Oregon Fire Service Meritorious Awards

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

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

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

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

Fire Investigator Training Comes to Forest Grove

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forest Grove Firefighters to add confined space rescue to their menu

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

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

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

2009 Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Awards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ventilation on a real fire

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

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

Ventilation Training

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

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

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

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

Window Safety Week

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

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

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

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