tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68289599031814308322024-03-21T08:09:46.364-07:00Forest Grove and Cornelius Fire Departments An inside look at your fire department. Sharing our operations with you and your feedback with us all in an effort to work better in service to our community. Career and Volunteer Firefighters from Forest Grove and Cornelius provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical response, as well as fire prevention and life safety education services to the residents of the Cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius, and the surrounding rural communities in beautiful western Washington County.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-54097430503939670222014-09-17T11:21:00.004-07:002014-09-17T11:23:13.867-07:00Firefighters and USCG rescuers meet survivor of a forest rescue call <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On July 17, 2014 we responded to a
call in the Tillamook State Forest where a man working for a Washington
County Surveying team had fallen into a ravine. When firefighters and
paramedics arrived they found 57 year old Dennis Keister in extreme pain
after falling what looked to be at least thirty feet down a rocky ledge
over a dry creek bed. Mr. Keister had suffered severe trauma to his
chest and paramedics were concerned that he could have suffered internal
injuries that would eventually cost him is life. This scene was up a
long trail, in difficult terrain, and the work of carrying Mr. Keister
out would have likely caused more serious injuries, so our crews called
for assistance from the United States Coast Guard helicopters out of
nearby Astoria Air Station.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Within
a matter of minutes, a Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk piloted crewed by Lt.
Commander Dan Leary pilot, Lieutenant Jason Maddux co-pilot, swimmer
ASTC Joel Sayers, and Flight Mechanics AMT2 Josh Holt and Dan Bovard
arrived on station and began to set up for hoisting the injured surveyor
from the ravine. The Coast Guard Jayhawk came in and lowered their
rescue swimmer down to where our crews awaited him, and they began to
formulate a plan to get the helicopter down into the very tight area.
Crews packaged Mr. Keister and gave him a helmet to wear to protect him
during the hoist in the rescue basket and Lt. Commander Leary brought
the aircraft in, hovering below the tree tops that surrounded the creek
bed. Aircrews and firefighters worked together to hoist the victim into
the hovering helicopter, and then it was our turn. Firefighter and
Paramedic Rick Ilg was attached to ASTC Sayers and also hoisted into the
aircraft to provide critical advanced life support care to Mr. Keister
if needed during the flight to St. Vincent's Hospital. In under twenty
minutes, the Coast Guard crew delivered Mr. Keister to the helipad at
St. Vincents hospital in Beaverton where he was rushed off to be treated
for his injuries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Calls
like this are a somewhat rare occurrence for our crews, but ironically
this one came nearly a year to the day from a call in 2013 where a Coast
Guard helicopter was called to rescue a badly injured logger in the
same part of our forest. In the last thirteen years, Forest Grove Fire
& Rescue has requested Coast Guard air support for four calls in
our area, every time the Coast Guard crew responds with extreme skill
and courage in the face of difficult circumstances. On September 16,
2014 we got a chance to share our appreciation for the Coast Guard air
crew when we visited their Air Station Astoria along with Mr. Keister
and his family. This was a wonderful occasion to gather around and
relive the call, talk about the use of the Coast Guard helicopter in our
area, and become familiar with their equipment. It was also a
tremendous occasion to spend it with the man who was saved through the
work of the US Coast Guard, with his family along side of him to
celebrate it all. Our firefighters and their families were treated to a
tour of the aircraft hangar and firefighting equipment at the air
station, and also got to meet in person with the people that they worked
with that day in July. We would like to extend our sincere
appreciation to the men and women of the United States Coast Guard for
not only a job well done on this incident, but for protecting our nation
each and every day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A full photo slideshow of the call and the visit at the air station can be found <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100193981464223184227/albums/6060095840145287073/6060095846154267650?pid=6060095846154267650&oid=100193981464223184227&authkey=CO-YuNm97aOKkgE" target="_blank">here. </a> </span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-12759446206811620392014-02-20T14:47:00.001-08:002014-02-20T14:47:21.964-08:00Meet your Firefighters, our newest staff member, Jay Edwards<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYMz8OvT8D9_WbdOe6PeMLicAivujsq91n0ehFjvzrvDapOopDNJg7oHjTufVKRXKmofRBMDA0Ue3pjrSAGBKs4r1S437Fnm3a-l2Jf-woJ-PYcohyphenhyphen72fsGD6iO_68X5D8SwzchlAaPeb/s1600/Jay+Edwards+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYMz8OvT8D9_WbdOe6PeMLicAivujsq91n0ehFjvzrvDapOopDNJg7oHjTufVKRXKmofRBMDA0Ue3pjrSAGBKs4r1S437Fnm3a-l2Jf-woJ-PYcohyphenhyphen72fsGD6iO_68X5D8SwzchlAaPeb/s1600/Jay+Edwards+009.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meet your Firefighters: Jay Edwards joined our full time staff on January 27, and recently completed his initial training and has received his first assignment to our C Shift. We were honored to hire the 34 year old husband and father straight out of our volunteer program, where he has been involved with us since 2010. the native of California, Jay and his wife Tereza now live with their daughter Callie in South East Portland, but he came to Oregon after falling in love with the beauty of our state during a visit with friends. Jay's taken advantage of the Oregon scene, and now enjoys camping and hiking, and all things outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest; last year he competed in his first marathon in the annual Portland Marathon where he proudly finished the 26.2 miles. For the last three years Jay has also competed in the Seattle and Portland Stairclimb teams here with us, completing the grueling climbs in full firefighter gear to raise money for medical research. <br /><br /> <br /><br />When Jay found out he was going to be a dad he thought it was best to prepare for anything that could happen to his young family, so he went to look for a CPR class. During this search he decided to just take a full emergency medical technician class instead, and during a ride along to complete his coursework, he ran a call with a fire department and instantly knew that this was a career for him. Family is extremely important to Jay, and he appreciates all that his parents and sister in California did to inspire him. He remains close with his immediate family, and considers them a big part of his life. <br /><br />The graduate of Northern Arizona University, once aspired to be a professional journalist with his communications degree, and he has traveled Europe on a train with nothing more than a back pack. He's a wonderful addition to our crew, and brings a diverse background and life experiences to the team. We are happy to have you working alongside of us Jay Edwards, welcome aboard! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-67130892053954461812013-11-23T09:39:00.000-08:002013-11-23T09:39:12.103-08:00Forest Grove woman burned after smoking debris ignite bed<br />
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Early Saturday morning (November 23) firefighters responded to home on fire in the 2300 block of 21st Avenue in Forest Grove. When we arrived, Forest Grove Police Officers and Washington County Sheriff's Deputies were already on scene and helping the occupants of the home escape the fire. Outside the home firefighters found a badly burned 60 year old woman, and do her two roommates, and inside they found the remains of a smoldering mattress. Paramedics from FGF&R and Metro West Ambulance provided advanced life support care on scene, and rushed the woman to the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland where she is being treated for severe burn injuries to her body.<br />
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Fire Investigators carefully examined the bed, interviewed roommates, and determined that the fire started when smoking debris fell onto the mattress as the woman fell asleep. A home oxygen system likely encouraged the fire to ignite the mattress, and led to the sever burns. Thankfully, the home had working smoke alarms that helped alert the residents that the fire was occurring. This combination of smoking and using home oxygen is a consistent problem for America's fire services, and compounding that by smoking in a bed while using oxygen made for the very dangerous incident we had here. Firefighters urge that if you choose to smoke that you only smoke outdoors and especially never in bed. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-36694215147586314152013-10-28T09:44:00.001-07:002013-10-28T09:44:30.639-07:00Don't forget to test your smoke alarm when you change your clock this weekend<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ah yes, it is that time of year again; the Sun is lower in the sky, the air is getting colder, and the leaves are falling from the trees. Fall is here friends and neighbors, and this weekend marks the time when when we set our clocks back an hour for Daylight Savings. Years ago, we would tell you to change your smoke alarm batteries when you changed your clocks, but since 1998 Oregon law has required that all battery operated ionization type smoke alarms (ionization is the most common type) sold in our state were to be powered by a ten year battery. Replacing this battery with a standard nine volt alkaline battery isn't a good idea, as it could cause the smoke alarm to fail. So what do you do?</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Smoke alarms over ten years old, regardless of how they operate, should be replaced. </span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If they are hard wired into your home's electrical system, and are less then 10 years old, all you need to do is replace the back up battery. A good old fashioned 9 volt back up battery is fine for these hard wired alarms.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have a battery operated smoke alarm, check to see what kind it is. Somewhere on the alarm it should say if it is ionization or photo electric. If the smoke alarm is of the ionization type, make sure it's less than ten years old, has a long life battery in it, and then test it to make sure it works. If the smoke alarm says that it's a photo electric type, than it should already have a long life lithium power cell, as a nine volt alkaline doesn't have enough energy to power a photo electric alarm for very long. Test your photo electric alarm and call it good. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's also a good idea to dust your smoke alarm out, using a can of computer keyboard cleaner or a vacuum, gently clean the device to remove any dust, cob webs, or other debris that could keep your smoke alarm from working properly. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When you test these smoke alarms we hope that you also practice a family fire drill. Everyone should know two ways to safely get out of their home, including a plan for when and how to use your window to get out safely. Once you are out, the family should meet at a designated meeting place; this can be as simple as a tree, mailbox, or the driveway where everyone meets and a roll call is taken to make sure everyone is safely out. Part of your family fire drill should talk about how no one is allowed to go back into the home unless it is safe, and also where a safe place your kids can go to ask for help and call 9-1-1 from. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-6302501101332891452013-10-10T08:41:00.001-07:002013-10-10T08:41:25.805-07:00Northwest Oregon can have severe weather too<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here we are, nestled in the evening shadow of the beautiful Oregon Coast Range where we get quite a bit of rain, relatively mild summers, and maybe a wintertime dusting of snow if the conditions are just right. Sure we got inches, upon inches, of rain on a September weekend recently, but for the most part our weather is pretty tame compared to other parts of the country. Still, wild and crazy weather can happen here.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Columbus_Day_Storm_1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Columbus_Day_Storm_1962.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" height="257" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Columbus_Day_Storm_1962.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Damage from the Columbus Day Storm near Newberg</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fifty-one years ago this weekend, a former Pacific Typhoon named Freda was stirring up the waters west of us when she decided to come on shore for a visit. Weather forecasting in 1962 surely can't match that of 2013, but there was very little warning that this thing was coming in, and for the most part people didn't expect anything beyond a calm autumn day. By the time the Coast Guard heard radio reports from ships at sea that something big was brewing, the storm was moving at 40 miles per hour and heading our way. What became known as "The Columbus Day Storm" came in as a 125 mile wide cyclone, that cut a path of wind swept destruction along 1,000 miles of the Pacific Coast, including our beloved hometown of Forest Grove. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, you may ask what is the point? Well, the point is that things like this can, have, and will, happen to us. So what do you do to be ready? A person can go crazy filling their garage with disaster supplies, and hoarding items for the worst case scenario, but we hope that you take some very simple preparatory steps now that can make a difference if and when an emergency of any size, happens later. </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Keep a list of emergency phone numbers in your home, and work with your kids on memorizing these so that they don't have to depend on the contacts list of a cell phone to look up a phone number. Be sure and include friends, family, and neighbors, that you trust to help in an emergency.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have emergency food and water available. We suggest 72 hours worth of food and water for your family. Food items should be easy to prepare (don't forget your can opener if canned foods are part of your plan), and can be eaten without heating if needed. Frozen containers of water kept in your freezer can also help you keep perishable food cold, and also allow for drinking water later. Bleach and wash tubs are also good ideas to help keep things sanitary.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Simple tools, a spare gasoline can safely stored somewhere, and fuel for your camp stove or barbecue, can make all the difference in getting through a short term emergency.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Paper maps of our area are another good thing to have on hand so when power goes out and cell phone towers go down, you can't rely on the trusty apps on your smart phone. Being familiar with your community can also help, knowing the back roads, rural routes, and surface street short cuts, will make it much easier for you to evacuate if that call comes in.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How well do you know your neighbors? Simple things like being aware of who needs a little extra help, can ease the demands on emergency responders during a disaster.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Extra supplies of things for your own special needs. Do you require a particular medication to function, what about eye glasses, or pet food? These are things we often overlook when thinking about our family's emergency planning.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Again, we aren't asking you to go out and prepare a safe room or a bomb shelter full of things for the apocalypse; instead we hope that you consider just a little extra of some of the things already in your garage or pantry ahead of the winter storm season. You never know when you'll need it. </span> <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-22603891119493487012013-10-09T15:45:00.003-07:002013-10-09T15:45:35.713-07:00Halloween decorations catch fire outside Cornelius Walmart<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">This morning before 5:45, firefighters were
called to the Walmart at 220 N Adair Street in Cornelius for a reported fire outside
the store. When the first crew arrived, they found a display involving
hay and pumpkins on fire in front of the store. Fir<span class="text_exposed_show">efighters
were able to quickly extinguish the flames, but spent almost an hour
breaking the hay bales apart and cooling down the hot spots. Luckily,
no parts of the building burned.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">After investigating the cause
of the fire, it was determined that the bales of hay were placed on top
of in-ground spot lights used to illuminate the American flag. These
lights were extremely hot and with direct exposure to the lights
overnight, the hay was able to easily catch fire.<br /> <br /> With
Halloween right around the corner, this is a great reminder to cautious
with any and all decorations used. Especially hay and corn stalks, it
is vital to keep them away from things that can get hot like fire
places, stoves, kitchen appliances, and light fixtures. It's also
really important that you keep exit paths and doors clear and accessible
at all times.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-81765352404804225812013-10-09T07:41:00.002-07:002013-10-09T07:41:16.445-07:00Lieutenant promotion wraps up a series of personnel moves at FGF&R<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The 365 days between October 2012 and October 2013 have been full of changes in the staffing at your local firehouse. Two federal grants, and a retirement have allowed five of our longtime staff members to receive promotions and work in new roles, and brought three new firefighters into the group; the final of these promotions became official this week when firefighter Will Murphy promoted to the role of Shift Lieutenant with our agency, thus filling the final vacancy left by the July retirement of longtime Captain Dwight Lanter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Will calls Portland his home, where he and his wife Maria raise their three beautiful children, he has been an employee of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue since 2006, and also serves as the department's emergency medical officer. This special EMS role makes him responsible for overseeing what truly is a bulk of our agency's work; with over 70% of the agency's responses being for calls needing emergency medical assistance, this role is obviously a major task that involves establishing policies, protocols, equipment, and training for the career and volunteer firefighters at FGF&R. An Oregon certified EMT-Paramedic himself, Will routinely works with other Paramedics as well as Emergency Room Physicians from all across Oregon to ensure that the emergency medical program at Forest Grove truly matches or exceeds the high standards for patient care that we all expect if we had to call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency. In 2010 Will received the EMS Impact award from the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services, and in 2011 he was honored as the recipient of the Forest Grove Fire Chief's Award to recognize his outstanding commitment to emergency medicine in our region. Fire Chief Michael Kinkade had this to say about Will's promotion "Will is the final piece of a great series of promotions that I think will revolutionize how this department works in the community. He is a true leader, and what he's already done in our EMS system will without a doubt transfer over to how we works with the firefighters here and our neighbors in Forest Grove."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will Murphy showcases airway management tools that Paramedics use in the field to visitors at our annual Open House</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Will's first official day as Lieutenant will be October 3rd, where he takes over as second in command of our A Shift behind Captain Joe Smith; along with three staff firefighters, these five work together with two college interns as one of the three rotating 24 hour shifts at the Forest Grove Fire Station. In the near future Will plans on continuing his EMS Officer position and as he transitions into the Lieutenant role he hopes to continue to involve Forest Grove in the regional discussion of emergency medicine, as well as work with our younger group of firefighters here to mentor and prepare them for success in their own careers. Congratulations Will.<br /><br />An official oath, and swearing in ceremony for Will is scheduled for the Forest Grove City Council meeting on the evening of November 25th. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-11399680119817388012013-10-03T15:19:00.001-07:002013-10-03T15:20:45.692-07:00Preparing your car for the winter driving season<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Throughout the month of October we'll be showcasing examples of what you can do to be ready for not only a major disaster type of event, but those local emergencies that may effect only you. This week we're talking about the upcoming winter driving season, and what you can do with your car now to be ready for a problem during a winter road trip. It's already snowed in the Cascades, and even if you have a big four wheel drive SUV or pickup, you should still have an emergency kit with you before you head out for holiday visits, ski trips, or whatever takes you to the highways this winter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJroJiGcxL24o2vuytdar5kkIp74gQhd2_O6k3XlkbnRidT8h79ek4GnmtKXJg0Np5oWKKCbhwk4Ar3qeCq-C3Rs34j3wuVTs1ZSVf8FEngKGzWxvY87A1BH2_sWfffX3Qbw3Buw_RMq8/s1600/pub+ed+photos+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJroJiGcxL24o2vuytdar5kkIp74gQhd2_O6k3XlkbnRidT8h79ek4GnmtKXJg0Np5oWKKCbhwk4Ar3qeCq-C3Rs34j3wuVTs1ZSVf8FEngKGzWxvY87A1BH2_sWfffX3Qbw3Buw_RMq8/s320/pub+ed+photos+007.jpg" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First let's talk about your car itself. Start where the rubber meets the road, and evaluate your tires. This starts with a simple visual inspection to look for any damage, and you can use a penny upside down to easily check the depth of your tread. When you place an upside down penny into the tread grooves, if you can cover any part of President Lincoln's head you have enough tire tread to meet the minimum standard. When is the last time you checked your spare tire to make sure it's inflated and in good shape? Would you rather find out that your spare is flat now or when you are sitting on the side of Highway 26 near Government Camp in the blowing snow? After looking at the visual condition of the tires, it's also essential that you check for proper air pressure, using a simple tire pressure gauge available from an auto parts store, and by reading the side walls of your tires you can determine if you are within the safe operating range. If you aren't sure about your tires, or can't inspect them yourselves, taking them to a local tire shop is the best way to make sure you are ready for winter. Next, it's a good idea to evaluate all of the vehicle fluids (motor oil, transmission lubricants, brake fluid, power steering, anti-freeze, etc.) to make sure they are fresh, clean, and at the appropriate level - your vehicle owners guide will help you do this, but if you don't have one there are resources online and even at the local library to help you identify where and how to check these things out. Your vehicle battery is often an overlooked component of your car, but the cold winter months can be hard on a battery and often times a battery will fail without warning, so checking your connections to make sure they are tight and corrosion free is a good first step for battery care. Also, batteries have about an average of a four year life span, so if your battery has been in there for awhile you may want to consider replacing it. Finally, check out your windshield wipers, and all of your lights to make sure they are in good shape and working. Having an extra set of lamps in your car, and the tools to replace them, is also a good idea for your emergency kit. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PnlpDpieX1nIPsGYNYs09GwtF5g-YZCQRoLFLL0IqPwDPzb2vguK5dON-FRLmqxK-VrErQaMlWhX0UgW-mLY5P1vQxqQsh4xkP8-f0WNpct5jp3MD_B4hXFFIsud3UR0l-mKoSUsJ07Z/s1600/pub+ed+photos+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PnlpDpieX1nIPsGYNYs09GwtF5g-YZCQRoLFLL0IqPwDPzb2vguK5dON-FRLmqxK-VrErQaMlWhX0UgW-mLY5P1vQxqQsh4xkP8-f0WNpct5jp3MD_B4hXFFIsud3UR0l-mKoSUsJ07Z/s320/pub+ed+photos+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />So what about that emergency kit, what should one carry in their car in case the worst happens?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtlGoANtg6lfXN8lgv4sX1Mkfa7EJrXupQdllPfOK4_25_kuY_oLfFG7PAspDc0giFWUUHz8zj3wkZt_H1OMKGO_Gu6dHw6grpF71aXY3Z48CY5aFHBE67Wocyaz6znzLVA_q-AocckT0/s1600/pub+ed+photos+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtlGoANtg6lfXN8lgv4sX1Mkfa7EJrXupQdllPfOK4_25_kuY_oLfFG7PAspDc0giFWUUHz8zj3wkZt_H1OMKGO_Gu6dHw6grpF71aXY3Z48CY5aFHBE67Wocyaz6znzLVA_q-AocckT0/s320/pub+ed+photos+019.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A small assortment of hand tools, Phillips and slotted head screw drivers, a pocket knife, pliers, wrenches, even a small socket set, are all handy tools to have if an emergency happens, or a simple roadside repair job is needed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Flashlights with extra batteries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A small folding shovel </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Battery jumper cables </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tire chains (and practiced putting them on!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fuses that match what your car needs, and extra lamp bulbs and headlights.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wool blanket or heavy sleeping bag</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Extra fluids for your car</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ABC rated fire extinguisher that is charged and accessible</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Road flares</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gloves, socks, an extra jacket, and a pair of water proof boots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Duct tape</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Spray lubricant like WD-40 or similar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Non perishable food, and a can opener if you bring canned food</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Water proof matches or lighter, and fire starter materials like paper.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Car charger for your cell phone </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The all important toilet paper! </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Most of this can fit into a small plastic tote or tool box that can easily find a home in your trunk. It may seem like overkill to carry these things with you, and we hate to sound all doom and gloom, but wouldn't you rather have simple things like this and not need them then need them and not have them? </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-60222089081034256082013-10-01T08:25:00.000-07:002013-10-01T08:31:45.624-07:00Preparing for a Safe Halloween Holiday Season<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ah yes, October 1st is here, we've had our first big storm of the season, and you can most definitely feel fall in the air. You've probably noticed the stores have been full of seasonal decorations and Halloween costumes for a few weeks now, especially if you're a parent of a little one that points and begs for you to take them through the costume section when you make a quick stop for groceries. So for those of you that are decorating your home, and preparing your kids' costumes, we thought now would be the perfect time to talk about a few simple things you can do to make for a safe Halloween season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Decorating</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Halloween decorations don't quite put the ultimate test to the electrical power grid like Christmas does, but that doesn't stop many of you from putting up lights and making your home feel scary in other ways. Let's talk about lights for a second, as orange colored lights are definitely becoming more popular this time of year. First off, never use lights that are damaged, if you can see bare wires, or even if the insulation is cracking or showing discoloration, it's time to replace those lights. With lights come extension cords, because those electrical outlets are never close enough to where you need your lights to go. Use only good quality extension cords that are the appropriate length for the task at hand. Light duty cords offer poor protection against a problem in the electrical circuit, and coiling up the excess cord can generate heat where you don't want it to be generated. Never run a cord through doorways, under rugs, or use staples to attach them to walls or ceilings, as all of these can damage a cord enough to start a fire with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Even if you aren't into making your property look like a haunted house, candles are a popular, and simple, way to make your home feel more like fall, and it seems the stores are full of pumpkin scented things you can burn this time of year. First off, there are so many battery operated "candles" that you can choose instead, but if you like the ambiance of a real candle we ask that you please use them in a safe location. Keep candles away from things that can burn, this means at least three feet away from drapes, curtains, and furniture. Always use candles on a solid surface, and put them in a holder that won't tip over easily. Finally, be sure and blow that pumpkin scented goodness out before you leave the room. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What about corn stalks, hay bales, and all the rest of the stuff, it's all pretty harmless right? Yes and no, like anything - it's the how you use it that makes a difference. With any sort of combustible decorative material you want to keep them away from things that can get hot like fire places, stoves, kitchen appliances, and light fixtures. It's also really important that you keep exit paths and doors clear and accessible at all times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Costumes <br /><br /> </b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFpEmmYeDdy6n84mvh36-fHdgtJ5L12QHAMYpTOl0i5McAmY4Hc_39sWaIW5CyhA1JXZs8Xe8cUk2xnURRvjMOR14C4fK9hwCcEeYjJXSSGpq8RC1FBbR90udXh2BLgMHZsTVF3X_oqol/s1600/Halloween+2011+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFpEmmYeDdy6n84mvh36-fHdgtJ5L12QHAMYpTOl0i5McAmY4Hc_39sWaIW5CyhA1JXZs8Xe8cUk2xnURRvjMOR14C4fK9hwCcEeYjJXSSGpq8RC1FBbR90udXh2BLgMHZsTVF3X_oqol/s320/Halloween+2011+013.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Firefighter Robert Bade hands out glowsticks to kids on Halloween as part of our annual "Be seen at Halloween" safety campaign. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Halloween night itself is still weeks away, but if you are preparing the costumes for your family now we hope that you consider a few very important safety points. First is that it's all about being seen to be safe on Halloween. With the ultimate kid's candy holiday falling on a work night again this year, there will be a fair mix of drivers and trick or treaters on the roads, reflective materials on the costumes, carrying bright flashlights, or even a simple glow stick can make the difference in being seen by a driver or not. A costume that affords some visibility for your child is also important, make sure they can see out of their masks and get ups, so they too can be on the lookout for danger as they rush from place to place for the sugary gold. Costumes should also be made out of a material that is flame resistant, you should avoid plastics and synthetic materials that can easily burn. Finally, talk to your littlest ones and make sure everyone knows how to "stop, drop, and roll". It's a simple thing that they can practice at home to be ready if something bad does happen and their costume catches fire. <br /><br />All of this may seem silly to you, but we hope that you consider these points while you prepare for the season. If you have questions about the fire safety of your home you can always call us at 503-992-3240 and we would be happy to help you. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-2284828761612558722013-09-26T16:56:00.000-07:002013-09-26T16:56:03.459-07:00Firefighters free man trapped in beet harvester in rural Forest Grove<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpmnfarQCKA0ZAFe9geg8lPcwuuhn_rttrPdtkbV-QnnYwuT9f7vlzyPLE0DC2exgSBkIi7l7CKPNYNXxnlmywMRRGLv6LXwip32hj8XE_XFJkUHMCjoo5zShjLSVa5vVJCtGLE8GqgAG/s1600/farming+accident+9.26.13+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpmnfarQCKA0ZAFe9geg8lPcwuuhn_rttrPdtkbV-QnnYwuT9f7vlzyPLE0DC2exgSBkIi7l7CKPNYNXxnlmywMRRGLv6LXwip32hj8XE_XFJkUHMCjoo5zShjLSVa5vVJCtGLE8GqgAG/s320/farming+accident+9.26.13+004.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just after 3:30 pm on the afternoon of Thursday September 26th, 2013 Firefighters from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Cornelius Fire Department were called to the middle of a beet crop field where a farmer had become trapped in a “beet digger” harvester. The crew of three farm workers were previously harvesting beets in the field in the 1700 block of SW Stringtown Road when they reported that the machine had become clogged with beets and soil. One of the workers jumped up to the top of the harvester, which basically digs beets from the soil and transfers them via conveyor belt to a truck that travels along side of it, and began to try and fix the clogged machine when he slipped and his foot and lower leg became tangled in the conveyor belt and ended up badly trapped. When firefighters arrived the farm workers were using large tools to try and keep the working parts off the trapped man’s legs, and initially firefighters attempted to use<br />large pry bars to no avail either. Firefighters were able to deploy two hydraulic rescue tools, like those typically used on car crash scenes, to apply enough leverage to spread the working parts of the harvester and after about 30 minutes of working on it, they were able to free the man from the machine.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOzIgB8jPZJ6Cht21yNeLBaPfE4MuDKJB26PHniakj2ghco8jsj7v_lelE3L69XF1YyjEkcmyvZ3MX8zz7vR5RPc5HV5E6gHVv1P9iAetMXmFOYDmwQ_n6Ph1ZmRuLwyCue-YwOz1cHgh/s1600/farming+accident+9.26.13+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOzIgB8jPZJ6Cht21yNeLBaPfE4MuDKJB26PHniakj2ghco8jsj7v_lelE3L69XF1YyjEkcmyvZ3MX8zz7vR5RPc5HV5E6gHVv1P9iAetMXmFOYDmwQ_n6Ph1ZmRuLwyCue-YwOz1cHgh/s320/farming+accident+9.26.13+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">firefighters begin to use hand tools to work to free the injured farm worker</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The injured 40’s aged man, who was conscious, alert, and talking to firefighters throughout the incident, he was transferred to a waiting Metro West Ambulance and taken to the trauma center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland with non life threatening injuries, but what appeared to be moderate injuries to his lower leg.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10OTuHJ1bcage0A1ShbpDtmY67LL5IUnQpmEwJmW4QOwPx0OmK5fgrMGxknvutIpqca4qsXhrZDGtKHeZyPKkmutDvoHQSyvQxqy-m2-D-zdeagXOAEGkaASJ3pODcJ4rdtDOJmL0MKrf/s1600/farming+accident+9.26.13+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10OTuHJ1bcage0A1ShbpDtmY67LL5IUnQpmEwJmW4QOwPx0OmK5fgrMGxknvutIpqca4qsXhrZDGtKHeZyPKkmutDvoHQSyvQxqy-m2-D-zdeagXOAEGkaASJ3pODcJ4rdtDOJmL0MKrf/s320/farming+accident+9.26.13+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">after about 30 minutes of working on the machine, firefighters were able to free the injured worker</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><br />This was the second in a series of serious traumatic injury calls for Forest Grove’s Firefighters on Thursday afternoon, as crews were already responding to a crash on the Wilson River Highway west of the city that injured two people at the same time of this incident. One of these injuries was considered serious enough and was also transported to the trauma center in Portland.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-37041055837844271172013-09-18T16:29:00.000-07:002013-09-18T16:29:10.125-07:00New Blog Address<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you are subscribed to updates or regularly follow our blog you might have noticed a new logo at the top and a new web address for this page. A little history and why we made the change. In 2010 when longtime Fire Chief Chis Asanovic retired from the Cornelius Fire Department, the City of Cornelius and the City of Forest Grove entered into an agreement to share administrative services. This sharing of the Fire Chief eventually led to increased cooperation between the neighboring agencies, allowing for more firefighter training and standardization of practices and equipment then ever before, all for the good of the entire community. For decades before this, the two fire departments routinely supported each other on fire calls but rarely practiced together and both had different styles, procedures, and equipment that at times led to less than desirable situations on emergency scenes. With this new partnership we were able to break down some of these walls and eliminate differences, eventually getting to a point where the two agencies can work seamlessly on calls, thus allowing for a more efficient response to emergencies in both cities and rural fire districts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the benefits of this partnership is the sharing of specialized resources and that's what gets us to this blog. With the retirement of Chief Asanovic, Cornelius lost their Public Information Officer, while at Forest Grove the Fire Chief assigns this information and education duty to the staff of the Fire Prevention Division. With an already established, effective, and well regarded, public information program in place in Forest Grove, the natural step was to share the efforts with the Cornelius Fire Department so there was one voice from the agency when discussing an incident or a department program. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We hope you enjoy the change, hopefully we'll be blogging a lot more about the things you want to know and the things we hope will make our entire community safer in the future. As always, don't hesitate to comment here or drop us a private email to let us know what we can do better. Our Fire Prevention Chief David Nemeyer can be reached at 503-992-3177 or via email at dnemeyer@forestgrove-or.gov</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-38463190799801770252013-09-10T09:12:00.000-07:002013-09-18T15:39:01.951-07:00Family Practices Fire Escape Plan and Escapes Unharmed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the evening of Sunday, September 8, Firefighters were dispatched to a house at located
at 1112 Alyssum Ave in Forest Grove. Firefighters arrived a few minutes later to
find heavy amounts of fire coming from the garage and spreading up the wall as
well as into the attic. At this time the incident commander called for a 2nd
Alarm bring additional fire crews from neighboring departments. Using multiple
hose lines, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a majority of the
flames. After approximately 15 minutes, all flames in the garage and the attic
were extinguished. Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading
into the living por tion of the house. <br /><br />At the time of the fire, a mother
and four children were home, they were able to get out of the house unharmed.
When the mother discovered the flames shooting out of the garage, she instructed
the two older children to follow their fire escape plan, which was to get out of
the house and meet at a mailbox across the street. While they did this, the
mother was able to get the younger children from the dinner table and exit the
house. The children had been taught to do this and practiced many times, and
helped prevent anyone from getting injured by the fire. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2013-09/1797/67419/42240_House_Fire_1112_Alyssum_Ave_9.8.2013_029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2013-09/1797/67419/42240_House_Fire_1112_Alyssum_Ave_9.8.2013_029.jpg" border="0" class="shrinkToFit decoded" height="240" src="http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2013-09/1797/67419/42240_House_Fire_1112_Alyssum_Ave_9.8.2013_029.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />Firefighters
remained on scene for multiple hours making sure all hot spots were put out. The
cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the probable area of origin
is located near a refrigerator in the garage. The fire is initially estimated to
have caused at least $40,000 in damage. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Forest Grove Fire and Rescue
urges parents to practice a fire escape plan with their children. Teach children
to get out of the house and stay out, to meet at a pre-determined place like a
mailbox, a tree, end of a driveway or a neighbor's house. Also practice knowing
two ways out of your house. It is suggested to practice a fire escape drill
every few months like children do at school. Tonight's fire is a good example of
how a fire escape plan worked and prevented harm. <br /><br />Forest Grove Fire
& Rescue was assisted on scene by Cornelius Fire Department, Hillsboro Fire,
Banks Fire and Gaston Fire. </span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><br /><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-30473387438777913502013-08-08T11:58:00.000-07:002013-08-08T11:58:41.086-07:00Popular young shift Lieutenant promotes to Captain role<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a process that saw five extremely talented individuals compete for the position, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue is pleased to announce the promotion of Tony Carter to the rank of Captain. A local "Grover", the 35 year old Carter grew up here and along with his wife Samantha and their two little boys, they still proudly call Forest Grove home. After graduating from Forest Grove High School in 1996, Tony came to the fire department initially as a volunteer who wanted to help in his community. He entered our college student "sleeper" program shortly after that, and gained valuable practical experience living at the fire station while attending Portland Community College and the College of Emergency Services where he completed his coursework in Fire Science and Emergency Medicine, earning certification as an Oregon Paramedic. During the summers of his college years Tony also worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry out of the Forest Grove Protection Unit working as part of a wildland firefighting crew. In October 2005 Tony went to work full time for our agency and the promising young man continued to shine, leading the revamp of our wildland firefighting program that eventually saw the purchase of our first ever apparatus that were specifically designed to combat wildfires in our area. Captain Tony Carter will take the reigns of our C Shift starting on September 1st, where he fills the vacancy of left by Captain Dwight Lanter when he retired earlier this summer after 28 years of service to Forest Grove. <br /><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKnEmUM6quj930jMS4J-eOk90FW25-DxGIPzJZ33HJ59zIzGz9E7UFSC4gCbxr_OJExZZf_YEjYbOeAsMiOBD_t7A9D80s8z1A8lboq-KjfuamwmlGDJxlj_YoEL37OuRrk0Xh3luVMgV/s1600/Photo+Board+Photos+2013+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKnEmUM6quj930jMS4J-eOk90FW25-DxGIPzJZ33HJ59zIzGz9E7UFSC4gCbxr_OJExZZf_YEjYbOeAsMiOBD_t7A9D80s8z1A8lboq-KjfuamwmlGDJxlj_YoEL37OuRrk0Xh3luVMgV/s320/Photo+Board+Photos+2013+040.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New C Shift Captain Tony Carter</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though Tony just recently became a Lieutenant, the choice of promoting him to Captain has been a popular one with the firefighters he works with. Senior Firefighter Ted Penge said "Tony is a great guy to work for, he truly lets his people feel empowered to do their jobs and do them well. He supports your projects and work without micro managing, and he is fair with everyone he meets, he's an excellent pick for a leader in our department.". Firefighter Rick Ilg is also excited for Tony mainly because of what he has accomplished during his short time as a Lieutenant "Look at what he's done already, so much positive stuff comes from that man, and I expect nothing else than for him to continue building on things now that he has full charge of his shift." <br /><br />Tony Carter is the Vice President of the non profit Forest Grove Firefighter's Association, and also serves as a shop steward with the Tualatin Valley Professional Firefighters Union Local 1660. With the promotion of Tony to Captain a vacancy is left in the department at the Lieutenant level. Fire Chief Michael Kinkade expects to have a process in place in the next couple weeks and to have an announcement in place by the end of September as to who will fill that role. Due to the confidence that there were adequate in house candidates for these leadership positions, the department did not have to await the hiring of another firefighter so since hiring Jordan Ruiz on July 1st Forest Grove Fire & Rescue has been able to maintain full staffing of all positions in their current fiscal year budget. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi1xNpOVdy-FyJl_PTaO89LdErU4qbEAz-FyEpIdXZAoOzR0AtGECtuN3kUsCryApCGxxJROBolHnp1SHmONns7JYUa3JdlCeMfh7cuH537fnD5J_nFuMk-AaRE5WQ3K3_IFBRDNmYaxW/s1600/C+Shift+BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi1xNpOVdy-FyJl_PTaO89LdErU4qbEAz-FyEpIdXZAoOzR0AtGECtuN3kUsCryApCGxxJROBolHnp1SHmONns7JYUa3JdlCeMfh7cuH537fnD5J_nFuMk-AaRE5WQ3K3_IFBRDNmYaxW/s320/C+Shift+BW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C Shift photo from Captain Lanter's retirement party in July</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-91916924900701991782013-06-11T08:36:00.000-07:002013-06-11T09:15:24.590-07:00As the sun sets on one marvelous career, it rises on another at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAb9-9xIriSf0wPtOiapNEUsbTvYQR7Eg0b0axQ0KjW7IerYJCWzqrfi6CHdsCSDrc7WNEdHEjFxfvho0vnrLp6io08Pz8Y04hWfGULaeHGpx10ULZAPOYAye9zGwfeYVcjFH9bTNO-FM/s1600/dwight+and+gary+1986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAb9-9xIriSf0wPtOiapNEUsbTvYQR7Eg0b0axQ0KjW7IerYJCWzqrfi6CHdsCSDrc7WNEdHEjFxfvho0vnrLp6io08Pz8Y04hWfGULaeHGpx10ULZAPOYAye9zGwfeYVcjFH9bTNO-FM/s320/dwight+and+gary+1986.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">FF Dwight Lanter (left) and Lt Gary Maxwell (right) C Shift 1986</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br /> </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The year was 1985, Ronald Reagan was President, you could buy a ticket to the new Michael J. Fox "Back to the Future" movie for $2.75, and a gallon of gas cost $1.09 at the pump where you still had to say leaded or unleaded. At that same time, a young Dwight Lanter put on the baby blue uniform, climbed on a bright green fire engine, and began his fire service career as a full time firefighter with FGF&R. Bringing with him years of experience as an intern with the Astoria Fire Department, and a volunteer with the neighboring Cornelius Fire Department, the home grown boy from the family farm south of town who built fire engines for local company Western States Fire Apparatus, was a perfect fit to be Forest Grove's newest firefighter. Over nearly three decades, Dwight's career blossomed as he went through the ranks, serving at one time as the Department's Training Officer and finally as a Shift Captain. On July 1, 2013, the sun sets on an honorable twenty-eight years of serving the community where he was raised, and where he raised his own family (his son's are both currently involved in the fire service), for Captain Dwight Lanter when he retires from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnge2XDF5g0btMUQorvv8rb7HoljR5NII8y-OayN8tGZoyHcuH_6xIEA4HlHGlZyd7mo3M4pb9qrvA0u4WJVvLGh2MyD2GC43b6sH3OciGr8qAvmKAcSJafQAxfdPgLYDpOqiPCH161CCf/s1600/IMG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnge2XDF5g0btMUQorvv8rb7HoljR5NII8y-OayN8tGZoyHcuH_6xIEA4HlHGlZyd7mo3M4pb9qrvA0u4WJVvLGh2MyD2GC43b6sH3OciGr8qAvmKAcSJafQAxfdPgLYDpOqiPCH161CCf/s320/IMG.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Captain Dwight Lanter 2013</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Looking back on Dwight's career, his firefighters shared fond memories of a man who was more then a coworker, but also a mentor and friend along the way. "When I came here from Polk County he made sure I knew about the community of Forest Grove and the history of this department, he's like an uncle to me" said Ted Penge, who currently works as one of Dwight's firefighters on C Shift. Another C Shift Firefighter, Brad Shinpaugh, added "This is a guy that I have always looked up to, as a new firefighter he would reinforce me with positive comments, and this is something that I try to carry on with our new people." Lieutenant Tony Carter echoes Dwight's ability to mentor over the years: "He literally feels like my third dad, when I came here as a straight out of high school teenager in our resident volunteer program, Dwight helped me tremendously to understand that being a quality firefighter is as much about compassion for your community as it is about fire hoses and ladders." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQldr4OI9Io9aYaRY5eTQIAjHsUg8klaJi4M3tB_xGcYxghVHeNKyDzaGxim-avy1wVLtx2VUVFOaRtn5hOEXG1w0bYqAnX6_zv-fLsU7DCt_ChpJ1ko5DzlUSvUQ2DVvpC_wmS_TW4X2/s1600/Ruiz+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQldr4OI9Io9aYaRY5eTQIAjHsUg8klaJi4M3tB_xGcYxghVHeNKyDzaGxim-avy1wVLtx2VUVFOaRtn5hOEXG1w0bYqAnX6_zv-fLsU7DCt_ChpJ1ko5DzlUSvUQ2DVvpC_wmS_TW4X2/s320/Ruiz+2013.jpg" width="228" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">FGF&R's newest paid firefighter, Jordan Ruiz</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Even though the sun is setting on one firefighter's career, it's starting to shine brightly for the start of another, as current FGF&R Intern Jordan Ruiz begins working full time on July 1st. Jordan, a 27 year old native of San Jose, California, is another pick from the current crop of volunteers and interns for the department from over the nearly 100 applicants in a hiring process that began last fall. Jordan moved to Portland with his girlfriend Kellen while she completed her nursing degree program at University of Portland; himself a graduate of Santa Clara University with a bachelors degree in biology, he currently holds certification as an Oregon Paramedic and will add another advanced life support responder, as well as a fluent Spanish speaker, to our staff. When asked how Jordan felt about coming to work full time, he talked about the positive family atmosphere at FGF&R and how family is one of the most important things to him. In fact, his eyes shined brightly as he related joyous stories of traditional Italian holidays making over 300 homemade ravioli with his entire family. It's not all about that wonderful Italian food for this young man however, who as a high school student competed in the Colt Baseball World Series, defeating the Puerto Rico team to win the championship round; Jordan remains physically active and recently competed in an Iron-man Triathlon competition. "It's tough to lose three decades of experience with Dwight's retirement, but while we are wishing Dwight the best at the same time we are super excited to be able to add a quality young firefighter in Jordan to our firehouse family. He's really an excellent fit for our department and will be an asset for the community for years to come." said Fire Chief Michael Kinkade. Jordan is one of three new firefighters hired by the fire department in the last twelve months, where he joins Chad Toomey, and Cassie Knierim as the newest members of the department's shift response force. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-28425491705621662482013-05-21T08:23:00.003-07:002013-05-21T08:24:40.261-07:00No lightning, no problems right?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are fortunate to call northwest Oregon our home. When summertime lightning storms burst to life over the Cascades we can usually breathe easy knowing that a lightning bolt in our sky is about as rare as seeing Bigfoot himself. So what exactly is our fire problem here, and who or what is to blame when we do have a wildfire?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">More often then not we need to point the finger at ourselves and blame our fellow human beings for the wildfires that burn during northwest Oregon's summers. If you have lived around here for any significant amount of time, you have likely already heard the stories of the "Tillamook Burn", and how on August 14, 1933 a logging company outside of Gales Creek wanted to haul one last log out before the Forestry Department closed the woods for the day due to high fire danger. As that final log was yarded up to the landing it rubbed either a steel cable, or another tree, and the friction that ensued sparked one of Oregon's largest wildfires right in the very Coast Range Mountains we watch the sun set over every night. Our modern experience with wildfires in this area has not been as dramatic as that 311,000 acre first Tillamook Burn fire, but our causes are consistent in that humans are still at fault for a majority of our wildfires; as we grow and more people make the woods their backyard, we can only expect that the number of human caused wildfires will grow too. So what can we do to prevent our own behavior from creating a wildfire tragedy this summer?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbpKk4Hk-NY7Wsf1PeQ9T_y2bWO47NPQ7f3HtjeI8ekxjE8IlmlUjadPn29A9cbYMFhjfDMsm0pkRb3-jzXbgQJ-dZEcAoDMqSi9V81gZqjSCQcQHaGOyazEFa0r4nwMLGufUK-cFLiIv/s1600/Tillamookburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbpKk4Hk-NY7Wsf1PeQ9T_y2bWO47NPQ7f3HtjeI8ekxjE8IlmlUjadPn29A9cbYMFhjfDMsm0pkRb3-jzXbgQJ-dZEcAoDMqSi9V81gZqjSCQcQHaGOyazEFa0r4nwMLGufUK-cFLiIv/s320/Tillamookburn.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The aftermath of the Tillamook Burn can be seen in this Wikipedia photo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Burn piles </span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The elephant in the room so to speak for our area is when we use fire outdoors. Oregon's backyard burn season ends June 15th and doesn't start again until October, so all backyard debris fires are closed during summer months. Beyond that once the weather hits the point where we expect it to stay dry, the County will almost always ban agricultural burning as well. It's that grey area of the year, like we've had with this dry spring, when burning is still technically allowed that it gets dangerous. That's why it's so important to always have a fire break of bare dirt around your burn piles, and to attend them with firefighting tools and water at all times. When you are done burning, you must make sure that your burn pile is out. This can be easily done by soaking the burned area and stirring it to create a cold and wet mud that won't allow a fire to continue to burn. Some burn piles can ignite underground roots, so it's essential that you soak your burning area when you are through with your debris fires. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Power tools and equipment</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next to burn piles, one of the other significant causes for our wildfire problem is the things we use outside. It's very important that you check your power equipment like tractors, lawn care tools, motorcycles and ATV's, and others to make sure they are in good working order before using them outdoors during fire season. Be it a motorcycle without a spark arrestor, or a farm tractor with a worn out bearing, not having a properly maintained powered tool or toy is just as risky during fire season as not using this equipment properly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Open flames and fireworks</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During fire season 2011, a resident using a cutting torch to work on a car near a grass field nearly destroyed an entire rural neighborhood when sparks ignited the tall and dry grass nearby. Fire crews stopped the fire literally feet away from one home, and prevented it from spreading to a brushy stand of timber nearby. Each year fireworks, kids with matches, and cigarettes dropped by motorists are also to blame for unnecessary fires in our area. Now is the time for parents to lock up those matches and lighters before the kids get out of school for the summer, and make sure that when you purchase your fireworks you only choose those that are legal in Oregon and you keep all fireworks out of the hands of unsupervised children. If you must use the welder or torch outdoors the same rules that apply to your burn pile apply here too, have water handy and regularly watch the area for hours afterwards to make sure that the smallest ember has not ignited the brush around your work area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, even though it's raining today, as fire season approaches remember what our old friend Smokey Bear says in this classic 1964 public service announcement: "Only you, can prevent forest fires!"<br /><br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vf7zfF74-Qw?list=UUzqv-J3vzOykDKDAYaUmBfQ" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-2636852757618917062013-05-15T08:51:00.002-07:002013-05-15T08:51:52.104-07:00Daybreak Rotary Club honors our Fire Marshal with the Paul Harris Fellow Award<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">On the evening of Monday May 13, 2013 Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Fire Marshal David Nemeyer was honored by the Forest Grove Daybreak Rotary Club as one of five local people to receive the Paul Harris Fellow Award. This award is given each year by the Rotary club to individuals that they feel best meet the clubs mission of service above self, and commitment to their community. Though not a member of their club, the Daybreak Rotary choose Dave as one of this year's winners in honor of his work revolving around fire prevention and safety in Forest Grove. Citing the department's efforts in social media, fire safety education for children and adults, and interaction with local and regional news media Dave was called to the stage and presented with a certificate, pin, and medal at the annual banquet of the club held at 1910 American Bistro on Main Street in downtown Forest Grove. After the banquet Dave said "what an unbelievable honor to be called to that stage, with so many people in the audience who truly are involved with improving Forest Grove, and to have them honor me for what we do as a fire department. Amazing!" </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On behalf of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue we wish to thank the Daybreak Rotary Club for bestowing this honor upon Dave, and especially for the work that they do in and around Forest Grove every day. What a wonderful service club in our community! </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9MkIigmz-p78-kWu71B2q-pyK7TqMBcw1sfvfHJj7X4DZotppi7F61H5y_VZTHmxmquYAkxmsj9XjnIZ5hfSN_pQuS8QztpUpVjXKYvw_01jSdBUfeXclxXxq8_kCkTlIaNZnvfZDZ4q/s1600/dave+rotary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9MkIigmz-p78-kWu71B2q-pyK7TqMBcw1sfvfHJj7X4DZotppi7F61H5y_VZTHmxmquYAkxmsj9XjnIZ5hfSN_pQuS8QztpUpVjXKYvw_01jSdBUfeXclxXxq8_kCkTlIaNZnvfZDZ4q/s320/dave+rotary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-52760275494501481632013-05-15T08:35:00.001-07:002013-05-15T08:35:12.276-07:00Home improvement projects for those at risk for wildfire<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the last few weeks we have taken the "cheap and easy" route on some of the tips we've offered for you to ready your home for wildfire season. So hopefully you've gotten out and started clearing that defensible space, and removed those pesky limbs hanging low in your driveway. If you are still sitting there on your couch, having a glass of iced tea and dreaming of what sort of projects you can do next to prepare your home for fire season, or if you are considering a major home renovation soon we suggest that you involve some of these larger projects for your wildfire preparedness efforts.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Change your roofing and/or siding materials. There is perhaps nothing more attractive than the look of natural cedar shakes on the roof or side of your home. Unfortunately, though it's beautiful, cedar is one of the worst things you can have on the exterior of your home. Sparks and embers from far away wildfires can easily blow miles ahead of the flames, and once these red hots find contact in the nooks and crannies of your shake siding or roofing it's only a matter of time before your house is burning. We suggest non combustible siding and roofing materials, like cement based products, metal roofing, or even composition roofing material is better than cedar. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Enclose your eaves, and underneath decks or porches. These open areas are like candy to the sparks and embers of a wildfire and are another hidden area where a wildfire can easily spread to your home. If you don't want to completely enclose these places, using 1/8" metal screen is another alternative that can prevent burning embers from entering the hidden areas of your home.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Replace old single pane windows with new, more efficient, heat resistant, tempered glass windows. Sometimes even the radiant heat from a nearby wildfire can ignite items inside your home without the direct contact of a flame, heat resistant windows can prevent that from happening.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Consider improvements for firefighting water supplies on your home. This is more than just having a swimming pool or a creek nearby. We need to be able to get to within 20 feet of the water on an all weather surface such as asphalt or gravel. Water tanks must have the appropriate connections to be effective, contact your local fire department if you have a water source that they can use, and have it evaluated. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Install residential fire sprinkler systems in your home. These are the single most important fire safety tool out there to protect your home, and though they may not prevent a wildfire from damaging your home, they will likely prevent your home fire from becoming a wildfire. Residential fire sprinklers are literally like having an entire fire department in your home 24/7. The damage created by their flow of water is nothing compared to the damage of a fire and the water damage associated with our firefighting operations. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, if money isn't an option, you're planning a major home remodel, or you want to go the extra mile to make your home as safe as possible we hope that you consider these "big ticket" options for improving your home for fire season. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-34526971403836789372013-05-14T14:07:00.002-07:002013-05-14T14:07:14.484-07:00New hires and promotions recieve their badges during city council ceremony<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Monday, May 13, 2013, was a special night for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, as three of our employees received their new badges during a ceremony at the weekly meeting of the Forest Grove City Council. This is a ceremony that we take part in whenever we hire a new employee, or promote internally, and is meant to not only recognize them for the hard work that earned them this honor, but also to instill pride in service to our community. During this ceremony Fire Chief Michael Kinkade gave a short speech, and then read the oath of office to three employees, Fire Inspector/Captain Chris Woodford, Lieutenant Tony Carter, and Firefighter Cassie Knierim. Inspector Woodford's badge was pinned to his Class A Uniform by his wife Robin, Lieutenant Carter's family his wife Samantha and sons Bryce and Nolan placed his new badge, and Chief Kinkade pinned Firefighter Knierim's badge on for her. Congratulations to all three of these well deserving individuals. </span> <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-57529570516854308402013-05-08T19:15:00.003-07:002013-05-09T08:01:19.401-07:00Forest Grove House Fire Traps Family Pets Inisde<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the afternoon of Wednesday May 8, 2013 firefighters were dispatched to a report of smoke from a home at 1632 Cedar Street in “Old Town” Forest Grove. Just a few blocks from their fire station, when crews arrived they found smoke and flames coming from a bedroom window, and heavy brown smoke coming from the roof of the home. Early on, Incident Commanders were made aware that the resident of the home was outside and safe, but that her two pet dogs were somewhere in the home. Lieutenant Tony Carter from FGF&R found the dogs, unconscious and not breathing, in an upstairs room, and immediately brought them out of the smoky home as the firefighters from his crew extinguished the fire burning in the first floor bedroom. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke billows from the home as fire crews arrived on scene</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Firefighter Randy Hoodenpyl and Lieutenant Jason Kellar from the Gaston Rural Fire Protection District assisted Lieutenant Carter, and firefighters Brad Shinpaugh and Cassie Knierim from Forest Grove with providing oxygen and medical care to the injured dogs. Fire and Police Chaplain Dexter Danielson then took the dogs and the homeowner to the Pacific Avenue Veterinary Clinic in Forest Grove, where the dogs began to recover. They were then transported to a clinic in Hillsboro that was capable of providing 24 hour care. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lieutenant Tony Carter (left) and Firefighter Cassie Knierim provide care to the injured dogs</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Fire investigators believe the fire is a result of a series of overloaded extension cords and power strips inside the bedroom of the home. The homeowner was outside using a power leaf blower doing yard work at the time of the fire, and was notified by a passerby that smoke was coming from her bedroom window. The 1948 built home had exterior walls made from concrete, so structurally the house is still in excellent shape, unfortunately there was smoke damage throughout the home and estimates are expected to range between $40,000 - $60,000 worth of damage to the contents and structure. Approximately 22 firefighters from Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, and<span style="font-size: small;"> G</span>aston responded to the fire, that took about 30 minutes to contain. Crews remained on scene for a few hours to extinguish hotspots in the walls and ceilings.<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Thankfully, t</span></span>here were no injuries to the resident or firefighters.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire crews from FGF&R prepare to ventilate the roof of the burning structure to remove dangerous heated gasses that were building up inside the home</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the event of a major wildfire where homes are being evacuated, fire crews will be going through neighborhoods ahead of the fire trying to determine where they can do the most good. One of the things that they use to determine if they can protect your home is how quickly they can access it, and how easy it is to get out of there in a hurry if needed One of the more common arguments we find, is that people compare our fire engines to logging or rock trucks. Though the vehicles are similar, fire engines are not the same as logging or rock trucks in that our required emergency lighting, and on other equipment on top of and alongside our engines, can easily be damaged by low hanging limbs. That's why we suggest that you make sure your driveway meets the following criteria for emergency vehicle access:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Basically you want to keep a drivable "box" that is at least 15 feet wide by 14 feet tall. Driveways that serve more then one home may need additional width, up to 20 feet wide.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Make sure your driveway is in good shape, rock is packed and covering the surface of the road, there are no ruts, large holes, or washboards.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Create a space large enough for fire engines to turn around at the end of your driveway. One of the key components to firefighters being able to protect a home is their ability to turn and run quickly if the advancing wildfire becomes too dangerous. If you have to do a multi-point turn to get your pickup or car out of the driveway in the morning then it's a good indicator that we'll need more room for a fire engine.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Driveways over 1,000 feet long should have at least one wide spot where two fire engines can pass each other. On rural fires where there are no fire hydrants, we will be bringing larger trucks called water tenders to the fire, these tenders will dump their water and then head to the nearest hydrant to fill up and return to the fire; having a place for trucks to pass each other can make a huge difference in how efficiently we are able to fight a fire on your property.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One other key for protecting your home is our ability to find it quickly. All of the fancy computer based mapping programs can't beat a plainly visible address sign. In our area so many roads can be driveways, or they can be logging or farming roads, having numbers posted that show us where your home is can save time and allow us to get on scene faster. Make sure your address numbers are at least four inches tall, and are placed so they are clearly visible from both directions of travel, as well as during day or night driving conditions. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue offers free address signs to our rural residents, they can be ordered by calling 503-992-3240 during normal business hours (Monday through Friday 8-5)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally, for those of you that protect your property by using a gate we hope that you would consider ways for firefighters to access your property without having to damage the gate. All Washington County Fire Departments use the Knox Company's fire department access products that include key boxes, automatic gate switches, and padlocks that only your local fire department has the key to. You can research the Knox products by going to their website <a href="http://www.knoxbox.com/" target="_blank">http://www.knoxbox.com/ </a></span><a href="http://www.knoxbox.com/" target="_blank"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As with anything, if you have questions or would like your driveway evaluated, please contact us at 503-992-3240. </span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-75606884065022094222013-05-01T10:34:00.001-07:002013-05-01T10:36:22.240-07:00It's time to get ready for wildfire season - start by creating a defensible space<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's May, and during each week of the month we will highlight a different way that you can take steps now to help protect your property this summer. For this first post, let's talk a little about defensible space. It's tough for modern northwest Oregon residents to appreciate the shear size of a massive threatening wildfire, it's been decades since a large fire occurred in our part of Oregon, but these fires can be so big that as firefighters are stretched to the limits they must begin to prioritize what homes can be protected, and that starts with the defensible space around your home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The amount of defensible space you need is dependent on the terrain around your home, if you live in steep country you will likely need to make more room as wildfires burn more severely up steep slopes, but a good rule of thumb is to start with the first thirty (30) feet around your home. We call this initial 30 feet the primary fire break, and it truly is the best line of defense for not only protecting your home from a wildfire, but it can help prevent a home fire from spreading to the woods too. If you live with the woods in view of your home, these are some simple steps that you can take to improve your primary fire break:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Get rid of the dead stuff. Any vegetation, trees, brush, grass that is dead or dying needs to be removed from this area, but don't stop there. Check your roof, gutters, around your siding and foundation, as well as under decks and porches to make sure limbs, needles, cones, and leaves, are all cleared out. In a wildfire sparks can blow ahead of the fire front for long distances, and this debris can easily be ignited.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Store firewood and other combustible materials at least 20 feet away from your home or structures.<br /> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Trim back the trees that are in direct contact with the home's roof or siding materials, and consider removing any and all trees that are within your primary fire break.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Limit barkdust, wood chips, and other combustible landscaping materials that directly contacts your home.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Keep your landscaping in this area watered, and only plant native, or fire resistant plants in this primary fire break. A pamphlet on fire resistant plants can be found here <a href="http://www.firefree.org/images/uploads/FIR_FireResPlants_07.pdf">http://www.firefree.org/images/uploads/FIR_FireResPlants_07.pdf</a></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="http://www.readyforwildfire.org/docs/files/Image/def_space2(1).jpg" class="decoded" src="http://www.readyforwildfire.org/docs/files/Image/def_space2%281%29.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An example of defensible spaces is shown here. Photo credit to <span class="irc_hd irc_iis"><a class="irc_hol irc_itl" data-ved="0CAQQjB0" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=iCBfMl_feMLxDM&tbnid=3s6odoGmOJnOhM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readyforwildfire.org%2Fdefensible_space&ei=Yk-BUdn2FqO0iQLjvICwDw&bvm=bv.45921128,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNEznme4SqssvakCMysOBpbNNnNgvQ&ust=1367515069499760"><span class="irc_ho">www.readyforwildfire.org </span></a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beyond this primary fire break it's also important to consider a secondary fire break. A secondary fire break should extend at least 100 feet beyond your initial 30 feet of primary fire break. Steps you can take inside your secondary fire break include:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Keeping the forest around your home healthy with effective thinning allowing trees to mature and grow. Remove any dead or dying trees from this area and allow enough space for trees to avoid massed contact with each other.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Remove the "ladder fuels" that allow a fire burning on the ground to spread to the forest canopy. Once the tops, or crowns, of the trees begin to burn a "crown fire" becomes the major threat that makes firefighting efforts very complicated and difficult. Ladder fuels are the brush and small trees near the forest floor that can easily spread the flames into the tree tops.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Talk to your neighbors, organize work parties to work together and share
resources such as tools and heavy equipment to help clear these areas.</span></li>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img height="225" id="irc_mi" src="http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2012/08/21/14/27/Im7h0.St.4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 91px;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The value of a defensible space can be seen in this photo. Photo credit to the Sacremento Bee www.sacbee.com </span></td></tr>
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</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For more information, or to schedule a consultation of your home's defensible space, please contact our Fire Prevention Division Monday through Friday at 503-992-3240. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-76908996637364853562013-04-27T19:00:00.003-07:002013-04-27T19:02:23.506-07:00Windy weather spreads two small fires into nearby structures in western Washington County<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Western Washington County fire crews fought two barn fires this
(Saturday April 27) afternoon; the first, in the Cornelius Rural Fire
Protection District, came in just before 2:00 pm when a heat lamp in a
chicken coop ignited the structure. With a strong breeze pushing the
flames, the fire quickly spread to a large series of barns that were
located within ten feet of the coop. An engine from the Cornelius Fire
Station arrived, followed closely by a Forest Grove engine, and rapidly
deployed a hose line to the burning barns. They were able to put a
quick stop to the advancing flames and save nearly all of the horse
equipment and tack that was stored in the barns. Cornelius and Forest
Grove fire crews were assisted by the North Plains Station of Washington
County Fire District #2, as well as an engine from Banks Fire District
#13, with a total of approximately 20 firefighters on scene. At one
point, firefighters were assisted by a neighboring farmer who was able
to use a back-hoe machine to move the smoldering hay that was preventing
firefighters from accessing still burning portions of the barn. There
were no injuries in this fire, all but one of the young chickens in the
coop perished in the blaze. The fire charred a dune buggy, a small car,
as well as other barn items with estimates exceeding $50,000 in damages
to the structure and it's contents. <br /><br /><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As fire crews cleaned up their hose from the first fire they were
notified of a second barn fire, this time burning in the foothills of
the Oregon Coast Range at 47600 SW Easterday Road in the Forest Grove
Rural Fire Protection District. When a crew of volunteer firefighters
(who had been providing coverage of the city during the first barn fire)
from the Forest Grove Fire Station arrived they found the fire in this
barn was already well involved. Parts of the structure had already
collapsed, and initially fire crews were hampered by a arcing power line
that had dropped after being burned through. Damage to this structure
was extensive, and included a large motor home, a number of tractors, a
boat, and other tools and equipment. Prior to the fire, the homeowner
had been using a legal burn pile to clear debris from his property when
the breezy conditions blew embers into his hay storage area. A
malfunctioning garden hose prevented the resident from extinguishing the
small fire that quickly grew to destroy his barn and everything inside.
Damage estimates to the structure, and it's contents exceeded
$300,000, there were no injuries to residents, firefighters, and
livestock on scene. Forest Grove firefighters were assisted by those
from Banks Fire District #13, Gaston Rural Fire Protection District,
Washington County Fire District #2, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, and the
Cornelius Fire Department; many of the crews from the first barn fire
left that scene to work this second call.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu0kHBsVYdmg2xLjdPJNJF71B_WvyBfVb9DzSDbr5kGLixLfCUgn4LHc_jhYmhWiCWwq332_2Y4-5-Yl2S6Ii_iyVsJ4PsZiiiCTcVNGlPYAk8mKOdKTfOfmiOvQBmJJWNRZs3WWS8Qgx/s1600/IMG_5162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu0kHBsVYdmg2xLjdPJNJF71B_WvyBfVb9DzSDbr5kGLixLfCUgn4LHc_jhYmhWiCWwq332_2Y4-5-Yl2S6Ii_iyVsJ4PsZiiiCTcVNGlPYAk8mKOdKTfOfmiOvQBmJJWNRZs3WWS8Qgx/s320/IMG_5162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A neighboring farmer uses his back-hoe to assist firefighters in removing hay north of Cornelius</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztPDiM_u-Btf7he2zA3Ho7TzGAxwF9Om0NvWtyX_HVtY-fnqHNIFjJVIFq1O9FFNXpJzZybRsdwhKv4JeE76VqUg1z_gJ9mrCXBnaeedYOgs-B9sZ6-HpX_EAGaRe5BARJHWAI6eYKhtA/s1600/IMG_5152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztPDiM_u-Btf7he2zA3Ho7TzGAxwF9Om0NvWtyX_HVtY-fnqHNIFjJVIFq1O9FFNXpJzZybRsdwhKv4JeE76VqUg1z_gJ9mrCXBnaeedYOgs-B9sZ6-HpX_EAGaRe5BARJHWAI6eYKhtA/s320/IMG_5152.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stubborn pile of burning hay kept firefighters from accessing some parts of the burning barn in Cornelius</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzg9afRHLAr4s5T9u6mGICk4PG7SVI5jd9iXviBpPrSHFFt2iFNMEqsVcPvjwFyl3X_pYDKQU6MpPSnd9gASR-3zPKYlEAjiLfZWbmrFsVCDXBdnNvFJJl03z_ouYQXug8Qov8FznGNuW/s1600/DSC_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzg9afRHLAr4s5T9u6mGICk4PG7SVI5jd9iXviBpPrSHFFt2iFNMEqsVcPvjwFyl3X_pYDKQU6MpPSnd9gASR-3zPKYlEAjiLfZWbmrFsVCDXBdnNvFJJl03z_ouYQXug8Qov8FznGNuW/s320/DSC_0072.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The quickly moving fire on SW Easterday Road caused parts of the building to collapse before firefighters arrived</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERE5MkmgQH3bGGzO4Nkn_qfXFXgbWcMvmx1qo9SUfTzyic-hExsH4goAmS8kQVq9Uwms3CliFDEevEZk7I8U_mk5Te5GQe9Y3VTYDKuLWcGa4o_Qx6EA-LJJnxHVFFPtmvmSaBLgSa5RJ/s1600/DSC_0083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERE5MkmgQH3bGGzO4Nkn_qfXFXgbWcMvmx1qo9SUfTzyic-hExsH4goAmS8kQVq9Uwms3CliFDEevEZk7I8U_mk5Te5GQe9Y3VTYDKuLWcGa4o_Qx6EA-LJJnxHVFFPtmvmSaBLgSa5RJ/s320/DSC_0083.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FGF&R Volunteers Cody Brown and Adam Wiley use a 2.5 inch hose line to extinguish hot spots in the Easterday Road Barn Fire on Saturday</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0ZMqaRJglxcU3qxb9Mybv68-7E_raIhDY8FaNfnXgkLOsCwGwSnbgqVNpY_dYH7635dW7RnbtKZoeGX0wggzVzLBTolzOrO1D_QuRd0qQbS_c1dz-l6Btovkc8oLsAg_BlZzKppBqqAS/s1600/DSC_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0ZMqaRJglxcU3qxb9Mybv68-7E_raIhDY8FaNfnXgkLOsCwGwSnbgqVNpY_dYH7635dW7RnbtKZoeGX0wggzVzLBTolzOrO1D_QuRd0qQbS_c1dz-l6Btovkc8oLsAg_BlZzKppBqqAS/s320/DSC_0078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A crew from Gaston Engine 1171 works to douse the flames burning on a trio of tractors at the rear of the SW Easterday Road Barn Fire in rural Forest Grove on Saturday</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v_8s-PH7ggovquSi-L3hW0GTkpwpR7nQrcKpC-VIkL1N7jvZp80aiM_Lu1M_tT-hBOvdSRyLL55iUK7szK0a2ReVPCVCJ9Azjq-FtS7JGE4XakqRwnB9rkNampyygKmFTAJuYwqo012Y/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v_8s-PH7ggovquSi-L3hW0GTkpwpR7nQrcKpC-VIkL1N7jvZp80aiM_Lu1M_tT-hBOvdSRyLL55iUK7szK0a2ReVPCVCJ9Azjq-FtS7JGE4XakqRwnB9rkNampyygKmFTAJuYwqo012Y/s320/DSC_0086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firefighters remove standing sheet metal to access smoldering hot spots in the ruins of the Easterday Road Barn Fire </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-60589434699093231572013-04-09T13:36:00.001-07:002013-04-09T13:36:27.720-07:00Firefighters honored at annual awards banquet<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Each spring the Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighter Associations sponsor an event to showcase and honor the work of some of our people over the course of the year. Alongside our loved ones, we gathered last Friday at the Sonrise Church in Forest Grove to recognize some of the special individual and team efforts that made a difference in Forest Grove and Cornelius in 2012.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Awards and Honors Presented at the Event:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Years of Service Recognition</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />5 years of service 2007-2012</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Firefighter Chad Toomey, Volunteer's Derek Cardelli, Robert Conrath, and Chaplain Dexter Danielson, Career Lieutenant Phil Duncan</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> 10 years of service 2002 -2012</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Captain Steve Black</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> 15 years of service 1997-2012</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Lieutenant Stephan Prichard, Administrative Assistant Sharon Cox </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> 20 years of service 1992-2012</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Battalion Chief Rob Hutchens, Fire Inspector Chris Woodford</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> 25 years of service 1987-2012</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lieutenant Tad Buckingham</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">35 years of service 1977-2012</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Division Chief Rick Schneider</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Unit Citation Awards:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unit Citation Awards are given on a case by case basis to teams of firefighters that work together during an emergency response where a significant positive outcome occurred. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Captain Dwight Lanter, Fire Inspector Chris Woodford, Firefighters Matt Rawls, Ted Penge, Volunteer Lieutenant Brooke Brown, and Intern Emmett Middaugh for their actions on 29, April 2012 that led to the successful rescue of an unconscious trapped apartment fire victim.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Interns Colin Scott and Andrew Jensen for their actions on September 18, 2012 that led to the successful resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim in the 600 block of South 5th Avenue in Cornelius. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">C Shift Captain Marc Reckmann, Volunteer Lieutenants Ty Augustine and John Phelan, and Volunteer Firefighters Andrea Pumarejo, Andrew Jensen, Steven Morelan, Derek Cardelli, and Steven Grieson for their actions that led to the successful resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim on 30 July 2012. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Award of Excellence:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Award of Excellence Commendation was presented for the first time ever at this year's banquet, going to Support Volunteer Andrew Lanter. Andrew is part of our non combat volunteer program and in 2012 he led efforts to update and improve the joint fire and police command and special operations trailer. Over the course of the year Drew also coordinated two very successful fundraisers for the non profit firefighter's association, as well as organized our department's participation in Forest Grove's annual Founder's Day Corn Roast where we are tasked with keeping the fires burning that roast the corn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> Fire Chief's Commendations:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Each year the Fire Chief personally selects one person from each department to recongize with the Fire Chief's Commendation. This is an award that goes to those people that Chief Kinkade feels best exemplify the values, mission, and goals of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Cornelius Fire Department. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For his outstanding work in the field of emergency medicine that in 2012 included taking part in a number of protocol studies, and countless hours of work to ensure that our firefighters and EMT's are always ready to respond with nothing but the highest training and care possible, Fire Chief Michael Kinkade presented his annual Forest Grove Fire Chief's Commendation to Firefighter/Paramedic Will Murphy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chief Kinkade presented the Cornelius Fire Chief's Commendation to Fire Prevention Matt Johnston. He recognized Matt for his dedication to improving the departments communication systems in 2012 that included updated radio and satellite phone systems. Matt also received this award for his work to revamp the fire inspection program and create a regular routine fire safety inspection system for businesses in the city of Cornelius. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Rookies of the Year:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Intern Jordan Ruiz (FGF&R), and Volunteer Firefighter Garth Culbertson (CFD) earned the Rookie of the Year award for 2012 because of their dedication and service to the department and community. Both were recognized for things that go above and beyond their charisma, and engaging personality. Jordan for some of the work that he has done to not only learn as an intern, but to provide training in the field of emergency medicine where he is currently a Paramedic, and Garth for his outstanding dedication and involvement with station duties and community programs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Firefighters of the Year:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Jeff Bade & Career Firefighter Tony Carter (FGF&R), and Volunteer Kevin Ritcheson (CFD). These men were recognized for their involvement in a variety of projects that they organized and carried through to fruition. Jeff Bade has revised the department's pre-fire planning programs and is working diligently to improve these documents by having them available on the computers that are installed in the apparatus. Tony Carter received high marks for his interaction with the volunteer firefighters, and a selfless compassion to remain a positive mentor to those around him. Kevin Ritcheson has worked in the last year to improve the community of Cornelius through safety and prevention. He has led the department's public education efforts, and recently brought a child safety seat inspection program to Cornelius for the first time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Officers of the Year:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer Battalion Chief Rob Hutchens & Fire Inspector Chris Woodford (FGF&R), and Volunteer Lieutenant Jason Lawson (CFD). Officer of the Year awards go beyond the typical leadership role that is expected of every officer in our agencies. Rob Hutchens was honored with this award because of his exceptional dedication to training new firefighters and helping others progress in their careers. Rob, a Captain with the Portland Fire Bureau, coordinates an educational seminar that prepares firefighters for the stressful situations that come with entry level and promotional examinations and interview processes, in 2012 he assisted dozens of Cornelius and Forest Grove Firefighters with hiring processes here and elsewhere. Chris Woodford has led our water rescue program since inception, he was nominated for this award because of the amount of time and efforts he has put into firefighter training in not just our water rescue program, but for some of the unique and new training props and aids he has built for firefighters to work with at our stations. Jason Lawson, a volunteer at both Cornelius and Forest Grove, remains one of our consistently dedicated volunteers. He regularly fills the voids in the much smaller, and lighter staffed, Cornelius Fire Station; taking time away from his family to help create a safer situation in Cornelius. In 2012 Jason led fire prevention efforts at the Pacific University Campus where he is employed, and he also coordinated firefighter training on campus to help make our crews more familiar with the campus and their buildings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-79759063423949021682013-04-01T15:23:00.001-07:002013-04-01T15:23:39.087-07:00From College Intern to full time Firefighter Cassie Knierim is ready to work<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After recent federal grant funding allowed for a series of promotions across the shifts of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, we didn't have to go far to fill the final void at the Firefighter rank. Starting April 8th, our very own college intern Cassandra "Cassie" Knierim will make the switch and jo<span style="font-size: small;">in our</span> full time Firefighter ranks. <br /><br />With the anticipation of grant moneys impacting the department's ranks, FGF&R began a competitive hiring process last fall that brought around 100 candidates from all across the Pacific Northwest into Forest Grove for testing. After achieving one of the highest scores on what candidates described as a "grueling" written test, Cassie was invited back for the physical evaluation and oral interview board where she continued to excel, wowing the interview panel to earn a final one on one interview with Fire Chief Michael Kinkade.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Upon completing interviews with the final five candidates, Chief Kinkade first went to Chad Toomey to fill the initial firefighter opening, <span style="font-size: small;">but</span> when another position opened he knew immediately that Cassie was the right fit for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the community of Forest Grove. For starters the twenty four year old avid outdoors enthusiast brings a tremendous amount of ability and education to Forest Grove. Part of what set Cassie apart is her tremendous knowledge and education, she earned a degree in physics from Montana State University, and completed an internship focused on firefighter safety tools with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. During her interviews Cassie referenced how her educational background and science knowledge was something she that she believed separated her from other candidates, and that she had future goals of using these experiences to bring a more scientific look at how firefighters do things. As the fire service has evolved and continues to change, we expect that Cassie's science background will be able to improve not only firefighter safety but our way of responding to emergencies in Forest Grove. Cassie will be initially assigned to a training regiment to help transition her from intern to paid firefighter, but once she completes that process she will join one of our three shifts where she will be the second full time female firefighter in the 119 year history of our agency.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome aboard Cassie, we are excited to work with you! </span></span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828959903181430832.post-88147455360755533622013-03-28T17:02:00.004-07:002013-03-28T17:02:44.298-07:00Extrication academy prepares new firefighters to respond to motor vehicle accidents<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From March 23 to 24th a group of Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighters spent the first weekend of "spring break" learning the essential skill of what we call "vehicle extrication" during our annual Extrication Academy. For our volunteers the training doesn't stop once you finish your initial firefighter classes. We provide opportunities throughout the year for them to increase their awareness of things like emergency medicine and more advanced rescue techniques, and last weekend they focused on the art of cutting cars.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-fWSZYM8KeKHz6eI9zW4kuPWBA8_QWGh0EVIadPgQkbLDXozFWaZTPYxXg5TBvLcgG5L_hMr3ua7-TkfB3yeHc4I1JML-bXXoSI4y2mUqD3FXhAfQF2zLDQsb4ugPgDwi64MKXbpyo5I/s1600/IMG_3573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-fWSZYM8KeKHz6eI9zW4kuPWBA8_QWGh0EVIadPgQkbLDXozFWaZTPYxXg5TBvLcgG5L_hMr3ua7-TkfB3yeHc4I1JML-bXXoSI4y2mUqD3FXhAfQF2zLDQsb4ugPgDwi64MKXbpyo5I/s320/IMG_3573.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdEZgTivIw7H4V9gSG6Jf2gED9sEDE82zSc44jwwL7yAZMxkxL4KSU8no_u37XhzgQEmIW-K5S_vJYWw6bCiRSa5MTDxyfhVau1pLsHmFKapdM0bI6n9cWRASDzVwkRlp0usKMnMouTQD/s1600/IMG_3578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdEZgTivIw7H4V9gSG6Jf2gED9sEDE82zSc44jwwL7yAZMxkxL4KSU8no_u37XhzgQEmIW-K5S_vJYWw6bCiRSa5MTDxyfhVau1pLsHmFKapdM0bI6n9cWRASDzVwkRlp0usKMnMouTQD/s320/IMG_3578.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_WvDzs8OtgTwFHkDFpjFSKPNKHRTfIwX_PY5zAkP6nE3Nkd4MqfegpYC0sEtVCpkHdsDp_wX7oybHUQj8dNIi-z0FAophpV0B04KA8B6O0ykxw323DT2YFvIckZA-Vk9xgYESupb_jcQ/s1600/IMG_3569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_WvDzs8OtgTwFHkDFpjFSKPNKHRTfIwX_PY5zAkP6nE3Nkd4MqfegpYC0sEtVCpkHdsDp_wX7oybHUQj8dNIi-z0FAophpV0B04KA8B6O0ykxw323DT2YFvIckZA-Vk9xgYESupb_jcQ/s320/IMG_3569.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With Oregon Highways 6, 8, and 47 bisecting our response area we naturally respond on a considerable amount of motor vehicle crashes, so it's essential that our responders are up to speed on the modern art of safely removing injured people who are trapped inside the crunched confines of their car. Over the weekend we worked with a number of donated cars from local towing companies and wrecking yards at the City of Cornelius Public Works yard. We crunched the cars, flipped them over, made them impact each other, and created other real life situations that our crews have experienced or expect to respond to on our rural highways or city streets. Lead instructor, C Shift Paramedic, Ted Penge brings decades of vehicle extraction training and experience into what he calls "The Extrication Academy" where he puts some of our newest members through the paces of reviewing how vehicles are constructed, and a variety of methods that they can use to work safely to quickly remove an injured passenger or driver from their car. Ted worked with about a dozen students from the two fire departments preparing them to not only work as individual crews, but work together to accomplish their objectives, and to get them ready for those unfortunate motor vehicle accidents that happen in our area. </span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0