This morning (February 21, 2013) at around 5:30, Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighters responded to a house fire at Rose Grove Mobile Home Park at 3839 Pacific Avenue. The fire cause significant damage to a small area in the ceiling near a wood stove pipe. Everyone in the house was able to make it out and no one on scene was injured. The fire appears to be caused by the stove pipe becoming too hot and being too close to combustible materials in the ceiling and roof area. It is estimated that the stove pipe had been charring the area around the pipe over many days, if not weeks and finally caused the area to ignite into flames.

This is a great reminder that if you have a stove pipe or chimney, that you keep it clean and verify that it is installed correctly. Also always have a smoke alarm in your house near sleeping areas and test it monthly, in this incident a smoke alarm was not in the house to alert the residence.  If you have questions about fire safety in your home please contact us at 503-992-3240, though we don't inspect chimney installations we would gladly help you with other home fire safety questions. 

Lieutenant Keith Baas and Firefighter Chad Toomey Officially Take Their Oath

The regular Forest Grove City Council meeting on January 28th was anything but regular for Forest Grove's firefighters as two of our employees took their official oaths and were sworn in by Fire Chief Michael Kinkade.  At the beginning of the City Council Meeting, with a packed auditorium awaiting other city business, newly promoted Lieutenant Keith Baas and recently hired Firefighter Chad Toomey were called to the front of the Council Chambers.  Fire Chief Michael Kinkade gave a speech of accolades as to why these two men were promoted and hired, show casing their commitment to the Forest Grove community as well as their already established local connections, and the short ceremony wrapped up with their families coming up and placing their new badges and collar insignia onto their uniforms. 

Congratulations to our newest Lieutenant Keith Baas, and Firefighter Chad Toomey!

LONGTIME VOLUNTEER JOINS THE FULL TIME STAFF RANKS AT FOREST GROVE FIRE & RESCUE

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue is pleased to announce that after an extensive testing and hiring process, Forest Grove resident and longtime volunteer firefighter Chad Toomey will be joining our ranks as a full time paid firefighter effective January 14, 2013. Chad had previously worked in our community where he was the director of the Outback in the Student Life program at Pacific University, and it was this work that indirectly drew him to the fire service. In 2008 Chad was looking for ways to re-certify as an emergency medical technician, as he thought that was a beneficial skill set to have when leading college students on outdoor adventures such as kayaking, and mountain biking. That need to receive up to date training in emergency medicine brought him to volunteer at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue where like so many others, what started as a side project quickly became a driving passion in Chad’s life. In the fall of 2012 after receiving a federal assistance to firefighters grant, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue had a career opening and Chad entered the competition against 100 other candidates from all over the United States. After achieving one of the top scores in the written examination, passing our physical abilities evaluation, and going through two sets of oral interviews, Chad was selected by Fire Chief Michael Kinkade as the top pick from a final pool of five candidates. 

An alumni of Pacific University, Chad and his wife Amy make their home, and are raising their young family right here in Forest Grove. For the last four years Chad has been an active volunteer member of Forest Grove Fire & Rescue where he was regularly one of the top volunteer responders, and consistently involved in the community projects of the Forest Grove Firefighter’s Association. Fluent in Spanish, Chad will be the first Spanish speaking employee at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and he also brings experience as a certified child safety seat inspector to the community. Fire Chief Michael Kinkade had this to say about Chad: “We are definitely excited to add a person like Chad to our fire department family. He’s well liked and already respected in Forest Grove, and he brings a tremendous background of life experience that will be valuable to our work and a dynamic and engaging personality that will fit well in our staff and in our community.”

FGF&R's newest full time firefighter Chad Toomey

Chad’s first day as a full time firefighter will be Monday January 14, 2013. He will spend approximately one month working through a series of training programs that will help him make the switch from volunteer firefighter to a full time role. After that he will be assigned as one of the five staff members that make up each of the three 24 hour shifts at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Fire Safety During the Christmas Season

It's that time of year again!  For many of us the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years are when we transform our homes into a holiday wonderland full of decorations and joy for the holiday season.  For some it's a simple Christmas tree or maybe a few candles, while others will attempt to have the highest power bill in town in the hopes that their light display is visible from space.  What no one wants to experience this time of year is a devastating fire that was caused by they very things that you put up in your home to brighten your home during the holiday season.  Let's talk about a few of the typical causes of fires during the holiday months and what you can do to prevent them.

Lights and Electrical  

•  Inspect your lights before you put them up.  Check for frayed wires, bare spots in the insulation, or any broken parts.  If you find a problem dispose of the lights and replace them.
• Avoid overloading your circuits!  Do not link more than three strands of lights together, and do not plug multiple adapters into each other.  Use one power strip per plug in and avoid the use of the massive amount of adapters plugged into each other.
• Always unplug your lights when you leave the home or before you go to bed. 

 Candles

• Use electric flame-less candles instead of the traditional wax and wick candles.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Make sure your candles are placed on a stable surface or base and are in a position where they can't be easily tipped over by children or pets.  
• Keep candles at least 18 inches away from things that can burn, including other decorations like wreaths or trees.  

Trees

• Make a fresh cut at least one inch above the butt end of your tree before you place it into the home.
• Keep your tree stand full of water, and avoid putting it near heating vents that can accelerate the drying process.  This amazing video shows the dangers of a dry Christmas tree inside the home. 

  

Don't forget the basics!

• Make sure your home is protected with working smoke alarms, that are also less then 10 years old, on every level of the home.  
• Plan and practice a family fire escape drill so that everyone knows what to do if a fire does break out in your home. 

Federalgrant boosts volunteer program and leads to personnel changes at FGF&R

Forest Grove Fire & Rescue is honored to announce that through a Department of Homeland Security Grant we will be able to fund a full time position to combat the challenging problem of Volunteer Firefighter recruitment and retention.  Forest Grove is like many communities nationwide that cannot fiscally support a fully staffed professional fire department, and even though we currently have fifteen full time firefighters on staff, with only five assigned to each of our 24 hour shifts we still depend on a response from our Volunteers for not only fire emergencies, but also to cover medical calls occurring at the same time.   In this day and age, with increased training requirements and free time being important to everyone Fire Departments nationwide are struggling with the problems of not only recruiting qualified volunteer firefighters, but keeping the ones that they have on board so they can maintain a highly trained and experienced volunteer force.  Through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program our grant award guarantees that the federal government will pick up $426,908 over the next four years so that we can move one of our existing Lieutenants into a role where he will be responsible for not only evaluating and improving our current volunteer program but also being a dedicated employee for any volunteer interaction within our system. 

New Volunteer Coordinator Lt. Tad Buckingham

On September 24, 2012 the Forest Grove City Council authorized a supplemental budget appropriation so that Fire Chief Michael Kinkade could move longtime FGF&R Lieutenant Tad Buckingham into this new Volunteer Coordinator role effective October 1st.  Lieutenant Buckingham has worked for the Forest Grove Fire Department full time since 1996, after being hired out of our volunteer program where he started in the 1986 while he attended Pacific University, he is recognized as a natural fit for this role as he was already responsible for our College Intern Firefighters and his communication and interaction with current volunteers was highly regarded.  This grant allows us to fully fund a new position, and does not take away from our existing budget, so through a competitive promotional process Forest Grove Fire & Rescue will be promoting Firefighter Keith Baas to the rank of Lieutenant where he will be assigned to a 24 hour shift to replace the position that Lieutenant Buckingham previously held.  The new Lieutenant Baas is a 1999 graduate of Forest Grove High School and started as a volunteer firefighter with our agency in 2000.  He was hired full time in 2006 and is well respected amongst our staff and volunteer firefighters.  In the coming weeks the City of Forest Grove will be holding a competitive process to hire a full time entry level firefighter to fill the position that Lieutenant Baas was holding previously.

New Shift Lieutenant Keith Baas

“We are very grateful to the Department of Homeland Security for this grant, and excited to move Tad into the Volunteer Coordinator role, his personality, background, and approachability make him a great person for this position” said Fire Chief Michael Kinkade adding “As our community evolves it is becoming harder and harder for combination fire departments like ours to find and keep dedicated volunteers.  Our hope is that Tad can hit the ground running and not only evaluate our current volunteer model, but consider outside the box ideas to enhance our program and promote the spirit of volunteerism in Forest Grove and throughout the fire services in Western Washington County”. 

FIRE DEPARTMENTS DECLARE ALL OUTDOOR BURNING CLOSED DUE TO FIRE DANGER

Effective immediately, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and the Cornelius Fire Department will be taking a rare, but proactive step to help prevent a fire tragedy in our community by instituting a total ban on all outdoor burning until further notice.  This total ban goes above and beyond the already in place County wide ban on open agricultural and yard debris burning,
and also closes all outdoor campfires and recreational fires within our response area. Cooking fires in an approved and listed open flame cooking device such as a propane or charcoal fired barbecue grill are exempt from this total burn ban and are still allowed at this time.
 

Due to the long term effects of little to no rain combined with the hot, dry, and windy weather, Fire Officials urge the community to be extra fire safe during these final few weeks until the steady rains arrive again and the burn ban is lifted.  Please do not use machinery or equipment near tall grass or brush, and do not weld or perform other hot work outdoors at this time. It’s also recommended that if you do any work outdoors that you have a properly maintained and easily accessible fire extinguisher with your machinery, vehicles, and equipment. If you must work outdoors we strongly urge that you perform your work during the morning hours when the humidity is highest. For those in the forestry industry you are required to follow the guidelines set forth by the Oregon Department of Forestry for Industrial Fire Precautions at this time, please contact your local Oregon Department of Forestry Office for further details.
 
For questions please contact your local Fire Department Administration Office. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue can be reached at 503-992-3240, and the Cornelius Fire Department at 503-357-3840.

Discarded Cigarette Damages Best Western Hotel

Around 2:45 pm on Sunday (September 16, 2012) afternoon firefighters were called to a fire at the Best Western Hotel located at 3933 Pacific Avenue in Forest Grove.  Dark smoke was billowing into the sky and was visible from blocks away as firefighters arrived on scene and found the fire burning on both floors of an exterior wall of the two story hotel.  Firefighters quickly went to work, and from the outside they were able to rapidly extinguish the bulk of the actively burning fire with their hose streams.  Incident commanders then ordered additional crews into the building to verify that the all guests and staff of the hotel had safely escaped, and that the fire had not spread.  Forest Grove Fire & Rescue deployed their ladder truck which began removing the burnt siding from the building while a crew from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue checked in the attic.  Firefighters found that the fire had indeed spread to the attic, charring a number of truss and roof components there, but that the building's fire sprinkler system had activated in the attic with eight sprinkler heads flowing enough water to stop the spread of fire in the attic at that point.

This was the scene that presented itself to firefighters as they arrived at the Best Western Hotel on Sunday

Fire Investigators determined that the fire, that caused at least $75,000 in damages to the building and its contents, was a result of a discarded cigarette.  Guests and hotel staff reported smelling smoke earlier in the day at which point they checked the hallways and a number of rooms but found nothing out of the ordinary.  One of the hotel housekeepers was outside of the building when she noticed the smoke and she quickly went back into the hotel to help evacuate the dozen or so guests.  Another house keeper ran with a fire extinguisher but the fire was already burning inside the wall space and she was unable to extinguish it at that time.  The area where the fire originated is a bark dust landscaped area surrounding a concrete patio that is the designated smoking area for the hotel.  Fire investigators found bark dust burned deeply underground which along with the reports of a smoky smell from earlier in the day, indicates that a slow burning fire had been going on for quite some time.  The hotel suffered extensive damage from the smoke and firefighting water and is not able to be occupied at this time.  It will likely be quite a few days before the hotel will be fully up and running again, hotel staff are working on finding another hotel in the area for guests at this time.

Volunteers from FGF&R Truck 4 remove siding from the building to verify that the fire has not spread

  

This is just one of many fires in bark dust that has occurred across Washington County over the week.  As the weather continues to remain warm and dry the bark dust used for landscape in our community is tinder dry and doesn't take much to ignite and turn into a smoldering fire that can easily creep into hedges, fences, and as in this case structures.  Please, if you choose to smoke make sure that you discard your cigarettes in a safe area with a non combustible container.  Also, don't hesitate to call 9-1-1 if you smell smoke.  Firefighters have special tools and thermal imaging heat detecting cameras that they can use to help make sure that a potentially dangerous situation is not occurring.