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.

FIRE INVESTIGATORS COMPLETE INVESTIGATION INTO CAUSE OF THE PRIMETIME FIRE

The following information is from a media release that went out to local news outlets earlier today detailing the work that fire investigators completed to determine the cause of last week's fire at Primetime Sports Bar:

Fire investigators from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue and two Insurance Companies spent Monday (11.28.11) morning sifting through the remains of the Primetime Sports Bar in Forest Grove after the popular local hang out had been destroyed by a fire just before 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday November 23, 2011. By surveying the damage to the building and it's contents and considering witness and firefighter statements from the night of the fire, investigators were able to trace the area where the fire started back to a laundry and utility room that is located just off the kitchen in the south east corner of the restaurant. Fire investigators believe that it is possible that rags with traces of cooking oil that were stored in this area are a probable cause of the fire, and the Insurance Company Investigators have taken samples of the burned rag debris to be evaluated by a forensic science lab. At this time fire investigators are considering this fire accidental and have been able to rule out any act of foul play in the cause of this devastating fire.

Fire Investigators believe that the fire started in this area, a utility and laundry room near the prep room behind the kitchen.

Early estimates place the total loss of property and contents at well over 1.5 million dollars. The fire went to three alarms bringing in over 60 firefighters from all over Washington County on November 23, 2011. Crews remained on scene until mid afternoon on the day of the fire, extinguishing hot spots and salvaging items from the building for the owners. At one point heavy equipment from the Public Works Departments of the Cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius were called in to remove part of the collapsed dining room area so fire crews could safely get to the heavy burning area around the kitchen. One Forest Grove firefighter was injured during the fire, suffering exhaustion type injuries, he was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released. At this point the Primetime Sports Bar is considered a total loss and the fire has displaced approximately 50 employees, a relief fund has been established at the Forest Grove Branch of the Columbia Community Bank for the restaurant's staff, as well as number of local fundraisers are in the works. Over the weekend the Forest Grove Firefighter's Association and the Cornelius Firefighter's Association, non profit groups made up of Volunteer and Union Firefighters to support community projects, pledged $1,000 from each association to support the relief fund as the holidays approach.

EARLY MORNING FIRE DESTROYS POPULAR PRIMETIME SPORTS BAR

Just before 4:00 on Wednesday (November 23, 2011) a passerby called 9-1-1 to report that smoke was coming from the Primetime Sports Bar in the 4200 block of Pacific Avenue. When firefighters arrived they initially did not see any flames, but found heavy black smoke inside the restaurant. Crews from Forest Grove and Cornelius quickly went to work to try and find where the fire was located but they soon discovered that the fire had already spread to the attic space and was burning throughout the structure that supports the roof of the building. At this point with an established fire burning so quickly inside the building, Incident Commanders made a tactical decision for firefighter safety to remove all crews from the building and fight this fire defensively from the outside. Within minutes flames began to show as the roof structure failed and our Incident Command Team requested a second and third alarm to bring in firefighters from every fire agency in Washington County in to control the massive blaze. Ladder trucks from Forest Grove and Hillsboro were set up to spray thousands of gallons of water per minute into the burning structure that had collapsed into the shell of the building and firefighters from different departments worked seamlessly side by side as they operated streams of water from hand held hoses and used power tools to tear into the building and extinguish the fire. Eventually Incident Commanders had to call in heavy equipment from the Public Works Departments of the cities of Forest Grove and Cornelius to pull apart the stubbornly burning debris from the dining area which had by that time collapsed in on itself so that crews could get close enough to the remaining hot spots to extinguish them. A firefighter from our Gales Creek Station was injured during the firefighting efforts, suffering chest pains, and was transported to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro where he was treated and released showing signs of over-exertion.

As fire investigators worked to determine the cause of the devastating fire, firefighters worked to save what they could from the popular local hang out. Crews brought out memorabilia that had been autographed by sports legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as historic photos of Forest Grove from the large banquet room that was considered the least damaged part of the building. Firefighters were also able to dig through the collapsed building to recover the safe which had the paychecks for the employees as well as the money from the business. A team of fire investigators from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, the Hillsboro Fire Department, and the Insurance Company that covered the business worked through out the day to narrow down what was responsible for the fire and have so far been able to confirm that the fire is accidental in nature but an official cause is not being released at this time.

Primetime Sports Bar has been an icon in the Forest Grove business scene for decades, not just for their great food, but their support of community projects. It's a popular place to catch a bite to eat while you enjoyed the big game, and with it being one of the largest restaurants in Forest Grove it always was one of the great places for big groups, and by the volume of comments on social media sites like Facebook you can tell that it's loss is strongly felt in our community. It's an ironic fact that because of Primetime's large seating areas, hours of operation, and quality of food that it was a frequent place where Forest Grove and Cornelius Firefighters would gather to grab a hot meal after working long hours on a fire somewhere in our community. With the holidays approaching our Fire Chaplains are working with the owners of Primetime to establish a list of needs for the families of the employees and a fund to assist has also been set up at the Columbia Community Bank in Forest Grove. Our thoughts are with the employees and owners of Primetime as they try and recover from this loss, we wish all of them the best.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WORKING TO IMPROVE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY

For the last few months we have had the pleasure of working with an exceptional team of students from the Pacific University Exercise Science Department on a series of studies that we hope can lead to improvements for the health and safety of firefighters. It's often easy to think of the dangerous parts of being a firefighter involve rushing into burning buildings or rescuing victims trapped in perilous situations, but in all reality it's the little things that more often lead to injuries and death. That's why this unique year long study is taking a look at three different ways that firefighters can get hurt in the hopes that we can gain information to help prevent injuries and death from occuring in the future.

The first portion of this study focused on the heart rate of firefighters. Career firefighters at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue wore heart rhythm monitors during their 24 hours shift as well as their 48 hours off and kept a journal of what they were doing throughout the day. This was intended to take a look at what effects being on shift at the fire station has on the heart. The fire service has often wondered about the effects of a 24 hour shift on your body and how your heart reacts to being asleep during the night time and then having to wake up suddenly and be completely responsive for an emergency need.

The second portion of the study involved evaluating the exercises and work out regiments of the firefighters and finding ways to improve the methods to ensure that our firefighters are in tip top shape and ready when you need them. Each firefighter was evaluated and work was completed to develop a personalized work out plan that the firefighter could use to improve their well being.

C Shift Lieutenant Chris Woodford is on the balance evaluating machine while a Student from Pacific University assits him with his test.

Lastly, and perhaps most unique, is the study of how the protective equipment that a firefighter wears effects things like balance and range of motion. Firefighters were asked to put on their protective clothing and climb on board a special machine that put them through a grueling series of tests to determine how well they balanced and how easy it was for them to move in various directions. Based on these tests the students hoped to be able to provide information to protective clothing manufacturers to improve the ergonomics and comfort of firefighter gear all in an effort to prevent injuries caused by improperly fitted, designed, or worn protective clothing.

We want to especially thank our partners at Pacific University and the Hillsboro Fire Department for helping complete this study and working so hard to improve the safety and well being of firefighters. Hopefully information gained here can prevent an injury down the road and improve the fire service in the United States.

FRYING THE BIRD THIS THANKSGIVING?

The most glorious of food holidays is upon us and many of you will be filling your home with family and friends as you prepare that wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Some will be roasting your turkey, while others are enjoying the delicacy that is deep fried turkey. If you have never had deep fried turkey, it is an amazing way of quickly cooking your turkey into pure white or dark meat bliss, but it comes with a dangerous side as well.

According to our friends at the Underwriters Laboratories there are some consistent safety hazards with frying your Thanksgiving Turkey:

- Many units easily tip over, spilling the hot oil from the cooking pot.

- If the cooking pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill out of the unit when the turkey is placed into the cooking pot. Oil may hit the burner or flames, causing a fire to engulf the entire unit.

- Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can cause a spillover effect. This too may result
in an extensive fire.

- With no thermostat controls, the units also have the potential to overheat the oil to the point of combustion.

- The lid and handles on the sides of the cooking pot get dangerously hot, posing severe burn hazards.

So that being said, what do you need to consider if you absolutely want to enjoy a fried turkey this Thursday?

- Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.

- Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.

- Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.

- Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.

- Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.

- To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.

- Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.

- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.

- The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.

- Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.

Are you still not convinced that frying turkey is dangerous? Well we at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spared no expense to improve your safety and brought in a special guest to help show you the dangers involved with frying turkey. Just kidding, we actually found this great video of William Shatner online and wanted to share it with you here. We wish you and yours a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!