ONE PERSON RESCUED FROM CONDO FIRE IN FOREST GROVE

A man in his early twenties is fortunate to be alive today after firefighters rescued him from his burning condominium in Forest Grove.  Just before 3:00 am on Sunday April 29, 2012 a downstairs neighbor in the building located at 3404 19th Avenue in Forest Grove, heard a strange popping noise and after going outside to investigate he discovered smoke coming from a second floor condo, the neighbor reacted the right way and quickly ran inside to call 9-1-1.  When firefighters from the Forest Grove Fire Station arrived they found an active fire burning inside of the kitchen of Unit 207 at the complex.  After having to force entry into the locked condo, a dog and cat charged from the smoke filled building while FGF&R Intern Firefighter Gabe Welp began to extinguish the fire as Lieutenant Chris Woodford started to search for victims.  Opening the door to the first bedroom he came to, Chris found a 21 year old man unresponsive laying in bed.  Volunteer Firefighter Brooke Brown, and Intern Firefighter Emmet Middaugh from Engine 422 assisted Woodford and Welp as they grabbed the unconscious man and pulled him free from danger, where waiting Firefighter/Paramedics provided advanced life support care to the young man. 

The victim was transported to Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro where he was treated for smoke inhalation.  Firefighter/Paramedics that went with the victim in the Metro West Ambulance reported that he was able to talk to emergency room staff, but that he did not know what had happened.  His injuries do not appear to be life threatening at this time.  Fire investigators found that a pan had been left on the stove and that the electric burner was left turned on high.  There was extensive fire damage in the kitchen, that caused at least $40,000 in damages to the rest of the home and contents.  No working smoke alarms were found and the building did not have a fire sprinkler system that would have otherwise controlled the fire.

The condo was occupied by a husband and wife, the victim of the fire is their roommate.  The married couple was not home at the time of the fire, but arrived later that morning after being informed of the fire.  Forest Grove Police Officers quickly secured the dog that escaped the fire but the family cat is still missing.  Based on statements and evidence at the scene it appears that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in this incident.  Firefighters made a quick stop on the fire and luckily prevented it within minutes of the fire spreading to the building's attic or to another unit in the complex.  Please be cautious in your home, especially if you share a building with others.  If you choose to drink, please do so responsibly, and never attempt to cook, drive, or use equipment.  Make sure that you have a working smoke alarm and always practice a family fire escape plan.  

Live Fire Training Saturday April 21st

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Cornelius Fire Department will be holding live fire training this Saturday April 21, 2012 in the former "Oasis Tavern" located at the south east corner of the Pacific Avenue and Oak Street intersection. The Oasis Tavern closed over 20 years ago and the building has been mostly vacant ever since, it is being razed to clear the property for a future dental office and has been donated to us for firefighter training by the property owner. Located on the eastern end of Forest Grove, training will be easily visible especially to motorists on Pacific Avenue. Due to the proximity to the highly traveled Pacific Avenue, we have worked with the Forest Grove Police and Public Works Department on a traffic control plan that you should be aware of.

- One eastbound lane of Pacific Avenue will be closed near the burn, but access to businesses like Papa Murphy's Pizza and Pacific Nails (as well as others) will be allowed. 

- Patrons of Papa Murphy's and Pacific Nails will still be allowed to leave the parking lot of the businesses and use Oak Street southbound only, but this may be interrupted during some of our operations.  

- Oak Street will be closed to all but local access for residents between 19th Avenue and Pacific Avenue.

- Oak Street will be closed to southbound traffic between 22nd Avenue and Pacific Avenue.  This is intended to avoid congestion as cars attempt to turn from Oak into the eastbound Pacific Avenue which will be down to one lane.  

- The Trimet bus 57 line stop on the south side of Pacific Avenue at Oak Street will be closed.  Please plan accordingly to access the next closest stop. 

Fire crews will begin to gather on site around 8:00 am and will start burning within an hour of arriving and getting set up.  It is estimated that sometime around noon is when the bulk of the fire will actually occur after Training Coordinators determine that it is time to let the building burn freely.  It will be during this free burn time that the bulk of the smoke and flames will be visible.  Based on weather forecasts we believe that the smoke will vent straight up into the atmosphere, but if the smoke does linger in the area we suggest closing windows and ventilation to your home while the smoke is present. 

This type of training is vital to our ability to serve the community.  We will be taking through dozens of newer firefighters to train them on how a fire actually will burn inside of a real building.  This type of training provides them with important information and education that can help them work safely as volunteer firefighters.  Without a fire training facility, neither Forest Grove or Cornelius have the practical ability to conduct live fire training any other way then by using a donated structure.  This training event will allow us to have our newest groups of volunteer firefighters trained to the minimum standards required by the State of Oregon to certify as Firefighters and respond on our fire engines when you need them.  They will be working alongside experienced career and volunteer firefighters to gain that essential knowledge needed to become a safe and practiced firefighter. 

You can keep track of our training with live updates from the scene by following our Twitter and Facebook pages.   

Three year old boy injured in backyard accident

Just before 4:30 pm Friday afternoon (April 13, 2012) Forest Grove Fire & Rescue crews were called to a home in the 1000 block of Stonewall Avenue for a reported pediatric trauma injury. When our Paramedics arrived, the mother of two twin three year old boys reported to them that the brothers had been playing on an outdoor play structure when one of the boys apparently dropped a rock down on top of the other boy. The rock was found to be approximately 4 inches in diameter and struck the boy directly in the top of the head. The boys' mother quickly controlled the bleeding and called 9-1-1 and our crews determined that the child's' injuries required him to be transported by Lifeflight; the boy was conscious and talking to our Paramedics during the incident. Within minutes of taking off from their Aurora, Oregon base, Lifeflight arrived on scene and landed on the ball fields at Tom McCall Elementary School where the injured child was loaded into the helicopter and taken to the trauma center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland for further evaluation and treatment.

The injured boy is loaded into a waiting Lifeflight helicopter by FGF&R and Metro West Ambulance Paramedics

Explosion on farm in Forest Grove injures farm worker

Earlier this afternoon (April 3, 2012) at approximately 2:20 pm, Forest Grove Firefighters responded to a report of an explosion in the west part of Forest Grove after neighbors in the 400 block of Willamina Avenue called to report that an explosion loud enough to rattle windows had occurred and that they could see black smoke coming from a barn on Reuter Lane and Willamina Avenue. When firefighters arrived they found a farm worker lying in the farm driveway and a small fire burning on the ground near him. While Paramedics from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue treated the injured man another crew was able to quickly control the small fire which they found burning around a crumpled metal 55 gallon drum.



According to the other farm employees the worker was using a cutting torch to cut apart the drum when it suddenly exploded. They reported that the man remained standing throughout the incident but that initially the injured worker had fire burning on his clothing. He was able to use the basic fire safety skill of "STOP DROP & ROLL" to put the flames out and that's when firefighters arrived to find him on the ground. Even though the explosion created enough heat to melt glass barn windows and scorch the cinder block wall the injured man remained conscious and alert and talked to our crews. The injured man was transported by Metro West Ambulance to the Trauma Center at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland. Fire Investigators believe that the metal drum had contained diesel at one point , and that even though it was thought to be empty, enough diesel fuel and vapors remained to cause the explosion. Unfortunately, this type of accident, where an explosion happens from using a cutting torch on a drum or container, is more common than it should be. It’s important that you consult a safety professional or hazardous material clean up company before completing this type of work. You should never under any circumstances attempt to cut on a container that has potentially contained hazardous materials or flammable liquids.

FIRE DAMAGES HOME NEAR GALES CREEK

On the morning of Wednesday March 14, 2012 an employee with Asplundh Tree Service was setting up his work area in the 57000 block of NW Wilson River Highway when he thought he saw smoke coming from a home. The home was a few hundred yards away and across the rapidly flowing Gales Creek, but as the tree worker gained a better look he saw heavy white smoke start to billow from the roof of the home so he went to call 9-1-1. Firefighters arrived quickly and began to go to work to control the blaze, but found the fire burning stubbornly in the attic area of the triple wide manufactured home. Crews from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District, Washington County Fire District #2, and the Cornelius Fire Department worked for most of the day on Wednesday tearing into the structure to extinguish hidden hot spots burning in the insulation and roofing that would quit smoking for awhile only to flare up again as crews worked in other parts of the home. Fire investigators believe the fire started in the attic area of the home, an investigation is currently ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire that officials estimate causing at least $150,000 damage to the home and contents. No one was home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

STAIR CLIMB FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT A CURE FOR CANCER

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

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

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



The event details are as follows:

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

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

FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO MAN INJURED BY WOOD WORKING EQUIPMENT

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

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