Change Your Clocks Check Your Smoke Alarms

Daylight saving's time starts this Sunday at 2:00 am.  Over the years the fire service has done a great job of getting the message out that when you change your clocks you should also change the batteries in the smoke alarms that protect your home.  Oregon's a unique state though, where you may not necessarily need to change your batteries this weekend, and where even doing so could make your home less safe!

In 1998 the Oregon legislature passed a law that required all ionization type smoke alarms that receive their power from a battery to have a battery capable of lasting 10 years.  This meant that our old friend the 9 volt alkaline battery was being replaced by it's stronger cousin the lithium ion battery.  On the outside these batteries look the same, they are still that classic rectangle shape with the two round connections on one end, it's the inside of the battery where the chemicals that store the energy are located that there's a difference.  Science has shown that the lithium ion battery is capable of outlasting the alkaline powered batteries of yesterday.  

So what does all of this mean, and what exactly are you supposed to do when you go and change your clocks this weekend?  What we suggest is that when you change your clocks you check your smoke alarms.  You're probably asking, but check them for what?

• If the smoke alarm is ten years old, regardless of how it is powered, replace it!  Smoke alarms have about a ten year life span and after that you can expect more false alarms and less sensitivity to real smoke in the home.
  
•  If you have an ionization smoke alarm that is battery operated simply test it.  How do you tell if it is an ionization type?  There are two common types of smoke alarms in most all of our homes and the difference lies in how they detect the presence of smoke.  For years the ionization types were the most common ones found in stores but within the last ten years or so a new type called photoelectric smoke alarms have become readily available.  Both should be labeled either on the surface of the alarm or on a decal on the underside of the alarm. 
  
• If your smoke alarm is hardwired to the electrical circuits of your home simply replace the back up battery, a standard 9 volt alkaline battery meets the requirements of Oregon state law for back up power of hardwired smoke alarms. 
  
• If your smoke alarm battery says something like "long life lithium" or "ten year battery power" leave it in the alarm and do not replace it with an alkaline battery.  This will actually not only void the warranty of the smoke alarm, but it can give a false impression that the battery contained within is capable of lasting for ten years and may lead to not changing the battery in a timely manner in the future.  

When you test your smoke alarm it's also a good idea to get the entire family involved and practice a fire drill.  Now is the perfect time to sit down with the kids and prepare a home fire escape map.  Have the kids draw up a map of the floor plan and show two ways out of your bedrooms that lead to a meeting place.  Everyone should know that once you get to the meeting place you never go back into the home until it's safe to do so  Once you are done preparing your plan it's not good enough to just stick it to the refrigerator with a magnet, now you must practice your plan so everyone knows what to do.  We suggest that right before the kids would normally wake up that the parents test the smoke alarms so that the children can experience the sound of waking up to the smoke alarms and go through the motions of escaping a house when it's dark.  

As with all things, if you need help testing your smoke alarms or practicing a family fire escape drill we would gladly help you.  You can call our fire station anytime during normal business hours at 503-992-3240 and one of our firefighters can assist you in making your home as safe as it can be.  

A pair of sleeping grandparents, and their six year old grandson barely escaped as a smoke filled their mobile home Wednesday evening. When firefighters from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue arrived to the home at the Grove Mobile Home Park, there was already dark grey smoke pumping from the windows and roof of the double wide mobile home. Fire crews quickly went to work, crawling into the front room of the mobile home and extinguishing the fire they found burning on a bunk bed. Within a matter of minutes the fire was brought under control with no injuries to residents or firefighters.

During the investigation into the cause of the fire, the grandson admitted that he had found a pack of matches in the home while his grandparents slept and he had crawled onto the top bunk and began to light the matches, dropping one onto his mattress. The young boy told investigators that the fire began to grow at which time he woke up his grandparents and they all escaped safely. Unfortunately three of the family cats,
and a number of pet birds did not survive the fire; one cat remains missing at this time. The home and it’s contents are considered a total loss, and the local Red Cross Chapter is working to provide assistance to the family during this difficult time.

This is the second fire in less then a month in the Grove Mobile Home Park, located at 3831 Pacific Avenue in the east part of Forest Grove. In both incidents firefighters found the homes to be without working smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms have been proven countless times to save lives, and the changing of the clocks this weekend is the perfect reminder to make sure your smoke alarms work and are less then 10 years old. When your testing your smoke alarms it’s also the perfect time to conduct a family fire drill. Firefighters also urge parents to secure their matches and lighters away from children, and if you fear that your children are involved with misusing fire please contact their local fire department about juvenile fire setter intervention programs. The Oregon Fire Service is recognized nationwide as a leader in youth fire setting prevention programs, and many departments have effective tools to make sure this dangerous behavior does not cause an incident like tonight's.

The Passing Of Retired Fire Chief Robert Davis

It is with great sorrow that Forest Grove Fire & Rescue announces the death of retired Fire Chief Bob Davis. Surrounded by his family, Chief Davis passed away peacefully at his home in rural Forest Grove on the morning of March 1, 2013 after a fight with lung cancer, he was 75. Born on July 29, 1937, Chief Davis came to Forest Grove from California in 1978 after a fire service career that took him from the United States Air Force to the City of Davis, California Fire Department.  Between 1978 and his retirement from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue in 2004 he was instrumental in establishing a stable funding source for fire department capital projects such as apparatus and buildings. He led two large fire department construction projects, building a new fire station in Gales Creek in 1981 as well as replacing the fire station in Forest Grove that was damaged by the 1993 Scotts Mills Earthquake. Towards the end of his career, Chief Davis was also the city’s dedicated construction supervisor for both the City of Forest Grove Library and Community Auditorium buildings. After his retirement in 2004 Bob continued to serve the citizens of Forest Grove by serving as an elected director of the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District, and in the most recent years he was active as a delivery driver for the local “meals on wheels” program for seniors in our community. Forest Grove Mayor Peter Truax had this to say about the passing of Chief Davis: “Bob Davis' contribution to the safety of the citizens in and around Forest Grove cannot and should not be minimized. He served the City of Forest Grove as Chief of a first class fire department, and, after his retirement, served as an elected official on the Rural Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors. His sense of service was second to none. His influence is still being felt throughout the fire and rescue community. He will be missed”.

Though many of the firefighters in Forest Grove have changed since his retirement in 2004, those who worked under Chief Davis will always remember him as a strong Fire Chief that fought during the tough economic times of the 1980s to keep full time professional firefighters on duty in Forest Grove. He led the department during the time when the Forest Grove Fire Department became Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and was dedicated to the implementation of Paramedics and emergency medical response in our area. Chief Davis was also a strong advocate for fire prevention and safety programs and helped bring programs like elementary school fire safety education in the 1980s, and creating the city’s first Fire Inspector position in 1996.

An all staff photo from the late 1990s shows Chief Davis standing on the right side of the middle row

A public memorial will be held at the Forest Grove Fire Station this coming Saturday (March 9) at 1:00 pm.

Spring Backyard Burn Season Starts March 1st

Spring back yard burning opens March 1st through June 15th. Remember to call the burn Number, when you are ready to burn, at 503.992.3242 . Oregon DEQ regulates the burning based on air quality considerations and notifies the fire department daily to find out if burning is allowed or not. Fires should stay within the burn times that are recorded on the burn message.


To stay safe, keep the fires small and have an established fire break around your pile. A fire break is a cleared dirt area that is as wide as the pile is tall. This fire break should be completely around your burn pile, never burn close to homes, fences, sheds or brush. Keep tools on hand and a water hose or other water source nearby incase the fire gets to hot or out of control. You can always call 911 if the fire does get out of control and you need some help. Never leave the fire unattended. It’s only legal to burn yard debris, remember not to put any garbage, furniture or other things you are trying to get rid of on the fire. Also remember for rural residents agricultural burning is for farm or nursery debris only.

There are some alternatives to burning that can make you more friendly with neighbors and decrease complaints such as curbside yard debris pick up. There are also composting solutions available either commercially or by simply making a area of your yard available for composting or spreading the leaves and grass in your garden or flower beds.

Again call 503.992.3242 if you are going to burn as the messages changes daily based on DEQ regulations.

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.