Oregon firefighters mobilized the last weekend of October by the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) have joined firefighting efforts in California, to support state, local, and federal agencies working to contain wildfires. All Oregon resources are currently deployed to the Kincade Fire, now burning in Sonoma County. 

The deployment followed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Oct. 27 declaration of a state of emergency and the state’s request for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The request, made to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, allows for the OSFM to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS). 

Oregon’s deployed resources include 15 strike teams, comprised of 75 fire engines, staffed by approximately 270 personnel from Oregon’s structural firefighting agencies.

“It’s very humbling to be a part of a large scale mobilization of resources and see how quickly Oregon can respond in a time of need,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Walker. “I appreciate the more than 60 fire agencies that answered the call, the work of our OSFM staff and Office of Emergency Management in assembling the response, and Chief Les Hallman of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple of OSFM in providing support for our firefighters while deployed to California.”

The current deployment marks the third year in a row that the OSFM has mobilized strike teams through the OFMAS and deployed them to support firefighting efforts in California, following requests made through the EMAC. 

In 2018, the OSFM sent three strike teams to the Mendocino Complex Fire in late July, and then another 15 strike teams to the Camp Fire in November. Another EMAC request gave OSFM the opportunity to mobilize two Incident Management Teams to Florida to respond to Hurricane Michael in October.

 

In 2017, the OSFM mobilized a total of 30 strike teams to assist California following two separate EMAC requests in November and December. 

The deployment of these Oregon resources could last as long as 16 days. 

The Office of State Fire Marshal has launched Phase 2 of its Listening and Understand Tour of the Oregon fire service, starting last month. The current phase follows the OSFM’s outreach last winter and spring to eight counties in southern, central, and eastern Oregon. The OSFM met with 120 members of the structural fire service, public safety officers, planners, and local leaders in areas at elevated risk of wildland urban interface (WUI) fire.

We heard three major themes outlining local fire service needs during the meetings: personnel capacity, resource capacity, and funding capacity. The conversations focused on the need for a coordinated statewide WUI strategy to develop a program and tools to address the challenges of WUI fire in and near structural fire jurisdictions.

Phase 1 was completed using data from multiple sources addressing communities at risk in high-risk areas.

Since then, the Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response has completed most of its work and is finalizing recommendations from three committees on mitigation, suppression, and recovery. Within those recommendations is a request for risk reduction specialists to be hired in areas at elevated WUI fire risk. Our meetings, through December, will focus on highlighting Phase 1 of the tour, WUI structural fire prevention, WUI structural fire response, and next steps. 

You can find a report from Phase 1 on our website. 

Most Oregonians will celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with friends or family, and also in the kitchen. With the many hours spent making turkey, mashed potatoes, desserts, and all of the fixings also comes risks for household fires. 

In Oregon, cooking was the leading known cause of residential structure fires over the past five years (2013-17), causing an average of 19 percent of Oregon’s total residential structure fires, according to state fire agency data submitted to the National Fire Incident Reporting System. 

On average, there are 533 cooking-caused residential structure fires in Oregon per year.

Statewide the range/stove was the most frequently reported equipment involved in cooking fires. Of these, 73 percent were from an electric powered range/stove.

All told, there were 10 deaths in Oregon from residential cooking fires during the past five years, or an average of nearly two deaths per year. 

The Office of State Fire Marshal (OFSM) wants to encourage everyone to take additional precautions to ensure their holiday is memorable. 

To ensure you have a safe time creating your Thanksgiving dishes, consider these basic precautions:

Deputy State Fire Marshal Casey Kump (left) meets with Gary Timm, deputy director of Baker County Emergency Management.

Where do you work/how long have you been in your position? 

I have been in this position for about three years, working in La Grande. District 13 covers Wallowa, Union, Baker, and Malheur counties.

Tell us about your background before you became a Deputy State Fire Marshal (DSFM).

I grew up in Elko, Nevada, and finished school in Havre, Montana, before working in the automotive industry in Detroit for several years. Looking to return West, I moved to central Oregon and started teaching high school in Prineville in 1999. In 2003 I became a volunteer with Crook County Fire & Rescue and was later hired through a prevention grant in 2005. I started this position with the Office of State Fire Marshal at the end of 2016.

What makes you most proud of being a DSFM?

I’m proud of the many building superintendents, custodians, etc., who do awesome work with keeping schools and other public buildings safe. Those inspections are enjoyable, to visit with them and staff. I’m also proud to represent our office with community groups like the La Grande WUI committee and county fire defense board meetings. 

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I enjoy “filling in the slot” as the fire marshal for fire departments that don’t have the resources or certifications for that realm of the service.

What would you like the public to know about your job?

I think we are an educational service for business owners and communities. People want to do the right thing. Once people understand the intent or reason behind an issue or violation they are happy to make the corrections. Many places have never had an inspection and aren’t clear or maybe don’t understand the approvals from their building department. In that situation, I expect to be working with the facility over time to get on track. 

Looking back on 2018, what was your most successful activity in your assigned district that had the most impact in protecting the lives of Oregonians or preventing fires in Oregon?

I’ll mention the “lighter club” in Pendleton. This involved a group of second graders who were bringing lighters to school and who had attempted to light a tree at the campus on fire. A related incident in town was reported by law enforcement, and we also had a residential fire that was related to lighter play from a student. Chief Shawn Penninger of Pendleton and I worked with area schools, offering education with materials our Fire and Life Safety Education team had recently produced. The school faculty and counselor also played important roles. Since the start of 2018 year, the schools have not reported any additional incidents. 

The International Fire Chiefs Association published a feature story in its September 2019 issue on the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System and how it has adapted over time to meet Oregon’s current wildfire challenges.

The system traces its origins to World War II, when Oregon created the Conflagration Act to prepare for possible aerial firebombing on coastal and Willamette Valley cities. Since the act's first use to respond to a wildland fire in 1972, governors have invoked the measure frequently when wildfires threaten structures in Oregon's rapidly growing wildland urban interface communities.

The act requires the State Fire Marshal to prepare plans to respond to emergencies as well as mobilize Oregon’s structural fire service throughout the state. These plans ensure districts are staffed, trained, and prepared to respond effectively, in-district and statewide. Today the Oregon fire service has the ability to mobilize up to two dozen task forces at one time.

Fraser Wick started as HazMat Rail Coordinator in mid-October. In his new position, Wick will be responsible for coordinating the HazMat by Rail Program for the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM). This includes developing partnerships between the emergency response community and the rail industry, offering HazMat by Rail response trainings for local fire agencies, and advancing Oregon’s readiness for rail transportation incidents involving hazardous materials.

Prior to accepting the promotion, Wick served as the OSFM Readiness Coordinator, where he ensured response equipment was organized and ready for conflagrations, coordinated the purchase of HazMat equipment and vehicles, and supported our Agency Operations Center.

Wick started with the Oregon State Police in 2012 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University. During his college summers, Wick worked as a wildland firefighter. Since joining the OSFM, Wick has been an active member of the Incident Management Team as a Deputy Logistics Chief and Communications Technician. When off duty, Wick has also served as a volunteer firefighter and has participated on various city planning committees.  

 

Wick can be contacted at 503-934-8283 or by email at [email protected].

By OSFM Code Deputy David Mills 

Five Things New About the 2019 Oregon Fire Code  

The 2019 Oregon Fire Code is based upon the 2018 International Fire Code and becomes effective Nov. 15, 2019.

Chapter 39: Process and Extraction Facilities. This chapter was developed in response to the rapidly growing industry of cannabis oil extraction. Oil extraction using solvents can involve processes that pose serious risks to public health, safety, and welfare. The extraction system and process must be reviewed by a registered design professional to evaluate the safety features in the design.

Section 105.7.12: Gates and Barricades Across Fire Apparatus Access Roads. The permit gives the fire code official the ability to ensure that access requirements are met. Approving the method of locking and securing, proper dimensions and opening width, and proper devices for operations. 

Section 107.2.3.1: Motor Vehicle Dismantlers Annual Fire Inspection. This new Oregon amendment requires an annual fire inspection for the operation of a motor vehicle dismantling business licensed in the state of Oregon. Upon completion of the fire inspection, the fire department having jurisdiction shall provide the business owner with a written inspection report. See ORS 822.133(2)(f).

Section 807.5.2.3: Artwork in Classrooms. This new section limits the quantity of artwork and teaching materials that can be displayed within classrooms. The limitation is to 50 percent of the wall space, based on the particular wall that the material is attached to.  

Section 610.1.1: Clothes Dryer Transition Ducts. A transition duct is a flexible connector used as a transition between the dryer outlet and the connection point to the exhaust duct system. Transition ducts must be listed and labeled to UL 2158A and not exceed eight feet in length. Frequent lint removal can improve the appliance operation and reduce lint fires. 

(Photo credit: "Cannabis ruderalis male plant," by Wikimedia Commons, is licensed under CC BY 3.0.)

The 2019 Oregon Fire Code (OFC) regulates minimum fire safety requirements and addresses fire prevention, fire protection, life safety, and safe storage and use of hazardous materials in new and existing buildings, facilities, and processes.

The OFC is a design document, which sets forth minimum requirements for maintaining the life safety of buildings occupants, the protection of emergency responders, and limiting damage to a building and its contents as a result of a fire, explosion, or unauthorized hazardous material discharge as prescribed in Sections 102.1 and 102.2.

Go here to pre-order the OFC.

News from the Analytics & Intelligence Unit

by Analytics & Intelligence Program Coordinator Kayla Brookshire 

Data on the presence and operation of smoke alarms helps the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) determine the need for smoke alarms in communities across Oregon. This data can also be instrumental for agencies implementing a community risk-reduction program.

But in nearly half of the Oregon residential structure fires reported in 2018, the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) report did not include the data necessary to determine if the residence had a smoke alarm present.

Smoke alarm data need to be entered into the structure fire module in order to capture the information for the NFIRS report. Please ensure that the smoke alarm section of the structure fire module (represented below) is completed as accurately as possible.

NFIRS Plus-One Code Updates:

The NFIRS incident type plus-one code 5532 was previously labeled “Smoke Alarm Installation.” 

The label for this plus-one code has been updated to the following text: “Smoke Alarm Installation & Battery Replacement.”

All incident responses related to smoke alarm battery replacement should be coded as 5532 — Smoke Alarm Installation & Battery Replacement under the Service Call incident type series.

Oregon currently has 16 approved incident type plus-one codes. These are listed in the chart below.

The 751 plus-one actions taken code has also been updated to: “Installation of Smoke Alarm(s) & Batteries.”

Below is a list of the current approved actions taken plus-one codes.

Reminder for FEMA Grant Applicants & Recipients:

Remember, for agencies to qualify for a FEMA grant, they must be NFIRS-compliant. This means that the OSFM must have incidents reported or No Incidents to Report reported for each month in the past three years, and NFIRS reporting status must remain current to avoid disqualification even after grant funds are received.

If you have any questions regarding your NFIRS compliance status, please contact the Analytics & Intelligence Unit by email at [email protected], or by phone at (503) 934-8250, and we can assist with verification.

Nearly a dozen communities statewide will get a boost from federal grant funding that supports hazardous materials planning and training related projects starting this fall.

The Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has received notice from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration it will receive an award totaling $251,600 for the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant, for the period of October 2019 through September 2020.

Each year, the OSFM provides an opportunity for local entities to submit applications to the HMEP grant related to hazardous materials planning and training projects, in support of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). The act helps communities plan for chemical emergencies.

While funding is limited, the OSFM is able to support a wide variety of projects, mostly through Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). All told, 13 projects will be supported with funding for the FFY 2019.

Want to find out how apply for the upcoming FFY 2020 HMEP Grant, or how to start an LEPC in your county? Contact Terry Wolfe at (503) 934-8245 or email [email protected].

Registration is still open for the Oregon Fire Marshals Association (OFMA) Technical Education Conference (TEC), held Nov. 5 and 6 in Salem. The event features expert speakers and networking opportunities, with opportunities for earning ICC Continuing Education Credits. 

This year's presentations will address a range of topics, including:

Location: Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, 4190 Aumsville Hwy. SE, Salem, OR  

Pricing: Cost for OFMA and Oregon Building Officials Association members is $185 for a single day and $285 for the full conference. Lunch and snacks are included.

Visit the OFMA website for more information about the TEC, including the schedule, speakers, pricing, registration, and more.