Response Ready Oregon will improve the Oregon Fire Service Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) by modernizing technology, systems, and increasing capacity. OSFM will utilize Regional Mobilization Coordinators to collaborate with fire defense board chiefs and fire chiefs to develop, administer, and maintain strategies and plans to improve the OFMAS locally, regionally, and statewide. In addition, our Office has added capacity in our operations by adding statewide training, safety, and planning to support our OFMAS as well.

Response Ready Oregon will provide extra capacity to local jurisdictions and Fire Defense Boards Chief's to collaboratively help with the following:

Response Ready Oregon Mobilization Coordinators will work with you to become a resource embedded in their communities through 5 defined regions and assist at a moment's notice. Their role will be to help coordinate the development of mutual-aid agreements within assigned regions and statewide, communicate with partners to establish a baseline level of protection for all Oregon lands, and coordinate agreements with the local, state, federal, and tribal wildfire response partners. Our Regional Coordinators will work in lockstep with the Deputy State Fire Marshals' throughout the summer to build relationships and capacity for the Oregon Fire Service Mutual Aid System. The recruitment for four of the five positions is currently underway. Brent Griffiths has stepped into Region B, which covers Linn, Benton, Lane, Douglas, and Coos Counties.

Components of Fire Adapted Oregon are:

Fire Adapted Oregon's specialists will work with you to become a resource embedded in their communities through 5 defined regions and able to assist at a moment's notice. Their role will be to help plan programs and actions that will increase the local community's ability to prevent, prepare, and mitigate before the fire, live safely during the fire event, and help the community recovery from impacts.

Item 1 is based on Section 2306.7.4 OFC, but since the hardware performance requirements in that section for gasoline and diesel dispensers differ from what is currently available for LP-gas dispenser systems, the text more closely resembles the performance requirements currently appearing in Section 6.3.9 of NFPA 30A, with the exception that the location for the protective means (shear valve) must be within 1/2 inch of the top surface of the concrete island, as is required in Section 2306.7.4.

Item 2 is based on Section 6.27.3.11 of NFPA 58, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code which requires protection for the piping system where the storage container is located remotely from the dispenser. Where the storage container and dispenser are separate components installed remotely from one another, the likelihood of pipe failure increases.

Item 3 is based on the requirements in Section 3.9.3.4 of NFPA 58. An excess flow-control check valve is one that senses the pressure before and after the LP-gas meter and closes when it senses a loss of the pressure differential such as would occur if the dispensing hose were to become disconnected or broken.

Item 4 is adapted from OFC Section 2306.7.6 and is similar to Section 6.27.3.16 of NFPA 58. A listed automatic-closing-type hose nozzle for LP-gas dispensing at motor fuel-dispensing facilities, with or without a latch-open device, is designed to automatically close when it senses that the fuel tank is full.

Hoses and Piping. To prevent over-pressurization of the hoses and piping, OFC Section 2307.6.2 requires that a relief valve must be installed in the system. The hose length is limited to 18 feet to prevent excessive amounts of hose from lying on the ground and being damaged by vehicles. The general public is familiar with the 18-foot length because of the 18-foot requirement for liquid fuel dispensing hoses in OFC Section 2306.7.5 and they know where to position their vehicles for refueling.

Emergency Breakaway Devices. Similar to OFC Section 2306.7.5.1 and Section 6.25.4.2 of NFPA 58, OFC Section 2307.6.3 requires a breakaway device on dispenser hoses delivering LP-gas motor fuel. These devices are installed to prevent a pull-down of the motor fuel dispenser in the event that a car drives away with the hose nozzle valve still attached to the car’s fill pipe. The design of these valves is such that when they operate, the separated sections of the hose are sealed to prevent leakage of fuel from the hose.

Vehicle Impact Protection. OFC Section 2307.6.4 is intended to prevent leaks and spills caused by vehicle impact by requiring vehicle impact protection in the form of a 6-inch concrete island or the installation of 4-inch-diameter, concrete-filled steel posts on 4-foot centers, 3 feet high. See OFC Section 312 for more specific construction details.

In March 2021 a SpaceX rocket destructed on re-entry over the Northwest. One of the helium cylinders washed up in Waldport which was approximately 4.5 feet long and 2 feet wide, about the size of a home water heater. It was made of aluminum and covered in black carbon fiber, a high-tech material used in aircraft, spacecraft, and other applications. Local fishermen found it on the beach, retrieved it, took it around to show local community members before dropping it off near a local bait shop. The fishermen reported feeling/hearing a liquid sloshing around inside the cylinder. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office took control of the scene, cordoned off the area, and put lock-down on nearby structures.

Soon after the scene was secured and the local response was underway, SpaceX responded to local responders. They accepted responsibility and provided technical expertise until their team could retrieve the cylinder. The black carbon fibers posed a physical risk since they are sharp and durable. SpaceX also indicated that the photos that they examined showed the valves had melted during uncontrolled re-entry. This meant that any helium in the tank would not still be a liquid under the conditions and the liquid inside was most likely seawater. The Sheriff’s Office worked to dispose of the cylinders according to existing procedures. Local responders notified HAZMAT Team 5 Linn-Benton, OSFM, and OHA early. However, due to the effective local response, it was decided their response wasn't needed.

When we are preparing for Hazmat Responses, we typically think of train derailments or gas leaks. Our HazMat Teams and partners are consistently working to prepare for the various incidents that can affect our communities, but now we can add space debris to our list.

Photo Credit: Lincoln County SO

To receive meeting updates and be part of this process or for more information please email or call: [email protected] or contact Shari Barrett at 503-934-8256. 

The Camp Fire ignited on the morning of November 8, 2018, near Camp Creek Road in Pulga, CA, located in the Sierra Nevada foothills in eastern Butte County. Fanned by high winds, the fire spread quickly through wildlands and burned into the wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities of Concow, Paradise, and Magalia, CA. In response, NIST deployed a team of investigators from their Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) group to conduct an initial reconnaissance of the Camp Fire. Subsequently, researchers embarked on a multi-year study of the Camp Fire, including the reconstruction of the fire progression timeline, as well as aspects of evacuation, emergency notification, and fire suppression/structure protection.

The NIST WUI Fire Data Collection on Parcel Vulnerabilities Project is focused on the technical understanding of how WUI fire behavior is driven by the interactions among fuel, weather, and terrain and the roles played by heat flux, embers, and direct flame impingement. NIST WUI research is conducted in partnership with other federal agencies, including the US Forest Service (USFS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Department of Homeland Security, US Fire Administration; state agencies, including California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and Texas Forest Service; Academia; fire service organizations including Western Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, and International Association of Fire Chiefs; and building codes and standards organizations, such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and International Code Council (ICC).

To read all three on the NIST findings visit: www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division

The State of Oregon Fire Situation Analyst (SOFSA) is the statewide com-mon operating picture of fire and other emergency incident activities for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

Formally implemented through a joint contract with ODF and OSFM on June 10, 2020, and operationally ready on July 15, 2020, SOFSA is cloud-based and built on software services developed by Intterra.

The first utilization during a real incident occurred on August 3, 2020, at the time of the Fir Mountain Fire, a human-caused blaze that burned 313 acres and cost more than $3 million to fight.

New users applied for system access by completing web-based forms developed specifically for SOFSA. Since implementation, nearly 500 individual users have registered to access the system, informing their decision-making in preparing for and responding to incidents, including wildland-urban inter-face fires (Figure 1).

User activity rose significantly in SOFSA during fire activity in August, spiking in September following the Labor Day fires (Figure 2).

Local, state, and federal agencies shared fire detection data, evacuation areas, aerial imagery, damage assessments, and other mapping layers to create a comprehensive situational awareness platform.

Based on feedback from the early use of SOFSA during the 2020 wildland fire season, Intterra restructured the mapping layers so users could quickly access the Structural Fire Protection Districts and helped to highlight agency names on the map.

Through leadership provided by governance boards and working groups established by ODF and OSFM, a roadmap for 2021 has built to guide the future development of SOFSA. Planned system improvements include:

Two members of the OSFM Team were re-elected for another two-year appointment to the NASTTPO Board. Michael Heffner will be serving as the EPA Region 10 representative and Mark Johnston will be serving as the Vice President. NASSTPO is an advocacy group to have a voice with Federal partners representing the states and tribes that administer the EPCRA laws.

The National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials (NASTTPO) is made up of members and staff of State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs), Tribal Emergency Response Commissions (TERCs), Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), various federal agencies, and private industry. Members include state, tribal, or local government employees with Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know (EPCRA) program responsibilities, such as health, occupational safety, first response, environmental, and emergency management agencies. Participation on NASTTPO's Board offers a vital connection for Oregon's CR2K program, OSFM, and our team to the Federal EPCRA programs

The OSFM would like to give a warm welcome and lots of good wishes to our most recent hires on becoming part of our growing team. Congratulations and on behalf of all of us, we are all happy and excited about your inputs and contribution to our agency.

A native Oregonian, Valerie grew up in North Bend and later moved to Eugene for high school. After several years working in retail management, Valerie decided to be an entrepreneur and opened a popular small-town bagel shop. After more than a decade in business, Valerie handed over the reins to her partner and returned to college to earn a degree in criminal justice aimed at entering the workforce in the public sector.

Valerie began her public service working in child welfare with the Department of Human Services in Polk County. In 2013, Valerie joined OSFM working in the Community Right to Know Program, and later, the Leadership Division.

Valerie brings years of experience working in the Leadership Division, as well as eight years serving as a Finance Section Chief in the IMT program. Having mobilized to nearly 20 incidents in that timeframe and serving as the Chair for the Finance Working Group, Valerie brings a wealth of knowledge and inside perspective into this important position.

Valerie enjoys attending outdoor music concerts, socializing with family and friends, and Nascar races.