Each OSFM division and program has established strategic priorities for 2019; here are a few highlights:

Codes and Technical Services staff within the Fire and Life Safety Services Division will be working with local fire officials, industry professionals, advisory boards, and the public to adopt the new 2019 Oregon Fire Code. The division works closely with the Oregon Fire Code Committee to review the technical components of national model code changes. We are confident that we will have a successful adoption of the Oregon Fire Codes that will strengthen our fire and life safety abilities.

The Fire and Life Safety Services Division will complete an internal operational review regarding fire investigator safety. OSFM leads the Oregon fire service and is relied upon to not only be the experts in the field of fire investigation but to be the example in origin and cause determination, report writing, personal protective equipment selection, and in taking the appropriate steps to monitor health and safety. We are working to establish an internal process to maintain fire investigator safety.

In 2019, the Emergency Response Services Division is poised to:

In early 2019, the OSFM anticipates hiring its first full-time GIS specialist. This employee is expected to apply geo-spatial analysis to fire incident data collected through NFIRS to help inform decisions and recommend solutions for firefighting, inspection, building code, and safety education initiatives and practices. Additionally, this position will support GIS Specialists mobilized to fires and natural disasters.

Offered every other year, the LEPC Conference will travel to eastern Oregon in 2019, delivering training sessions and networking opportunities for emergency planning stakeholders from across Oregon. This conference is an opportunity to connect with the remaining counties who have not established their presence in Oregon’s rapidly growing community of LEPCs.

As the Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (RHMERT) program modernizes its fleet of emergency response vehicles, retired vehicles with useful life will be kept in reserve to ensure “back-up” capability in the event a primary response vehicle experiences a catastrophic loss.

Under the current service delivery model of 13 strategically positioned teams, the cost for replacing emergency response vehicles, threat detection equipment, and technical safety equipment has outpaced current revenues and will push the program into a deficit by 2023. Increasing the Petroleum Load Fee (PLF) is necessary to fund the RHMERT program at a level needed to maintain capital and technology assets that meet current industry response standards.

 

The Fire & Life Safety Education Division (FLSED) will be focusing their strategic priorities on continuing to keep fire safety in the forefront of the Oregon fire service and the communities they serve. Youth Fire Prevention and Intervention will be continuing their efforts in youth fire safety through a new partnership with Oregon School Activities Association as well as through the development of new products and services to assist fire agencies with youth fire programs through the Oregon Life Safety Team’s Youth Fire Safety subcommittee.

The FLSED will also be closely focusing on their strategic plan to review the efforts of the Wildland Urban Interface Program. The OSFM has had the opportunity for continued partnerships with Keep Oregon Green and Oregon Department of Forestry this year to assist with the prevention components of the wildland urban interface. These efforts are scheduled to continue with some added opportunity for a listening tour among Oregon fire chiefs in high fire-risk areas to determine additional fire prevention needs.

 

The FLSED also houses the Analytics and Intelligence Unit. This unit has worked tirelessly in 2018 to move Oregon fire agencies to Elite. Our 2019 strategic priority will be to use county based data to review more localized fire-related issues in order to best address prevention efforts on a more targeted scale. The unit will be working with fire and hazmat data to “unpack” the fire problem and make recommendations on where and what the best targets are to reduce risk.

As the Regulatory Services Division (RSD) reflects on some of its more significant accomplishments from 2018, such as the Community Right to Know program completing its first year of online reporting with CHS Manager, and conducting a complete review of the Non-Retail Fueling program including updating the program’s Administrative Rules, we begin to think about what we want to accomplish in 2019.

 

The RSD’s 2019 plan is to meet with partners and stakeholders to conduct a complete review of the fireworks program. We will also be engaging more with industry stakeholders from the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) program to strengthen our relationships and collaborate on continually improving the program. We will also increase communications with the LPG industry on requirements and compliance, as well as update our tools that test licensing knowledge. We will also continue our efforts in marketing the CR2K program to industry and partners to increase the awareness of hazardous materials stored and used in Oregon communities. Finally, we will continue to look for ways to streamline our internal processes for better overall customer service.

A s we move into winter months and the holiday season, this has historically marked an increase for Oregon’s fire service in structure fires and fire investigations. As Deputy State Fire Marshals, our staff routinely work with Oregon’s fire agencies to conduct fire investigations for origin and cause determination. In many cases, we work in partnership with agencies who may not have dedicated fire investigation personnel or capabilities. For Deputy State Fire Marshals who work in the eastern portion of our state, this often includes extended travel to very rural and remote portions of Oregon. What we find at these fire incidents is consistent with the data below, but it is important to note that the causes of these fires are almost always preventable.

Office of State Fire Marshal data informs us that over the last five years (2013-2017), there has been an average of 1,130 structure fires per year between the months of December through February – this includes an average of 871 residential structure fires. Top causes of winter fires here in Oregon are consistent with nationally recognized data provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): for structure fires with fire cause determinations, 35% of these fires were caused by heating, 19% were cooking related, and 8% can be attributed to electrical causes. The top causes varied only slightly in percentages for fires occurring in residential structures.  

Whether spending time with our own families or traveling to see extended family or friends, I challenge you to seize opportunities this holiday season to champion fire prevention. Consider purchasing a replacement portable space heater for the elderly family member whose antique space heater does not have an auto shut-off feature if tipped over. 

Take the time to explain why it is important that they never use these appliances with an extension cord or place space heaters too close to furniture. Better yet, have the conversation as to why they need these devices to stay warm and how this could be better solved. Engage with the family member who likes to have holiday decorations located too closely to candles, or your aunt who routinely practices unattended cooking. Make a difficult conversation meaningful as it relates to your father-in-law who uses unsafe extension cords for holiday lights. Offer to check your neighbor’s smoke alarms and replace the batteries – just because.  

by OSFM Assistant Chief Deputy Claire McGrew

This past year, the state data repository was upgraded from Image Trend Oregon Fire Bridge™ to Image Trend Elite. As with any change in technology, this migration was necessary and challenging at times. On behalf of our office, I wish to thank you for your patience and your commitment in ensuring this migration was successful. 

Data Reporting

Data collected from each Oregon fire agency continues to be of critical importance to addressing the fire problem in Oregon. Quality and timely reports ensure that decisions based in data consider the fire picture in Oregon as a whole. This tradition of data driven decision-making has been used to identify high-risk fire problems and has been used as the source to target high-risk situations and behaviors since the inception of the OSFM in 1918.  Most importantly, this identification and analysis could not be achieved without the efforts of local fire agencies reporting their quality data either directly into the Image Trend system or through a third party upload from the records management system of the agencies’ choice. 

The OSFM, in partnership with Oregon fire agencies, has continued to adopt and adapt strategies to provide and allocate fire prevention resources for local communities using incident and complementary data that has been primarily provided through local and state fire investigation and incident reporting (ORS 476.210 - 476.220) The OSFM maintains these records and statistics as identified in ORS 476.090. 

County-based Incident Reporting Summary Pilot Project

To continue the trajectory of using data to drive programs and targeted decisions, the OSFM piloted a county based Incident Reporting Summary in Harney, Wheeler, Crook, and Grant counties in the Fall of 2018. The purpose of the report is to break-down the macro-level Oregon information into manageable content and look county to county, examining the reported fire problem unique to each locale and provide a more detailed review of the communities themselves.

The pilot project gave us an opportunity to review the quantity, quality, and effectiveness of the data collected from fire agencies. Good data is vital to ensure that our evidence-based decisions are made using accurate, quality information that comes from the entry of NFIRS reports. As a result, we need your continued participation in ensuring that the information in the NFIRS reports is accurate and complete.

2019 Strategic Direction

During 2019, this work will continue and the county-based Incident Reporting Summary will be provided in each county to identify what the data says about challenges and opportunities that are occurring at a local level. The summary reports will allow us to collectively focus on data to effect change in each county.

Collaboration and Feedback

I’m looking forward to these county reports and your feedback. Your commitment to providing quality, timely incident reports remains the cornerstone for us to collectively address fire safety in Oregon. None of us can do this alone. We must all work together to strive for excellence in our data, the foundation upon which core decisions are made that can make a meaningful impact on mitigating Oregon’s fire problem. 

In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Joint Resolution 25 designating every January 27 as Fire Service Appreciation Day in Oregon. 

Fire Service Appreciation Day gives all of us a wonderful, annual opportunity to honor the men and women who unselfishly serve and continually strive to maintain the highest level of skill and professionalism.

On behalf of the Office of State Fire Marshal, thanks to all of you for your dedication, your compassion, your professionalism, and your personal sacrifice to

keep Oregonians safe where they live, work, recreate, and go to school.

by OSFM Code Deputy David Mills

Antifreeze System Update  

Protecting the integrity of fire sprinkler systems has always been challenging in regions of Oregon where the temperatures dip below freezing. In general, a sprinkler system that is normally filled with water (a wet-pipe sprinkler system) should only be used when the area can reliably be maintained above 40°F (4°C). When the piping in the area cannot reliably be maintained above 40°F, NFPA 13, 8.16.4.1.1 states: “the system shall be installed as a dry pipe or preaction system.” And in those limited applications, listed dry sprinklers extending into the cold area may also be used.

There are ways in addition to preaction and dry systems to address cold temperatures. Options may include the insulation of pipes, listed heat-tracing to protect mains, crossmains, and perhaps branch lines. NFPA 13 also allows heat loss calculations, performed by a professional engineer, to verify that the system will not freeze.

However, one longstanding option – the use of antifreeze – has fallen out of favor in the past nine years because of its potential to make fires worse, and only existing systems have been allowed to be maintained. 

INDUSTRY UPDATE: Recently, Tyco LFP™ Antifreeze was the first to have a UL Certified antifreeze pre-mixed solution for fire sprinkler systems that meet NFPA 13, 13D, 13R and 25 requirements for the use of listed antifreeze.

This product was tested and certified to UL 2901, which evaluates the stability of the antifreeze solutions, the effect when exposed to certain materials associated with sprinkler systems, human health and environmental impact, fire performance, hydraulic characteristics, and the marking and installation specifications.

LFP™ Antifreeze is formulated to help ensure fire sprinkler systems operate as intended by allowing flow in temperatures as low as -10°F (-23.3°C). When additional protection is needed, utilizing insulation or accounting for the heat loss may be provided in order to achieve the desired level of protection.

Following the manufacturer's recommendations in the technical report cut sheet: https://tyco-fire.com/TD_TFP/TFP/TFP1680_10_2018_A.pdf is imperative as there are specific requirements surrounding the design criteria, installation, care, and maintenance of the system and product.  

  News from the Analytics & Intelligence Unit

by Fire Data Research Analyst Kayla Brookshire

Happy Holidays from the Analytics & Intelligence Unit!

Thank you to our colleagues, partners, and readers for making this another productive and exciting year. We hope that everyone has an enjoyable and safe holiday season, and we look forward to continuing to work together to accomplish great things in 2019!

Our first order of business is an Image Trend™ Elite update:

The migration of Oregon Fire Bridge™ agencies, accounts, and data is near completion.

Please contact the Analytics & Intelligence Unit by phone (503-934-8250) or email ([email protected]) if you need assistance accessing your Image Trend™ Elite account.

Just a reminder to agencies who initiated the migration of their legacy data from Oregon Fire Bridge™ after mid-December: it may take several days for your legacy data to appear in the Image Trend™ Elite system. If you need access to your historical data during this time, feel free to reach out to Analytics & Intelligence to request a temporary reactivation of your Oregon Fire Bridge™ account.

What is UserVoice for Image Trend™ Elite?

Many Oregon fire agencies have recently begun to use the new Image Trend™ Elite system. For troubleshooting issues with Image Trend™, you may already be familiar with resources available to you — 1) contacting the Analytics & Intelligence Unit for support or 2) submitting a ticket through the Image Trend™ site, accessible under the Community tab through the Support Suite link.

But what if everything is working properly and you want to recommend a new feature or improvement to the Image Trend™ system? That’s where UserVoice comes in!

Image Trend™ provides the UserVoice forum as a way to determine which features their users are the most interested in, so that their developers can focus on building the most-requested upgrades to the system. The UserVoice forum allows users to post new ideas or suggestions and vote on existing ideas and suggestions. Each user is issued 25 votes, and they can use up to three votes per idea.

You can access UserVoice through the Image Trend™ Elite website, under the Community tab of the toolbar.

After clicking the UserVoice link, the UserVoice home page opens in a new tab. You may be requested to log in or to create a UserVoice account. Once you are logged in, from the UserVoice home page you can search for keywords related to your idea to see if an idea or suggestion has already been submitted. If so, you can add up to three of your votes to that idea or suggestion.

If your idea or suggestion has not been posted yet, you may add a new idea or suggestion by clicking the Post a new idea… button.

Some examples of concepts that the Analytics & Intelligence team has voted on include:

Create the ability to auto populate the date fields after one date has been entered for the response times slide out (32 votes).

Our deputy state fire marshals have requested that the violation grid, which we use in the Inspection Print Report Manager, should show violations in the order that they were entered (chronological) rather than in the order that they appear in the fire code. This is important because the order that they are entered can be used to prioritize more significant violations and correlates better with the walk-through inspection so that upon re-inspection, a deputy has a better idea of where a particular violation was located (6 votes).

If you submit an idea, feel free share the topic with your neighboring fire agencies and also send an e-mail containing the post title so that the Analytics & Intelligence Unit can add their votes and increase the likelihood that your concept submission will be worked on by Image Trend’s development team.

Analytics & Intelligence Hotline Data — 2018 Review:

2018 was a busy year for the Analytics & Intelligence Unit.

We responded to nearly 1,000 requests in various formats: by phone, email, postal mail, and in-person.

The top three types of requests included Elite Support Requests (32%), Information Requests/Updates (28%), and Fire Bridge Support Requests (10%).

A majority of A&I requests (75%) had a turnaround time that fell within the same day of the request. As a unit, we aim to provide prompt customer service. We are proud to share that this past year we met our goals.

It has been a pleasure to provide support to our stakeholders, and we look forward to continuing to provide quality customer service in 2019.

L ebanon Fire District’s newly appointed Fire Marshal, Jason Bolen, was presented his “Fire Marshal” Competency Recognition certificate from OSFM’s Supervising Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Cane. Chief Cane took the time to point out the significance of the recognition process and highlighted the education requirements to obtain Oregon Fire & Life Safety Competency Recognition of “Fire Marshal” during the brief presentation at Lebanon’s December Fire District Board meeting. 

The Fire and Life Safety Competency Recognition Program defines competencies, provides education, and recognizes commitment and scope of practice among fire and life safety professionals in Oregon. The program is a joint effort between the OSFM and the Oregon Fire Marshals Association.

The competency recognition program focuses on fire and life safety training, and technical certifications. These certifications include Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Fire Inspector Task Books, based on the National Fire Protection Association’s 1031 Professional Standards for Fire Inspectors, as well as International Code Council certifications.

Shawn Anderson

Compliance Specialist

CMS Healthcare Unit

I was born in Arizona at Luke Air Force Base. Yes, I am a military brat, actually I am 4 ^th generation military, and two of my five children, possibly a 3 ^rd, are military also. Speaking of my kids, I have a nurse, school teacher, a soldier, a Marine, and a high schooler that is thinking about joining the Navy.

I have spent my life in service of my community with six years active duty to the Army and 14 in the Army Reserves with two combat deployments. I joined the fire service in 1995 as a volunteer and retired as a Fire Captain working on the HazMat team. I currently live in Eugene and love the weather, even the rain. I volunteer time helping other veterans through a motorcycle association. I ride my bike, hunt, and fish for fun. I am excited to join the team and only hope I can make a positive difference!

Meritorious Award Nominations are Now Open

 Don't miss this opportunity to recognize an outstanding colleague!

The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association (OFCA) has opened nominations for the 2019 Meritorious Awards. Act now to nominate a colleague for an outstanding meritorious achievement or service in 2018. The nomination categories are: Medal of Honor, Medal of Valor, Award of Excellence, and Distinguished Conduct. Visit the Meritorious Awards page for full details. Nominations will be accepted through Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. Email nominations to Inanna Hencke at [email protected] .

The selected award recipients will be recognized at OFCA's Centennial Spring Conference Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, OR. OFCA is pleased to organize the only statewide forum for agencies and individuals to recognize and pay tribute to members of the Oregon Fire Service for their acts of courage, heroism, and dedication to their profession.