to determine if an electrical shock is needed to help restart your heart's natural electrical balance. Some AED units that are in public places are truly automatic, meaning that you turn the machine on and a computer voice will tell you exactly how to apply the patches, the machine will then take it from there and deliver electricity as needed automatically. Our AED units are slightly different in that we have to actually push a button to enable them to deliver the electricity needed to "restart" your heart. Still these little machines are the most effective tool out there to help us save a life that has suffered from sudden cardiac arrest. This purchase ensures that every fire engine in our fleet as well as the vehicles driven by our Chiefs and Fire Inspector will carry an AED ready to respond to the needs of the community.

Fire Safety for Hunting Season

2010-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

This week a special guest blogger will be posting on our page. Lana Limbeck is a 2010 graduate of Forest Grove High School and volunteers in our Fire and Life Safety Division. Lana will be starting her college fire science studies soon, and to get her started we gave her a "homework assignment" to create a fire safety blog post related to the start of hunting season. Good job Lana, hope our readers enjoy it.

Summer is already coming to a close to the disappointment of many, but for some Oregon hunters it only brings excitement. Fall ushers in an exciting time for those preparing their plates for a little extra protein and their guns for this year's hunting season. Bow hunters kicked it off already this month and rifle hunting is due to begin later in the fall in October. Although August has blessed Forest Grove area residents with much cooler weather this year, it is important to remember that while summer may seem to be cooling off, the fire danger is still very high. This is especially true for hunters who will be spending a lot of time in the national forests in the next few months. When preparing your packing lists for this year’s hunting season, be aware of the dangers, restrictions, and laws regarding fire safety during the last month of summer.

According to charts provided by the Oregon Department of Forestry, wildfires are more prevalent throughout July, August, September, and even October. We may think that the danger ends in September, but depending on the weather, it can continue well into the fall. Until significant rainfall occurs, the ODF says that major restrictions will remain in place well into the fall.

This brush fire burned approximately an acre and was believed to have been started by a hunter on SW Fernhill Road last year

There are many restrictions currently in place on all Tillamook state forests and surrounding properties due to the current fire danger. Forest fires are too often caused by unattended campfires and smokers who fail to extinguish their cigarettes. To prevent this, the ODF has placed a ban on both. Absolutely no campfires are allowed on public or private land except in designated areas such as campgrounds. Smoking is prohibited unless kept inside closed vehicles on improved or well-maintained roads. ATV's and motorcycles are not permitted unless on improved roads because of the dry conditions and no non-industry use of chainsaws is allowed in any case.

The heavy restrictions may disappoint many hunters who plan on camping, but it is imperative to pack according to the current regulations. One very important thing to know when creating a packing list is this: when traveling on any unpaved county or logging roads all hunters must carry a fire extinguisher or one gallon of water and one shovel in their vehicles. It's not just a recommendation this year, it is required.

The regulations and fire dangers are different for every unit and area so it is very important to know and understand the regulations for the unit you will be hunting in. You can find information about the fire dangers in your unit by contacting the Oregon Department of Forestry, or by visiting their website at http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/.

FGF&R wishes for everyone to have a fun, successful, and safe hunt this year. Pack according to the current fire danger and remember to stay updated on the restrictions taking place in your unit. Enjoy your hunting season, and good luck!

New GPS units help us find you.

2010-08-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

For years when firefighters would visit with school aged children we would talk about calling 9-1-1 and how the children needed to know their address when they called. As times changed and technology progressed, if you called 9-1-1 from a phone connected directly to a wall jack, our enhanced computer aided dispatch system could tell where you were calling from based on the phone you were using. This greatly improved our ability to respond timely when we could not get the caller to tell us where they were because the computer would tell us exactly where the phone was located.

In the 1990's with cell phones becoming more prevalent this became much more difficult. People would call and were not sure of their address, dispatchers had to use landmarks to help the caller identify where they were close enough to be able to give us accurate information which took valuable time away from our response. In recent years the cell phone and dispatch technology has evolved so much that now our dispatchers can sometimes locate your place on earth by your cell phone signal. At our dispatch center in Tanasbourne a dispatcher could use their computer to determine the latitude and longitude of the callers location based on their cell phone signal. As people abandoned their traditional land line home phones for cell phones this became all the more important of a tool to be able to use.

Last week we installed Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units in our Engine 421 and Rescue 4 that enable us to use this cell phone location information on our end and direct our crews right to the scene. This is so vitally important when you consider how much of our 85 square miles of response area is really rural. It could be a farmer in the middle of a field in Verboort having chest pains while moving his irrigation, a mountain bike rider who has crashed on one of the local trails, or a child calling for their sick mother from a home in the city, but we hope that these new GPS units will help us respond quicker when seconds really do count.

These small GPS units in our engine and rescue can have a big impact on our ability to respond to an incident quickly when the caller isn't sure of their location.

In addition to the ability that these units provide us to find people they also help others find us. We use air ambulance resources like Lifeflight quite often and with our GPS units we can tell the pilots exactly where the landing zone is located. Don't worry however, we aren't abandoning the more traditional methods like paper maps that are still carried on our engines, and our firefighters will still train on basic road and area familiarization, but these electronic tools are just one of the many ways that we are looking towards technology to become more efficient improve our service to the community.

It may be "cooling off" but our fire season is just now starting to heat up

2010-08-17T07:47:00.001-07:00

All over Forest Grove air conditioners are running non stop, kids are playing in sprinklers, and fresh cool Hermiston water melons are being enjoyed for dessert. At the same time we are already getting that feeling that fall is coming - Monday Night Football was on last night, Pacific University students are starting to return to campus, and parents are buying school clothes and supplies and getting their kids to bed a bit earlier each night in anticipation of the arrival of school and the unofficial end of summer. It's important to remember however that in Oregon our wild fire season is really just getting started, and may still be more severe then we've seen in years.

In July the 15 acre fire on the slopes of David Hill was not only easily visible from anywhere in Forest Grove as the smoke drifted over our neighborhoods, but it was also one of the largest fires in our community in recent history. This weekend almost 80 acres burned just a few miles south of us in the northern part of Yamhill County. Just weeks ago the Rooster Rock Fire near Sisters threatened homes, and 800 acres currently burning near Grants Pass is in danger of doing the same. All over the northwest crews are working the fire lines waiting for the fall rains to arrive that will end fire season 2010.

This cell phone photo shows the smoke column from the David Hill Fire in July

Now is the time to remember the old phrase "It's always darkest just before the dawn". We all remember the long winter that stretched into the spring; this has allowed fuels such as brush and grass to be more abundant then normal years and the recent dry weather has made for tinder box like conditions around us. We hear every year about fires in southern and central Oregon, but northwest Oregon has not experienced a large fire in decades leaving us extra vulnerable and complacent when it comes to fire danger. But we are at risk and history proves it, until Southern Oregon's 2002 Biscuit Fire our very own 1933 Tillamook Burn was the largest fire in our state in generations, and it started on August 14th of that year. The 1933 Tillamook Burn destroyed over 240,000 acres of the very same timbered hillsides that we all see when we look west to watch the sunset or drive over the hill to visit the coast.

So what can we do? Even if it does cool down into the 70's this week and stays that way until the October rains arrive we cannot let our guard down. September can be one of the busiest months for brush fires, and just a few years ago we fought a stubborn October brush fire all night long with frost on the ground when we were done. Now is the time for caution and attention to everything we do outside. Carry a fire extinguisher in your car, make sure your lawn mower or tractor is in good working condition, put a little extra water on that old burn pile or campfire or pig roast pit and make sure it's out, and if the signs in your camp site say no camp fires please don't start one. If you see smoke call 9-1-1 immediately, fires can spread rapidly and we would rather check on a small fire then have to try and control one that is growing by the acre instead of the inch. If we work together we can make sure that the summer 2010 is rememberd for fun family activities instead of tragic wild fires.

Illegal Fireworks

2010-07-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

In an effort to cut back on illegal fireworks we teamed with the Forest Grove Police Department to hit the streets on July 4th to enforce the city ordinance that prohibits illegal fireworks. For the night we reassigned one of our fire inspectors who otherwise worked a part time schedule during the day. He and a Forest Grove Police Officer traveled the city looking for illegal fireworks and trying to catch those in the act when they were using them.

Starting at 8:00 pm on July 4th and patrolling until 12:30 am on the morning of July 5th they were able to issue four citations for violation of the city code that prohibits possession and use of illegal fireworks. Each of these citation carries with it a fine of $1000, which is obviously significant to those that were caught. In addition to the four citations, they gave warnings to twenty others who were believed to have used illegal fireworks. Fire and Police agencies all over the metro area do this type of patrol every year, but this is the first of it's kind in Forest Grove. Hopefully in the future we can make a bigger dent on the illegal fireworks that are popular all over the city.

We hired back two additional firefighters for the evening hours on July 4th and assigned them to a Brush Unit. Our Brush units are large pickups that are equipped with special hose and equipment for fighting fires in brush and grass that are otherwise more difficult for a large fire engine to access. These two firefighters spent the evening with a much more friendly approach to fireworks safety. All told they met with 30 groups of people and discussed how to make safety part of their celebration.

Over the long Holiday weekend we only responded to one fireworks caused fire. The small fire was called in in the early morning hours of July 5th and started when fireworks that were already used remained hot enough that they caught the side of a house on fire. Damage was small because it was found in time and controlled by the home owner. Fireworks should always be soaked in water after they are used and left well away from anything that can burn.

With our close proximity to the state of Washington we see quite a bit of illegal in Oregon fireworks in the metro area. Hopefully next year people can weigh the risk of this significant fine when they travel north across the Columbia to try and make their holiday more exciting. Even a small packet of firecrackers can cost you if you are caught with them, so next year let's keep it safe, and keep it legal.

Backyard Campfires

2010-06-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Remember those memories of your childhood? Summer time spent around the campfire, telling stories, watching stars above, roasting hot dogs, and creating flaming marshmallows for those yummy but sticky s'mores. With families not taking those big vacations they were able to in years past, we are getting lots of questions about backyard campfires. If you already have a place for one, or are planning to have a campfire in your backyard hopefully we can help you do so safely.

First off, backyard campfires are considered by the fire code to be a recreational fire. They do not fall into the same category as yard debris burning, so even though yard debris burn season is closed right now, you can still have a backyard campfire. There may be a time where if the weather gets extremely dry that even recreational fires are banned, but right now they are allowed. If a total burn ban happens we will get the word out. If a backyard campfire is in your near future we offer this advice:

Locate it well away from anything that can burn. It should be clear from trees, brush, landscaping, buildings, and fences. Dig the pit down a little and ring it with rocks or other non combustible material to help prevent fire spread. Keep the area clear around it so embers cannot escape and start unwanted fires. If you use a commercially made outdoor fire place the same advice is appropriate. Keep the area around it free of grass and anything that can burn.

Use only small amounts of dry seasoned fire wood. We get dozens of complaint calls each year about smoke, and using dry fire wood will help you have a smoke free fire. Never burn treated outdoor wood, plastic, or garbage in your campfire.

Be prepared and responsible for your fire. Have a garden hose and shovel handy to help control your fire and put it out when you are done. If you are having a campfire as part of a party at your home please make sure someone remains in control of the fire. This should be an adult who is not drinking and remains near the fire at all times.

Use a spark screen over the fire pit so that embers and ash remain in the fire pit and not blowing into you or your neighbor's yard.

When you are done make sure the fire is out. Completely soak the fire pit area with water and stir it with a shovel until no steam or smoke comes from it. Never leave the fire burning when you are done.

Agricultural Burning

2010-06-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

With the spring backyard burn season ending last week we have been flooded with phone calls about agricultural burning. The big question has been "can I ag burn today even though backyard burning is closed?". We run into a number of issues in our rural areas where people are burning yard debris under the assumption that because they live in the "country" it is agricultural burning so hopefully this blog post will help answer those questions.

Here is the Oregon Department of Agriculture definition for agricultural burning (with hyper link to their website if you want more information):

"Agricultural Burning is the burning of any agriculture waste generated by an agricultural operation that uses, or intends to use, land primarily for the purpose of obtaining a profit by raising, harvesting, and selling crops or raising or selling animals (including poultry) or the products of animal husbandry. Prohibited materials, such as tires, cannot be burned even in an agricultural setting."

So basically to answer the question simply, it is only agricultural burning if you are burning debris from a farming operation that you profit from. Just because you live in the country you are not considered an agricultural burning operation by default, and even if you do operate a farm the material you are burning has to be part of the farming process to be considered agricultural burning. For instance a local hazelnut orchard cannot burn brush clippings from the yard outside of backyard burn season because they aren't burning the debris from the orchard itself, nor can someone with a couple of acres and a horse burn tree limbs under the agricultural burning rules.

So when can you burn your yard debris? Backyard burn season is determined by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and is open twice a year. Spring burn season runs from March 1 to June 15 and fall season starts October 1 and ends December 15th. Based on air quality testing DEQ determines day to day during these times if burning will be allowed, they then pass this on to us to update our open burning hot line (503.992.3242). During the summer months the Washington County Fire Defense Board will typically close all burning, even ag burning, for fire safety reasons. If the weather dries out early or stays dry longer this burn ban can be during the typical backyard burn season so it is important to always call the open burning hot line to find out if you can burn today.

The Oregonian's Blog of the Week

2010-06-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Typically my Saturday morning routine is to get up early, sit down in the backyard (weather permitting) with a glass of tea and read the Oregonian newspaper. With all of the breaking news alerts on your smart phones, Twitter posts, and web based news services, reading the paper for news may seem old fashioned to many, yet at the same time I have always enjoyed getting my news from the words I read in a paper that was in my hand at the time. There is just something about reading these stories, and the ability that the reporters and editors have to tell the story that makes print media just as vital and relevant as ever. Don't get me wrong, I love social media and believe in it as a communication tool, so much so in fact that Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was one of the first fire departments in Oregon to use sites like Twitter to get our message out; but how much detail can you really get out of a 140 character "tweet" compared to an entire column in the local paper.

I try and read the Oregonian every day at some point, but I always pay attention to the Saturday addition. For one because it's the weekend and I have more time to read, but mainly because on Saturday the Oregonian runs a special section called Community News that showcases local stories from the communities and cities in the Portland Metro Area. Last Saturday as I sat in my back yard and flipped through the pages I came to something that was suddenly familiar. It was our blog post about driveways and emergency vehicle access and it was listed as the "Blog Of The Week".

On behalf of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, thank you to the staff at the Oregonian. Your staff and reporters have always been great to work with when they covered our emergency calls, they are always professional and do a first class job with the words they put together. Between the Forest Grove News Times, Hillsboro Argus, and the Oregonian we work with some pretty awesome print media reporters, photographers, and editors and we are always grateful for their coverage of our stories. There are also some great fire blogs out there, so we are especially honored by the selection as the Oregonian Blog of the Week.

Kitchen Fires

2010-06-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Even though the weather has been more like January then June, summer vacation will soon be upon us. Later this week, kids of all ages from the Forest Grove School District will turn in their last homework assignment, ride the bus home one last time, and be home again until September. For the older kids, especially if they are home without a parent, a summer responsibility might be to make their own meals. Hopefully when you talk to them about how to use the kitchen appliances you also consider safety a part of your chat.

Last week at the Fred Meyer Safety Fair, Cornelius Fire Department Lieutenant George Robards put on an excellent demonstration of how fast things can get out of hand in your kitchen. Using a standard sized cast iron skillet, George would heat up vegetable oil, simulating what happens when you leave the kitchen and stop paying attention to your cooking. Within minutes the oil would start to smoke eventually reaching a temperature so hot that the common cooking oil would ignite.

Small flames show up as the vegetable oil reaches it's automatic ignition temperature

Now a small fire in a pan can be a scary enough experience for most people. The key is to not react in the inappropriate way that can cause the small fire to get much larger. We all know that water can be an effective means of controlling some types of fire. Water does not work, and will actually make the fire conditions worse, when the fire involves a liquid such as vegetable oil. George continued his demonstration by carefully taking just one cup full of water and pouring it into the burning oil to show you the dangers of this often afterthought in an emergency.

The burning vegetable oil reacts violently when water is used to attempt to extinguish the fire

So what happened? At the time the vegetable oil ignited it was around 600 degrees. When you add the water, it instantly boils and the resulting steam explosion causes the vegetable oil to explode from the pan. This increases the surface area of the vegetable oil and can make for a very dangerous situation. Imagine the photo above inside your kitchen instead of the open air of the Fred Meyer parking lot, the damage to your home and the injuries to whoever puts the water on it would be devastating.

We offer these safety tips for your kitchen:

Avoid wearing long sleeves and loose fitting clothes when you are cooking. These can drape into the burner and catch fire.
Never leave the cooking unattended. Stay in the kitchen while you cook and pay attention to your cooking at all times.
Keep the kitchen area clean, make sure that things that can burn like rags and food containers are well clear of things that get hot, like the toaster, coffee pot, and cook top.
Before you start to cook make sure that you have a tight fitting lid and pot holder or oven mitt handy. If a fire happens in the pan, use a pot holder to carefully slide the pan lid into place (do not drop it). Turn the burner to the off position and call 9-1-1. Never attempt to carry a hot pan away from the cooking appliance.
Have an ABC rated fire extinguisher ready to go in the kitchen. Talk to your family about how to use it and make sure that it is charged and accessible. Never use water on a grease fire.
Even if you think the fire is out, call 9-1-1 and have us come check it out for you.

Can we get to your home to help you in an emergency?

2010-06-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Late last week a family in rural Forest Grove lost their shop building when it caught fire in the middle of the night. When firefighters arrived the building was completely involved with fire and had already collapsed. It took a dozen firefighters from FGF&R, Hillsboro, Gaston, and Cornelius to extinguish the flames and control the fire, however the situation could have been much worse.

Near the shop was another shop building, the family home, and a large amount of parked heavy construction vehicles and equipment, as well as the timbered woodlands that cover Blooming Fernhill. Had this fire occurred later in the summer when we typically get higher winds and the woods around us are considerably drier this could have easily spread up the hill. In these cases we need to get our equipment and firefighters in to fight the fire quickly so that we can control the spread. What we found last week with the shop fire was that the driveway was so steep with sharp turns, bare spots without gravel, and tightly lined with trees and brush, that we were only able to get one engine (with 4 firefighters) and a command vehicle to where the fire was. All of the other firefighters had to walk in from the main road, which took time and limited the amount of equipment that they could carry. In addition to this, when the fire was controlled we had very little room to turn our engine around.

So what can you do? Our driveway standards are pretty straightforward and are based on the Oregon Fire Code. There are a lot of things we look at in a driveway, but the 5 basic things include:

Driveways that serve single homes need to be at least 12 feet wide and have a good solid all weather surface such as gravel, concrete, or asphalt. Multiple homes need to be 15 feet wide so that there is room for our engines and your neighbors to pass each other on the road. Make sure turns and corners aren't too tight and that the driveway isn't too steep.
Cut back trees, limbs, and brush so that there is a clear height of 13 feet 6 inches for us to drive through. We hear all of the time that dump trucks can make it, why can't a fire engine? The reason is all of the equipment that we carry on top of our engines. From our emergency lights, radio antennas, and firefighting equipment all of this can be damaged by low hanging trees.
If your driveway is really long (over 400 feet) help us by making wide spots every 400 feet where our fire engines can pass each other. On large fires we will need to bring multiple fire engines and water tenders that may be leaving the scene to go find a fire hydrant to fill with water and return.
Is there a place to turnaround? Our engines and water tenders are quite long, so look at your driveway and determine if you could easily turnaround a big truck there. This is very important to us in times of large wild land fires where we are trying to defend homes from a forest fire. We need to be able to turnaround the engines quickly to get out if the fire becomes out of control and threatens the lives of our firefighters.
Post your address, our green and white reflective address signs are free and can be ordered by calling the fire station at 503.992.3240.

If you need help call us, we would be happy to take a look at your driveway and help you determine what improvements you can make to help us.

Oregon Fire Service Meritorious Awards

2010-05-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 22 was a special night for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue as one of our staff members was recognized by the Oregon Fire Chief's Association at their annual Fire Service Meritorious Awards Dinner. This year's event was held in Salem at the Salem Conference Center and was attended by over 400 fire service employees, volunteers, and leaders from all across Oregon. This year FGF&R Captain David Nemeyer was presented with the Award of Excellence because of his efforts serving the Forest Grove community.

FGF&R Captain David Nemeyer with Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson (left) and Oregon Fire Chief's Association President Mark Prince after David recieved the Award of Excellence

This is what the night's Master of Ceremonies Tim Birr had to say about David as he was on stage receiving the award:

"Captain Nemeyer serves as a Fire Prevention Officer with Forest Grove Fire and Rescue. He has become one of the fire service leaders in the utilization of social media to communicate with the public, which has improved public education, information and code enforcement in Washington County. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter and a blog, information on public education and safety programs can now be sent to the community quickly and efficiently. During a recent water rescue incident, Twitter followers were instantly informed of what the emergency vehicles were responding to and public information messages were posted, reminding people of the importance of wearing life jackets. Captain Nemeyer has also been instrumental in setting up the Western Washington County Fire Investigation Team to serve the community of Forest Grove and surrounding communities, resulting in increased investigatory depth, expertise and capability. He has provided public education programs to over 2,000 children in the Forest Grove School District. He has also coordinated the annual Christmas Toy Drive and is an active leader in the Washington County Safe Kids Coalition, becoming one of the recognized leaders in fire safety, public education and information in Oregon. Captain Nemeyer is the primary instructor and coordinator for the joint school district and fire department Fire Cadet program. He has also been a vital part of setting up a unique local committee of assisted living care facilities and nursing homes to improve partnership with the high-risk population that we serve."

Fire Investigator Training Comes to Forest Grove

2010-05-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday May 15th, firefighters from all over NW Oregon came to Forest Grove to attend the hands on portion of a basic fire investigation class. The students had previously received instruction on topics that ranged from legal aspects to burn pattern interpretation to photography and documentation, and was intended to prepare them to help their agency determine what causes the fires that they respond to. Mostly senior firefighters, the participants came from as far away as Warrenton on the Oregon Coast and Columbia River Fire & Rescue in St. Helens, and were instructed by Fire Investigators from FGF&R and the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.

FGF&R Fire Inspector Matt Johnston works with a team from Cornelius and Warrenton to identify the cause of a living room fire

For the last few months we collected furniture and items typical of a modern home to set up the house at the corner of 18th Avenue and C Street with as real of a presentation as possible. Last Monday our firefighters created various "sets" inside the home to simulate different causes of fire. We created an arson situation using flammable liquids to start the fire, a youth set fire involving fireworks and matches, a kitchen fire started by unattended cooking, a living room fire that began by a person who smoked while using medical oxygen, and an electrical fire started by using too many extension cords in a bedroom. We extinguished the fires just as we would on a real fire and left the rooms intact for the fire investigators.

Our "set" involving what could happen if a person smokes while using oxygen begins to burn the couch in our living room scenario

When the students processed the scene they were expected to work as a team to determine each of the five fire causes. Starting from the outside of the home they made observations and worked their way towards the areas where the fire had created the most damage. Once there they carefully layered through the debris to find what they believed had caused the fire to start. Even in the vast blackness and destruction of the fire the new investigators were able to find and identify small items like cigarette filters, match sticks, and the remains of the flammable liquid bottle. Once done they were all expected to share their findings with one of the instructors and create documents to prove their theories.

Police Officers from the Forest Grove Police Department stopped by to chat with the new fire investigators about the role that police officers have on a fire investigation scene.

All together, almost 20 students attended the Saturday class. Many of which came from the western part of Washington County. FGF&R participates in a fire investigation team concept that uses trained fire investigators from our neighbors at Cornelius, Gaston, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, and Washington County Fire District 2 to work together on a fire scene. This training will allow us for a more experienced training pool to pull from when needed anywhere in the western part of Washington County.

Forest Grove Firefighters to add confined space rescue to their menu

2010-05-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

One of the most overlooked dangers in our community is that which involves what we call a confined space. Basically a confined space is something that is large enough for a worker to get inside of and work, but is not designed to be constantly occupied and has limited options for the worker to be able to leave this area. We have these all around Forest Grove, they are the underground vaults that the utility workers use to supply us with sewer, power, and water; they are the silos that the farmer uses to store grain or seed in; confined spaces are the tanks that our industrial centers use in their processes. These confined spaces can be very dangerous for workers and for emergency crews. Often times they have dangerous gasses that build up inside of them because of the natural decomposition of plants, confined spaces can also lack oxygen sufficient enough for us to breathe, and they sometimes can have hazardous materials in them that can harm us if we work with them wrong.

Through a grant we were able to train our crews over the last month on how to respond to an emergency in a confined space. We worked with our neighbors at the Hillsboro Fire Department to provide this training for us, which took place over two full eight hour days for each of our three shifts of career firefighters. The first part of each day was spent in the classroom learning the materials that we would need to perform the hands on afternoon training safely. Firefighters practiced at the City of Forest Grove Water Treatment Plant. Using the almost 20 feet vault there to simulate a number of scenarios. Firefighters from FGF&R as well as the Cornelius and Hillsboro Fire Departments set up specialized equipment that we use to lower rescuers into a confined space, this include a tripod device that uses a pulley and rigging system to safely lower and raise a rescuer into the vault or tank. We also used ventilation equipment that can either provide clean fresh air into a confined space, as well as remove dangerous and toxic gasses so we can work. In addition firefighters trained with not only our traditional self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), but a new to us device called a supplied air respirator. This respirator is lighter weight and uses a hose from a bank of air cylinders that is kept a distance away so we can go in and work for longer periods of time then our SCBA will typically allow.

This training will help us better serve and respond to this potentially dangerous and life threatening type of emergency. Within the next few months firefighters will begin outfitting emergency vehicles and wrapping up training for all of our personnel to prepare us to respond if needed to a confined space emergency.

2009 Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Awards

2010-04-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

It may seem funny that here we are a quarter of the way through 2010 and we at FGF&R are still thinking about 2009, but that's exactly what we did last Saturday at our Awards and Recognition Banquet. This event is held each spring to look back on the previous year to not only reward our staff and volunteers for a job well done, but recognize the sacrifices that our families make when we do our jobs.

C Shift Firefighter Brad Shinpaugh was selected by the staff and volunteers as the 2009 Rookie of the Year. Brad is highly regarded because of his easy going attitude and friendly personality. Brad coordinates our Community Emergency Response Team, which is a program that trains community neighbors on how to handle a major emergency or natural disaster. In 2009 Brad also worked to set up the "Fill the Boot" fundraiser that the International Association of Firefighters does every year with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Volunteer Firefighter Ben Langbehn was recognized as the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year because as Fire Chief Michael Kinkade put it "When you consider what this young man did in 2009, attending paramedic school, completing his required clinical rotations and ambulance hours, working multiple part time jobs, and still making over 100 calls with us; he basically worked the equivalent of three full time jobs." Ben was one of our first high school Cadet Firefighters in 2001, worked his way through the Fire Science Program at PCC, and wrapped up the Paramedic Program at Chemekta Community College last fall, all the while he has remained dedicated to his hometown fire department. In 2009 he was one of our top volunteer responders, attended almost all public education events, and extra activities, and helped with our Christmas Toy Drive. Last month all of the years of hard work paid off for Ben as he was hired by the West Valley Fire District near Willamina, Oregon. Ben remains committed to Forest Grove and will still reside here and volunteer with FGF&R however, where he will be one of three volunteer paramedics.

Matt Rawls, Ben Langbehn, and Brad Shinpaugh with their awards after the banquet

Matt Rawls was not only the Master of Ceremonies for our banquet but he also received the Career Firefighter of the Year award. Our Career awards are voted on by the volunteers in our agency, and Matt was selected because of the support that he offers our volunteers. Matt works closely with our intern firefighters, providing them with support and guidance as they work through their fire and paramedic programs at the community colleges. He is regarded as one of the most enjoyable people to be around, and very rarely has a bad day. Matt and Ben have quite a few things in common, both were in our first Cadet class in 2001, each of them received their Paramedic training at Chemeketa Community College, and they both have worked for the West Valley Fire District. We hired Matt in 2008 and he is currently assigned to our C Shift as one of our Firefighter Paramedics.

It's a bit odd to write this next paragraph, as I was lucky enough to be honored as the Career Fire Officer of the Year, so bear with me as I speak in the third person. Fire Inspector David Nemeyer was presented with the Career Officer of the Year award because of his service to the extra projects that make FGF&R successful. David leads the High School Cadet Program, manages the day to day operations of our Fire Prevention Division, started our social media campaign, and in 2009 coordinated the Christmas Toy Drive Program that we do with the firefighters from Cornelius Fire & Rescue which provided over 1,000 local children with a new toy last holiday season.

Dexter Danielson may not put on the turnouts and fight the fires that we do, but he provides an often times overlooked but always appreciated service to our community. Dexter is our Chaplain, and with a rash of very serious calls in our area in 2009 Dexter was an invaluable part of our organization. While we work to solve the emergency at hand, Dexter works with the families and those affected. He offers our neighbors guidance and support, and when the emergency is over he supports the firefighters who deal with things that are often unimaginable. What's more he does it all out of his own kindness and desire to help others. The former Washington County Sheriff Deputy is highly regarded by our staff and was selected as our 2009 Volunteer Fire Officer of the Year.

Fire Chief Michael Kinkade (Left) presents Chaplain Dexter Danielson with the Volunteer Fire Officer of the Year Award

Finally the prestigious Fire Chief's award was presented to A Shift Firefighter Geoff McFarland. Geoff is one of the most outgoing and ambitious members of our entire department. In 2009 Geoff made a significant impact in the safety of our community when he coordinated our first ever car seat safety clinics. Geoff works closely with the Oregon Safe Kids to provide this invaluable service once a month in our city. As important and daunting this task may be, Geoff doesn't stop there. In 2009 Geoff and his wife Nicole organized our summer co-ed softball league, and with the help of their family also set up our annual awards banquet.

Congratulations to all of the award winners and our heartfelt appreciation to the families and loved ones that we all too often leave at home when we respond on emergencies.

Ventilation on a real fire

2010-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our blog post this week (see the next post below) covers why we cut holes in the roof of a burning building. In the post we showed you pictures of one of our crews training on how to do this properly and safely. The building they were using was not on fire, it was donated us before it is demolished to make room for a new city park. Buildings on fire bring with them a completely different set of variables that we can't easily simulate with our typical donated structures.

In May of 2008 we responded to this fire in the Quail Run neighborhood of Forest Grove. When our crews arrived they found the fire burning under the home, but it quickly spread inside a wall into the void space between the ceiling and the roof. Ironically, Firefighter Ted Penge is not only one of the firefighters in the training photos, but he is also one of the firefighters in this photo from 2008 that was taken immediately after his crew finished cutting a ventilation hole in the roof of the burning manufactured home. As you can tell, the conditions during the real thing are quite a bit different then those during last week's practice. We thought that we would share this to show what a ventilation operation on a real fire looks like. To read this week's blog post detailing why we do this, please continue to read the next post below.

Ventilation Training

2010-04-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Firefighters recognize that the most dangerous part of a fire is not the flames, instead it is the smoke and super heated toxic gasses that the fire produces. More often then not, those who die in a house fire tragically do so because of the suffocating smoke. Beyond the risk for those still trapped inside a burning building, the heated gasses that a fire produces will also cause damage to the building and the items inside as they spread across the structure. That's why we work to remove these dangerous byproducts of combustion as soon as we can. We do this through a practice that we call ventilation.

Our goal in ventilating a building is to remove the toxic superheated gasses and smoke and replace them with cooler fresh air, we can do this in a variety of ways depending on where the fire is burning. If a fire is limited to inside a bedroom we can open a window and place a powerful fan to blow fresh air in through a door way on the opposite side of the house; this allows us to not only remove the toxic atmosphere but it also enables us to control the spread of the fire by pushing it out through the window to the exterior of the home. Once the fire gets into an attic space however our work gets a little more difficult. That scenario is what C Shift at Station 4 practiced last week when they worked on roof cuts at a donated building on 26th Avenue.

To perform this task we start by setting up ground ladders so that we can get on the roof of a building. We then use a special ladder called a "roof ladder" that has hooks on the tip of it so that they secure the ladder to the roof peak and allow us a safe platform to work from. Once there we work with power tools, axes, and long poles to cut a 4' x 4' hole (10' x 10' in commercial structures like apartments, manufacturing facilities, etc.) in the roof above the room where the fire is burning. We carefully cut through the roofing material and plywood sheeting and we work hard to make sure that we do not cut through the rafters or trusses of the roof structure. Cutting through a load bearing part of the roof can weaken the entire roof structure which could be deadly for us. It also makes it more difficult and costly for the homeowner to repair the damage after the fire is out if one of these structural members is damaged.

If you are standing on the street watching us ventilate a roof on a real house fire you may think that we are creating more damage then we are saving. The smoke that was coming from the eaves will begin to burn as it comes out of the ventilation hole. Believe it or not this is all part of the process to extinguish the fire, and actually causes less damage then if we didn't cut the roof. By working this way we create a chimney effect that will make the fire go where we want it to go, and prevent it from spreading across the rest of the home. This chimney effect also allows fresh air to rush in and replace the dirty toxic gasses so that we can quickly get inside the home and find the fire or any trapped victims.

Window Safety Week

2010-04-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

As we noticed in the last month we went from sunny spring like weather to rainy downpours, to a little snow in the higher elevations. The weather in NW Oregon is unpredictable at best. Yet soon enough the sunshine will return and when it does we'll be opening our windows more, seems safe enough? Not always, this week is National Window Safety Week . It may seem like there is a week for just about every safety topic, but the risk is very real for the little ones in our homes when it comes to falling from upstairs windows.

There are literally hundreds of news articles online from across the nation that talk about a child falling from a window. These accidents can happen so quickly and often times, result in serious injuries or sadly, death. So as I look out my office window this morning and see dark clouds rolling across the coast range and wet pavement on Ash Street I cant help but think that, believe it or not, now before spring returns is the right time to check the windows in the family home. If you have little kids that live in your home, or even if you occasionally have them over (grandparents, relatives, or those who babysit) we offer these tips to help you:

Avoid placing furniture near windows, this will prevent kids from climbing to within reach of the window.
Never think that an insect screen will prevent a window fall. Screens are easily pushed out by little hands or the weight of the child leaning against the screen.
Talk to your kids, make sure they know there are strict rules about playing near windows.
Install building code compliant devices designed to limit how far a window will open or window guards with release devices to help prevent a fall.
Teach your children the proper way to use a window and how to escape the home in an emergency.

You can get window safety devices at hardware and home improvement stores, and from a number of online retailers. Typically they are relatively inexpensive, as well as easy to install. None of us want to see a child hurt, simple actions today can help you avoid the unthinkable tragedy that comes with a window fall accident.

What is that fire engine doing in my town?

2010-03-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we were dispatched along with other Washington County fire agencies to a third alarm barn fire in rural Newberg. As we always do we posted a message on our Twitter page that we were responding to the fire, which drew a reply from one of our Twitter followers commenting that Newberg was "pretty far" for us to respond to. In addition this comment, one of the more common questions we hear is "why was a Cornelius engine in town last night?" The quick answer is because we have what are called "Mutual Aid Agreements". For us that makes sense, but what does that term really mean to our community?

The view from inside one of Newberg's emergency vehicles as they responded to the fire on March 20

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue (as well as every other fire department in the metro area) has what we call mutual aid agreements with our neighboring fire agencies. The same can be said at the County level where the Washington County Fire Defense Board (a group that represents regionally and state wide all of the fire departments in our county) maintains mutual aid agreements with other counties. What these mutual aid agreements do for us is let firefighters cross those invisible lines that we call district borders all in an effort to support each other when needed to safely solve the emergencies that arise.

When a large fire, such as the one on March 20th in Newberg, occurs it can be very difficult for a single fire department to handle on their own. As you can see in the photos, this fire was not something that a single fire engine with 750 gallons of water was going to be able to control on their own. On fires we respond with what is called a "Box", each box is one square mile on a map of the region, and a typical fire will start out with what we call a 1st Alarm Box Assignment. Basically an alarm is a preassigned number of fire engines, a chief officer, a rescue, and depending on if the call is in the city or a rural area it will either have a ladder truck or a water tender. Each greater alarm just brings in a similar amount of equipment. With the Newberg incident the fire went to a 3rd alarm with numerous fire engines, water tenders (because it was in a rural area that did not have nearby fire hydrants to support the engines), and the like responding to the call.

A closer scene view of the 3rd alarm barn fire in Newberg on March 20 shows what the first firefighters to arrive were up against. Barns can be thousands of square feet and filled with heavy loads of combustibles that require dozens of firefighters and tens of thousands of gallons of water to extinguish.

In Forest Grove our mutual aid agencies will be dependant on the type of call and the location where it is occurring. In the city if a 1st alarm structure fire happened right now we would get the bulk of the equipment from our Station 4, but an engine from Cornelius (station 8) would also respond. If a car crashes on NW Highway 47 near the community of Roy we would send an engine and a rescue, and Banks would send down an engine to assist as well. It goes both ways, on Thursday of last week when two boys capsized their sailboat at Hagg Lake; Gaston responded as the lead agency, but we responded with our boat, as did Newberg with their boat and dive team, in addition to surface water rescue teams from both Hillsboro and TVFR. This is all coordinated through an automated system at our dispatch center in Tanasbourne that recognizes the type of call, and depending on the request from the incident commander what type of unit is appropriate and based on availability, where to dispatch the next units from.

On much larger incidents we can even be sent across the state. Last summer we were part of a contingent of Washington County Fire Departments that sent equipment and firefighters to the "Microwave Fire" near The Dalles. In recent history our most distant response was sending a 3,000 gallon water tender to help protect structures threatened by a wildfire that was burning around Halfway in north east Oregon. More locally, in the summer of 1999 a large wildfire was burning in a logged area near Gaston that required a 4th alarm assignment. When we returned that evening we were greeted at our station by a crew from Lake Oswego who had been dispatched to cover our city while we worked at the fire scene.

All of this has been worked through over the years, tested, and improved upon as needed. Part of this cooperative effort has expanded; so that we are all able to work together more seamlessly we start from the ground up. Twice a year, new volunteer firefighters from every single fire agency in Washington County attend a joint training academy. New recruits travel from fire station to fire station each weekend where every department has split the curriculum so that the recruits learn different topics from each fire agency. This training and overall familiarity with not only the people in the fire departments but the overall standardized practices make it that much easier to work together on an emergency scene. We're extremely fortunate to have this cooperation, there are parts of the country where pride and politics don't allow for such easy assistance from neighboring fire districts. This is just one of many ways that we work to find creative solutions to solve the emergencies that we are dispatched to.

Busy week for our rescue boat

2010-03-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

Spring Break 2010 has been a busy week for our rescue boat. On Monday our crews responded to Dorman's Pond, a small but popular fishing spot a few miles west of Gales Creek, to a report of a man that had fallen into the water from a small raft. Sadly, after searching the water for 30 minutes our crews recovered the man's body from the murky water. Today we were dispatched with Gaston Fire to Henry Hagg Lake south of Forest Grove after a sailboat was spotted capsized in the lake. By the time that our crews arrived the two teenage boys who were in the boat had managed to safely reach the shore, but needless to say were wet, very cold, and extremely lucky to be alive.

Crews from FGF&R Boat 4 search for the missing fisherman at Dorman's Pond on Monday

In each incident the people involved were not wearing life jackets. Today's incident could have brought a tragic end to what has already started out to be a dangerous and deadly spring break for those on the water in Western Washington County.

There is no excuse not to wear a life jacket, in Oregon (according to the State Marine Board) 90% of all drowning victims would have survived had they been wearing a life jacket. We talked about this a few weeks ago when we had a blog post about, ironically, Hagg Lake boating safety. So once more here are some detailed tips on finding the proper life jacket and how to take care of it once you do have one.

1. First off, it's the law in Oregon that all children under 12 wear a life jacket while in the boat. In fact you cant even operate your boat if those under 12 don't have a coast guard approved life jacket on. But lets take this a step farther, parents and older kids should have them on too. Swimming around the back yard pool is one thing, but could you survive the 300+ yard swim across the lake if you fell in?

2. Does the life jacket fit you properly? We found this information on the State of Oregon Marine Board's website about proper life jacket fitting:

"Use the "touchdown test" to check if a life jacket fits. With the jacket on, raise your arms as though signaling a touchdown. If when looking to the left, right and over the shoulder, the chest part of the jacket doesn't hit the chin, the device probably fits. A good test for children is to have a child stand normally, arms at sides. Grab the life jacket at the shoulders and firmly lift up. If you can move the life jacket more than three inches up and down the child's body, it doesn't fit. A life jacket that doesn't fit could endanger the wearer as much as not wearing one. Check the PFD label for restrictions and limitations on its use and performance type."

3. Check your life jacket annually. Is it free of damage, including rips, tears, sunlight and UV damage? Will it even float? Throw it in the water and make sure that it will float, or better yet in a shallow pool test it out yourself. If it doesn't float, can't float you, or is damaged, replace it; don't even try and use it as a spare. The lives of those in your boat depend on this life jacket, now is not the time to be cheap. Remember the statistic, 90% of those who drowned in Oregon would have survived if they were wearing a properly fitting life jacket.

Those seem like simple steps, but no one ever plans to capsize their boat, or worse yet drown in the lake that 15 minutes before they were enjoying fishing at. These water emergencies happen so fast and often times so far away from where help can get to you quickly, it is up to you to be responsible before hitting the water. Two times in one week is enough for us, please be careful out there.

Spring Break Bike Riding

2010-03-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

What are your plans for spring break? Maybe a family camping trip to nearby Stub Stewart State Park, or a day trip over the Wilson River Highway to the Tillamook Cheese Factory is in store for you this year; but what if you can't get away? Forest Grove Schools will be out starting Thursday of this week and spring break will continue until school resumes on Monday, March 29th. During that time we expect to see more and more kids on their bicycles riding to destinations all over the community. Parents, before your kids hit the bike lanes help them out and talk to them about bike safety.

Perhaps the most important life saving tool your kids can wear is a properly fitting bike helmet. This video from Safe Kids USA will help you understand how to ensure that their head is protected from injury. We have responded to dozens of bicycle crashes in the last few years and these helmets really do save lives as well as prevent serious injuries.

A bike helmet only helps in a crash, so what else can you do to make sure that the crash doesn't happen in the first place? Start by checking out the bike, are the tires inflated properly? What about reflectors, are they visible on all sides of the bicycle? If not reflective stickers can be found at local bicycle shops to help make the bike more visible at night or in low light. Finally take a second and make sure that all of the moving parts are in good condition. The chain is lubricated, the brakes actually will stop the bicycle, and all of the nuts and bolts are still tight.

Lastly talk to your kids, know where they are riding, who they are riding with and when they will be expected to return. Have a conversation with them about the rules of the road and be sure they understand where they can and can't ride their bicycles. If you have areas where you don't want them to ride (like busy streets, rural roads, etc.) explain to them why. Kids will be kids, most of us (especially the boys) tried all kinds of crazy stunts with our bikes in our youth and we would be foolish parents to expect that our kids wouldn't try and do the same things. At the same time taking a few minutes to check out those bikes that have been sitting in the garage all winter, and having a simple chat can make a difference preventing an accident or decreasing the chance of injury if an accident does occur.

So whether your travelling or staying home next week from all of us at FGF&R, have a safe spring break.

Changing your clock? Check your smoke alarm!

2010-03-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

So you're changing your clocks this weekend, now what...

If your smoke alarm is ten years old, replace it.
If your smoke alarm is battery operated and has a long life battery, test it.
If your smoke alarm is hard wired, replace the back up battery.
If your smoke alarm is battery operated and does not have a long life battery, and is less then ten years old, get a long life battery for it.

Smoke alarm tips

Install smoke alarms on each story of your home and outside all sleeping areas. If you sleep with your bedroom door shut a smoke alarm inside your bedroom is recommended.
Clean your smoke alarm every so often, a little vacuum or computer keyboard cleaner will help keep the dust, and little mites and spiders that come with it from making a home inside your smoke alarm and creating false alarms.
Test it! You walk past it each day and probably never notice it, but it takes only seconds to make sure it will work. In a fire the smoke is what kills, testing your smoke alarm monthly will drastically improve your chances of surviving a fire in your home.
Practice, practice, practice a fire drill. Kids in school have to practice a fire drill every month, it seems so redundant at times, but our statistics prove that people do not lose their lives in school fires. Most fire deaths in Oregon occur in the home (most occur in homes without a working smoke alarm), and often times we find that families aren't prepared to handle an emergency in their homes. A simple family fire drill at different times of the day/night every month can help you all identify how to get out and what to do. The State Fire Marshal has a excellent fire drill form that your family can use to prepare and practice this absolutely vital safety item.
If you have a false alarm, use the "hush" feature on your smoke alarms (also an Oregon requirement since 1998) to silence your alarm temporarily. Never unplug your alarm or remove it.

FG Firefighters Climb for a Cure

2010-03-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

The tallest building in Forest Grove comes in at a whopping four stories, but that doesn't stop our firefighters from traveling to Seattle every year to climb the tallest building on the West Coast. March 7th marked the fifth time that Forest Grove Firefighters have made the annual trek to the Emerald City to compete in the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the largest firefighter competition in the world.

This intimidating view is from the ground as our team gets ready to enter Seattle's Columbia Center

This year our sixteen member team set a goal to raise $2,500 for their efforts, at the time of this post they had exceeded that and raised $2,670 to donate to the fight against blood cancers. For months, and even beginning after last years event our firefighters would give up their own time and go into Portland at night to climb 44 stories at "Big Pink" , sometimes climbing the US Bancorp Tower multiple times each night to try and simulate the grueling 69 story climb in Seattle. All told the stair climb team would have to climb 69 floors in full firefighter gear while breathing only the air from the self contained breathing apparatus that we typically use inside of a hazardous area. In total all of this gear weighs close to 60 pounds and isn't your typical exercise clothing. With all of this weighing them down they have to climb 1,311 steps and what amounts to 788 vertical feet to get to the top and finish the event.

C Shift Captain Joe Smith changes air bottles on the 40th floor. Joe finished the event in just over 32 minutes.

During the event firefighters are grouped by age and gender as well as overall to determine their finishing place. Once again volunteer Firefighter Chad Bettencourt was our team leader finishing the event in 15 minutes 52 seconds. Chad finished 114th overall (out of 1294), and was around 5 minutes slower then the overall leader; Kory Burgess, a 28 year old from Missoula Montana who made the climb in 11 minutes and 1 second. Our youngest member on the team was 19 year old volunteer and former High School Cadet Damian Peters, who finished in 21 minutes and 20 seconds. Our team leader, C Shift Captain Joe Smith is also our oldest team member and finished the climb in 32 minutes 11 seconds, Joe actually has been instrumental in our getting involved in this event and has been the Forest Grove team leader every year.

Firefighters are already looking forward to next year, in fact a group was already in Portland climbing stairs the day after they returned from Seattle. More often then not the question our team members get is "why in the world would you put yourself through this?" Simply put, because of the smoke and things that we are exposed to in our jobs firefighters are more at risk for cancer then other groups. In fact in the case of Lymphoma firefighters are 50% more likely to become sick then the rest of our society. We work hard to prevent this and limit our exposure, but we cant stop it all, this event helps us fight these terrible cancers and win this battle against one of the largest killers of America's firefighters.

Here are the rest of our times with the overall finish out of 1294 who finished the event:

Chad Bettencourt 15 minutes 52.40 seconds 113th overall
Keith Baas 19 minutes 14.50 seconds 428th
Jake Stone 19 minutes 39.80 seconds 477nd
Damian Peters 21 minutes 20.15 seconds 613th
Nick McEvoy 21 minutes 24.20 seconds 621st
Ivan Bratchuk 21 minutes 57.75 seconds 624th
Ben Langbehn 21 minutes 57.75 seconds 683rd
Chad Toomey 22 minutes 4.35 seconds 706th
Joe Olson 24 minutes 37.75 seconds 876th
Will Murphy 26 minutes 27.15 seconds 986th
Brad Shinpaugh 27 minutes 59.55 seconds 1038th
Mindy Ingebretson 28 minutes 59.35 seconds 1066th
Joe Smith 32 minutes 11.45 seconds 1139th
Jason Miller 35 minutes 8.10 seconds 1183rd
Tony Carter 35 minutes 20.45 seconds 1186th

Good Job Everyone!

Is your boat ready for Hagg Lake trout season?

2010-03-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

It may not seem like it right now with snow mixing with the rain that is falling across our part of the metro area but spring is just around the corner. Maybe you were one of the hundreds that already got a jump on spring like activity and were at Henry Hagg Lake for the opening day of trout fishing season last weekend, or perhaps you are getting your boat ready for a spring break adventure in the coming weeks. If so, now is a great time to add safety to your checklist as you get ready for spring time fun.

The most recent statistics we uncovered were from 2005, but according to the CDC on average there are ten accidental drownings every day in the United States. In these some very surprising numbers show that men are four times more likely then women to drown, and that 30% of all children between 1 and 4 that died did so due to drowning. So what can you do to keep your family from falling into one of these statistics?

First, learn to swim. It seems silly, but learning to swim is an easy first step that can help you if you find yourself in a water emergency. The City of Forest Grove Aquatics Center has regular swimming education classes that you and your family can sign up for. They even have offerings for the littlest members of your family, so get the kids started young so they learn to not be afraid of the water and know what to do when they are older.

Second, do you have life jackets in your boat? Every person in your boat should have a life jacket and better yet everyone needs to be wearing one at all times they are on or even near the water. Guys, now is not the time to be macho, remember the statistics you are four times more likely to drown then the opposite sex. Think about it guys, without a life jacket you may not be able to help your family if an emergency does happen. Be sure to check your life jackets, make sure they are in good condition, free of damage, and that they will adequately float who is wearing them.

Third, some simple safety tools and preparation for your boat. Often times you're loaded down with fishing tackle for every species known to swim, but do you have a fire extinguisher in case your motor or new fish finder catches fire, and if you do have a fire extinguisher do you know where it is and if it is even charged? What about an extra oar in case the motor does give out? Some basic hand tools to fix small problems are another great thing to have on hand in case something breaks.

You don't want to meet these guys on the water. All of our career firefighters are trained in surface water rescue, as practiced here in 2009 jointly with firefighters from Hillsboro FD at Henry Hagg Lake, south of Forest Grove.

Finally, please stay sober when on the water. Just like driving, alcohol can drastically impair your ability to think clearly and act safely when your in your boat. A fun day can turn tragic in just a matter of minutes so please leave the beer at your camp.

All of our career firefighters are trained in water rescue techniques. In fact we provide regular swim standards training and also include boat and water rescue operations in our training schedule. We may not directly serve the Hagg Lake area, but we do respond with the firefighters from the Gaston RFPD to provide a boat to assist with their water rescue teams. We know its early, those warm days of July and August and all of the water sport that comes with them are still a far off thought, but Hagg Lake is open now, so before you get in your boat and limit out on trout, please make safety a priority for you and your family.

Daily Training at Station 4

2010-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

On average our firefighters will be dispatched to around 8 calls during their 24 hour shift rotation at Station 4 in Forest Grove. One of the most frequently asked question is what do the firefighters do between calls? At FG&R firefighter training is the top priority for our crews between calls. In fact each of our shifts are required to perform 200 hours of training each month, which works out to 40 hours for each of the five firefighters assigned to each of our three shifts. This training covers the range of topics and scenarios that our crews are expected to be prepared for, and can be everything from basic firefighting techniques to more advanced topics like specialized rescue or advanced life support care.

Today our B Shift crew worked on Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) skills with our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief Rick Schneider. Rick has worked in Washington County EMS since 1969, and was our A Shift Lieutenant until he retired from his full time position with FGF&R in 2007. Back now as a volunteer Division Chief, Rick (he also currently works as a Paramedic on Lifeflight) brings his 40 years of experience and knowledge back to our community training our EMT and Paramedic Firefighters in the high stress field of patient care.

All of our career firefighters are EMT's and of the 15 line firefighters at FGF&R eight are EMT-Paramedics, which is the highest level of certification. Each EMT level requires particular hours of training in certain topic areas every two years to maintain your certification. Today's ACLS training focused on the always intense cardiac emergencies. When your heart stops the blood flow to your brain stops with it. Every minute that your brain is without oxygen your chance of survival decreases by 10%. Our training focused on getting our medics to think quickly and make decisions that would be beneficial to the survival of the patient in these types of emergencies. Each of our firefighters were able to lead a different scenario today where they had to interpret exactly what type of cardiac emergency the patient was having and what treatments were appropriate to manage the scene and hopefully create a positive outcome.

In this photo B Shift Captain Dwight Lanter and FF Ivan Bratchuk are preparing to perform CPR on a patient while FGF&R's newest Paramedic Keith Baas (kneeling back to camera) prepares the correct medication for the "patient".

In each scenario our firefighters were presented with a patient that at first started with either a breathing problem or chest pain, and as the call progressed, their condition worsened. Our crews had to make split second decisions on what procedures would improve the situation based on the information that was presented to them just as they would on a real emergency. Paramedics practiced advanced skills like interpreting cardiac rhythms on our heart monitor (which is seen in the photo above), starting IV lines, administering medications, airway device procedures, and the basic skills of CPR and understanding symptoms and vital signs. It may be hard to believe but our medical equipment and medications are similar to what you would be treated with in an emergency room of a hospital, and the training between being a Paramedic and being an emergency room nurse is not all that different, in fact all of our EMTs are supervised and trained regularly by an actual Hospital Emergency Room Physician. It sounds cliche, but in a real emergency seconds do count, this training is invaluable to prepare our crews to act quickly and hopefully help them create a positive outcome if one of their calls is this serious.

Spring Backyard Burning Season

2010-03-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

March 1, begins the annual spring backyard burning season. Now is the time to clear your yard debris and dispose of them before the summer months. The spring burn season is regulated by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and typically runs from March 1 to June 15. It is important to note that DEQ consideres the air quality of each day when they decide to open burning or not. Fire departments can close burning, but only because of fire safety concerns such as hot and dry weather. This fire safety burn ban generally starts in July and runs into October, but it can start earlier if weather conditions dictate a concern for fire safety. To find out if burning is allowed you can call 503.992.3242 every day to hear a pre-recorded message on our open burning hotline.

Backyard burning is allowed in Forest Grove and the surrounding communities and cities. DEQ does have an open burning ban area in Washington County, but it does not include the areas protected by our fire department. In the city of Forest Grove there are alternatives to burning that you may want to consider this spring. Perhaps the easiest is the curb side green waste debris containers from our Waste Management hauler. This weekly service can help most residential customers get rid of their unused yard debris.

If you are a gardner a great debris removal option may be composting. This "green" method can help you rid yourself of your yard debris while at the same time creating wonderful soil for your garden. I have personally found that composting takes a little effort and practice to get the methods to work, but if you have a little bit of extra room you can easily dispose of your yard debris and some household waste as well all the while creating awesome soil for use in your yard and garden.

If these options do not work for you or your property you can burn your debris. Some fire safety guidelines and good ideas if you do choose to burn your debris:

Only burn dry debris, covering your piles during the rainy days can cut down on the smoke and complaints that we recieve from frustrated neighbors.
Only burn legal debris, back yard burning is for yard debris like limbs and brush, burning garbage, lumber, or other materials is strictly against the DEQ open burning regulations and can bring a hefty fine from the local DEQ office.
Locate your burn well away from anything that can burn like fences, structures, and other vegetation and landscaping. Also clear all grass so you have a three foot wide fire break of bare dirt around your burn pile. This will help prevent the grass from burning or escaping sparks from igniting things you dont want it to.
Always attend your burn pile, have a garden hose, and one of a shovel/pitchfork/rake avaialble to help control the fire if it starts to get out of hand. If you think the fire is at risk of getting out of control call 9-1-1 immediately.
Once you are done burning please make sure that the fire is completely out. Just like a campfire in the summer time, soak your ash and debris with water and stir them with a shovel until you can no longer notice any steam.

This burn pile near Dilley got out of control and spread to the surrounding field last summer

Some phone numbers and resources that you may need this burn season:

Open Burning Hotline for daily burning updates 503.992.3242 (updated daily by 8:30 am)
Emergency dispatch for out of control burns 9-1-1. Other non emergency calls please use the 24 hour non emergency number 503.629.0111.
To report an air quality complaint, smoke, or other illegal burning please call the Portland DEQ office at 503.229.5393.
DEQ Open Burning Guide to help answer your questions regarding open burning infomration

One final thing, the always present question about agricultural burning. Ag burning is considered by the DEQ to be for burning debris from an actual farming operation. We commonly get questions from rural residents that ask if they can burn because back yard burning is closed, but Ag burning is open. Ag burning is not intended for typical land debris removal for our rural community unless it is from an agricultural operation.

Earthquakes in Oregon?

2010-02-27T13:08:00.001-08:00

Today we were all shocked to see the second major quake strike planet earth this year. At the same time this should be a sobering reminder of the unpredictability of these types of events and our vulnerability to them in our peaceful little part of NW Oregon.

According to the United States Geological Survey there are fault zones that exist right here in the Portland Metro Area and in our very own part of the Gales Creek Valley. In fact the Cascadia Subduction Zone has the potential to create a much larger quake then the 8.8 magnitude that struck Chile this morning. So what does this all mean, should you pack up the family and move from your homes? No, it just means that you need to be more prepared then ever for a disaster to strike. We're fortunate in and around Forest Grove, thunderstorms are rare, our weather is mild, and our flooding typically stays where we know it will flood. Still it doesn't mean that a disaster cant happen here.

In our area, winter wind and rain storms can be severe, one of Oregon's largest wildfires happened in the very coast range mountains we look at when we look west from our homes or offices, and the threat of earthquakes is very real. So what to do?

We suggest you start simple. Do you have a family emergency plan? It can be as easy as a written or drawn up plan on how to escape your home. Include important phone numbers such as 9-1-1 and our non emergency dispatch number 503.629.0111, as well as family contact numbers. But the plan wont work as easily if you don't practice it. Once a month, at different times of the day and night, put your plan into practice. Does every one in your home know two ways out? They should, and that is what your plan will show them how to do. If you need a sheet to get started stop in we have planning work sheets that you can have.

Once your plan is completed and practiced, it is time to create a 72 hour disaster supply kit. These can be simple to create using items around the home that you may already have on hand. A few years ago for an event our Safety Educators created a kit for 2 people and were able to put all of it into a new plastic garbage can. It worked well for a water resistant easy storage container. Here is what we suggest that you look at putting into your kit:

Food – ready to eat or requiring minimal water
Water - One gallon per person per day
Manual can opener and other cooking supplies
Plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
First Aid Kit & instructions
A copy of important documents & phone numbers
Warm clothes and rain gear for each family member.
Heavy work gloves
Disposable camera
Unscented liquid household bleach and an eyedropper for water purification
Personal hygiene items including toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer and soap
Plastic sheeting, duct tape and utility knife for covering broken windows
Tools such as a crowbar, hammer & nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords.
Blanket or sleeping bag
Large heavy duty plastic bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
Any special-needs items for children, senior, or people with disabilities . Don’t forget water and supplies for your pets.

FGF&R is working on providing community emergency response team training for our neighbors and will let you know as soon as our new program begins sometime hopefully this year. Other good training that you can take now would be our monthly CPR courses (call Firefighter Ivan Bratchuk at 503.992.3240), or look for a basic first aid class at a community college, red cross chapter, or local hospital. In a major emergency we will look to the community to help each other and to help us. Preparing now can make a difference if and when it does happen here.

The Start of Something New....

2010-02-24T10:24:00.001-08:00

Welcome to our new fire blog.

Our purpose for this endeavour is to help our community learn more about our Fire Department and with that to increase the fire and life safety of Forest Grove. We are not the first fire department to find this method valuable, but we are always looking for new ways to get our message out. We hope that in time you will come back frequently and check our blog for updates on the happenings of the firefighters at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Our first post will be an introduction of sorts, a get to know us post about some of the things you may not be aware of.

On February 4, 1894 the Fire Department of the City of Forest Grove was officially organized. There have been countless emergencies and firefighters between then and now, but what hasn't changed is that we still remain a community based fire and rescue agency. We are what is called a combination fire department, meaning that even though we have a small force of full time paid firefighters we work closely with around 40 dedicated volunteer firefighters. Though, not all of our employees and volunteers live in Forest Grove a large portion do. Many of these individuals have long standing family ties to this area, and bring with them a history of civil service.

Engine 421 is our newest fire apparatus, though the fire engines have changed our commitment to serving the city and rural residents of the Forest Grove community has never changed.

We operate out of two fire stations, our headquarters station (Station #4) is @ 1919 Ash Street in the heart of historic downtown Forest Grove. Station 4 is where the five firefighters that are assigned to each of our three shifts work as well as the admin staff and a bulk of our volunteers. Our second station (Station #7) is located in the beautiful rural community of Gales Creek approximately 8 miles west of the city of Forest Grove. Station 7 is an all volunteer station where in the event that an emergency occurs in that response area volunteer firefighters are notified by pager to report to the fire station and respond as needed to the call.

Some statistics about Forest Grove Fire & Rescue:

Service Area: 85 square miles
Population Served: 29,495
Total calls for service in 2009: 2,505 emergency and non emergency calls

Keep checking back. If you use Facebook and Twitter you can find us there too.