Fireworks: Keep It Legal, Keep It Safe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summer vacation can be deadly for teen drivers

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

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

1. Risk Taking


2. Unbuckled


3. Speed


4. Rowdy drivers and passengers


5. Cell phones and texting or talking


6. Messing with the radio


7. Light night cruising


8. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol


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


10. Overconfidence

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

Forest Grove Firefighter is recognized with Oregon Public Service Award

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

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

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

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

Former High School Cadet Firefighters promoted to Volunteer Lieutenant

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

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

New Recruit Volunteer Firefighter Rescues Puppy

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

These individuals recieved recognition at this year's event:

5 Years of Service

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

10 Years of Service

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

20 Years of Service

Engineer Dallas Boge - Station 7 (volunteer)

40 Years of Service

Captain Robert Haney - Station 4 (volunteer)

Distinguished Conduct Commendation

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

Rookie of the Year

John McGinnis - Station 7 (volunteer)

Firefighter of the Year

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

Officer of the Year

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

Fire Chief's Award

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