Station 20 is located in a scenic area of the city containing two large city parks, the unique campus of Reed College, Eastmoreland Public Golf Course, the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and the historic Oaks Amusement Park.  With Crystal Springs Creek flowing next to the station it is quite common to see wildlife such as otters, osprey, and even a beaver den from the station. 

Station 20 has been a figure in the Sellwood community since 1915, and over the years there have been a lot of changes to the station and the surrounding community.  In the next few years there will be more changes taking place.  Construction will begin soon on the Portland Milwaukie Light Rail Project that will run down McLoughlin Blvd. right through the heart of Station 20's fire management area.  Construction also began in December of 2011 on the new Sellwood bridge project that is slated to be finished in three to four years.  Additionally, Station 20 is the only Portland Fire station with a nuclear reactor in their fire management area found at Reed College.  The crews at Station 20 truly have to be ready for anything when they come to work.

When it comes to community involvement, Station 20 sets the bar very high.  Recently, they participated in a St. Patrick's Day festival and parade with St. Agatha Catholic School.  Annually, Station 20 is a part of the Duniway School 4th of July parade, as well as the Sellwood Moreland Monster March in October.  Station 20 has also teamed up with the Portland U-Brew & Pub to raise money for the Oregon chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.   

Many stations throughout the Portland Fire Bureau have gardens, but Station 20 takes theirs to the next level.  The members of Station 20 pride themselves on the fact that they have a completely organic and fully sustainable garden that entirely comes from the compostable materials generated by the station.  The firefighters that work there relay that this has really help cut the cost of food for the day, and that the final product from the kitchen is delicious.  

On a celebratory note we want to wish the best to Fire Captain Doug Williams and Firefighter Evan Olson who will be retiring out of Station 20 this June.  Thank you both for your combined 60 years of service - you will definitely be missed. 

From April 3 - 5, seven Portland Fire & Rescue staff who are members of the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Incident Management Teams participated in a joint Oregon Department of Forestry/Oregon State Fire Marshal's Incident Management Training Conference in Bend, Oregon.

There are three Oregon State Fire Marshal's Incident Management Teams.  The teams provide incident management and support for expanding emergencies utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS).  This system uses an Incident Commander and staff assigned to positions in logistics, finance, planning, public information, operations, safety, and liaison.

The teams are trained to respond with state-wide resources when mobilized by the Governor of Oregon for a wildfire conflagration or other emergency that has overwhelmed the control and resources of local responders.  These all-risk events may include wildfires, floods, earthquakes, structural collapse, tsunami, hazardous materials, or other natural or human caused incidents.

The teams - red, blue, and green - rotate one week on call and two weeks off in the summer with one team on call per month in non-summer months.  Currently, Portland Fire & Rescue team members are assigned to positions in public information, operations, and logistics on two of the three teams.

In addition to participating in team trainings focused on preparing for upcoming deployments, two major areas of focus at the conference included using social media to keep the public informed during emergencies and developing a flexible sizing model for future team deployments to conserve resources during challenging budget times.

Portland Fire & Rescue is proud to have members participating on the State's Incident Management Teams.  These teams are trained and equipped to mobilize at a moment's notice and respond to an all-risk event, which could happen anytime or anywhere, to help Oregon's citizens.

PF&R Urges Citizens to Properly Dispose of Ashes

Each year, Portland Fire & Rescue responds to fires that are caused by improper disposal of hot coals or ashes from fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, grills, or mobile fireplaces designed for use on decks or patios.  Portland Fire & Rescue Assistant Public Information Officer Anthony Schaffer created a short video (see link above) that demonstrates how improperly discarded ashes can lead to a fire.

The fact is that coals and ashes from fires can remain hot enough to start a fire for many days after you think the fire is out. The exact amount of time for complete extinguishment and cooling depends on many factors such as how hot the fire was, what was burning, how much unburned fuel remains, etc.

To be safe, simply treat all ashes and coals as hot, even when you think they have had time enough to cool. To properly dispose of ashes or coals we recommend the following:

• If possible, allow ashes and coals to cool in the area where you had the fire for several days. These devices are designed to contain their heat safely.
• When it is time to dispose of the ashes, transfer them to a metal container and wet them down.
• Keep the metal container outside your home and away from any combustibles until the refuse is hauled away.
• DO NOT place any other combustibles in the metal container.  
• DO NOT use a combustible container.

More Fireplace Safety Tips:

• Have your chimney inspected annually, and cleaned as necessary, by a professional chimney sweep to ensure it is clear of obstructions and creosote.
• Repair any cracks in your chimney and fireplace.                                                                        
• Use fireplace screens to keep sparks and fire debris inside the fireplace. 
• Do not use an accelerant to start a fire. 
• Ensure the fire is completely out before going to bed or leaving the house. 
• Make sure the area around the fireplace is clear of all combustibles (three feet away is a good rule).
• Keep all children and pets a safe distance from fireplaces. 
• Install both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. 
• Keep a fire extinguisher on hand. 
• Observe all safety precautions when using outdoor fireplaces; they can be just as dangerous as indoor units.

Dougy Center Breaks Ground for New Facility

Rendering of the new proposed Dougy Center facility. Image courtesy of the Dougy Center/Scott Edwards Architecture.

The Dougy Center provides a safe place for children, teens, young adults and their families who are grieving a death to share their experiences. The Dougy Center was founded in 1982 by Beverly Chappell in tribute to Dougy Turno, a young boy who died of an inoperable brain tumor at age 13. Today, The Dougy Center serves 400 children and their 250 adult family members each month. Since its founding, The Dougy Center has served 30,000 children, teens and their families and has received national and international acclaim for its pioneering peer support model for helping children cope with the death of a family member.

Explorer Program

The Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) Explorer Program provides the opportunity for young men and women, ages 16 to 20, to become familiar with career opportunities available in the fire service. Through classroom instruction, hands-on training, and volunteer work, Explorers are provided a base of knowledge and experience that will benefit them not only in fire service careers, but also in all future endeavors. The program is designed to encourage and promote accountability, being safe, communication, teamwork, fitness, and develop leadership skills. The Explorer Program is a subsidiary of the Learning for Life organization. The mission statement for Learning for Life is to enable young people to become responsible individuals by teaching positive character traits, career development, leadership and life skills so they can make positive choices and achieve their full potential.

• Hands-on training and fire ground skills  
• Emergency Medical Response skills 
• Physical fitness
• Academic Requirements
• Crew Dynamics/Interaction 
• Tours of specialty areas within PF&R
• Application/Interview Process

The goal of the program is to provide Explorers with a basic understanding of the fire service and to prepare them for future professional advancement opportunities such as Resident/Volunteer Firefighting, College Level Fire Science Programs, and EMT/Paramedic Programs.

Program Requirements:  

• Explorers must be between the ages of 16 and 20.
• Explorers must be able to attend weekly drills every Saturday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, October through May.  
• Pass weekly quizzes and complete academic assignments.
• Perform weekly physical fitness and training specific to fire fighting skills, including the ability to finish the Physical Agility Test (PAT) upon completion of the Program. 
• Complete assigned duties/responsibilities in a timely manner.  
• Adhere to dress and conduct codes provided. 
• Willingness to make improvements and show self motivation     
• Cost for the Explorer Program is $30.  This includes the membership to the Learning for Life organization and one (1) t-shirt.  An additional refundable deposit of $25.00 is required for the reading material.  Explorers will be issued reading material, turnout coat, pants, boots, gloves and helmet to be returned at the completion of the program. 

Applications for the program will be available in September 2012 and the next program will begin October 2012. 

Additional Info & Questions:

For further information or if you have questions, please contact Station 28 at (503) 823-3700.