Portland Fire & Rescue

Captain Eric Pedersen worked his final shift a few days ago sharing a coffee and cake with many current and former . Captain Pedersen started his career 31 years ago and was initially assigned to Station 11 being the youngest on shift by a decade. Learning from the seasoned vets, some of whom were able to make it to his send off, sent him on a path of upward trajectory.

Promoting to Lientenant and then to Captain, Eric spent the bulk of his career at Station 22 in St. John's. Eric made a huge difference in how Portland Fire & Rescue approach managing the risk of Forest Park, a true gem in the city. On top of improving our management of the large wildland urban interface zone of the park, Eric was woven into the community through years of interation on many fronts.

Eric will now have a bit more time for all he enjoys away from work. PF&R and the "Double Deuce" will miss you. All the best as you enjoy this next chapter!

When there is 4 hours left in a 30-year career and a ripping multiple alarm fire hits, you hop into your rig, light it up, and get to scene and fill in everywhere that is needed. Chief Aimee Rooney did just that early Friday morning.

With a greater alarm fire hitting at 4:00AM and your shift is over at 8 AM as the On-Duty Deputy Chief, you spend the last 4 hours of your career just like the previous 30 years....saving structures and supporting your peers.

Chief Rooney....your presence will be missed and all of that shared that incident with you feel lucky to be a part of your "last one".

All the best Chief...Don't be a stranger!

The floating home fire presents many challenges that are prepared to face yet don't experience often. Narrow stairs and gangplanks leading to slippery wet dock walkways riddled with trip hazards with very little light. Here is a series of pictures to show the walkways, FDC water supply system with one port uncovered to see the water free flowing into the river.

The requirement to wear the floatation devices is always a bit cumbersome when we work and the reality that the homes could simply break free and float away if the fire itself burns through the rope that has the home tied up to the dock.

The last few images are of the remnants of the homes destroyed by the fire along with the home under construction that was first saved from the impinging flames early on and then used as a platform to flow water across the inlet on the homes that were experiencing significant fire.

In the dark of night with only the fire itself providing lighting, worked from the land and the water to extinguish the flames from the floating homes early yesterday morning.

The crews went to work with their lifejackets on, connecting to a hydrant and using the FDC/Standpipe system in place for just this purpose to provide water to the nozzles used from many angles to reduce the heavy fire consuming the 2 floating homes. Fireboats on scene to act as a waterside safety and to use in defensive operations and using the master stream to pull water from the river and redirect it to land on the fire.

All other floating homes saved in this fire and no injuries reported from all the other occupants of the floating home community.



(Photo Credit - Greg Muhr - PF&R Volunteer Photographer)

responded to an incident with 2 floating homes on fire on the end of a dock in a riverside community in North Portland yesterday morning.

This is the view the first arriving crew experienced as they arrived. There were 2 rescues made in an adjacent floating home and all occupants were evaluated safely to shore as Portland Fire with some support from Airport and Vancouver Fire extinguished the fire and saved all but the 2 homes that were ablaze upon our arrival. (More pics to come throughout the day).

Maintaining a high level of fitness is critical to every career firefighter. Here are the 26-01 and 26-02 recruit classes after a group fitness effort at the training campus. We begin this regular fitness interactions from day 1 in the academy and throughout time in the fire stations.

We use the training tower along with many other fitness devices (weights-cardio machines-elastic bands-turnout gear) as part of the design to have the capacity to climb stairs weighted down and perform work at any time as there is no excuse for "being tired" as one of .

The traditions of the Coffee and Cake sendoff run deep in Portland Fire & Rescue and even when you the party is scheduled in the morning of Memorial Day, folks make time to come and visit to send off into retirement correctly.

Lt Andy Clarke had his coffee and cake ceremony on Monday morning with many off duty members making time to find a way to Station 12 out on the east side to wish him well. AC was a long-time member of the Technical Rescue Team along with a vital member of our SERT callout team. His dependability and constant even disposition set a standard that will always be something for others to strive to meet. We are fortunate that his son has joined the ranks keeping AC well informed of upcoming events, so we are certain to see him often.

Ever wondered what the ladder on the outside of fire escapes is used for? That is what we call the fire fighter ladder and it is what ascend to the incident floor to address your emergency leaving the internal ladders for you to descend to safety without us in your way.

The training curriculum continues for the newest class of recruits at the training center and today they performed their first climb of the exterior fire fighter ladder. Notice the harness is used early on with a modified helmet. This is to ensure their safety as they perform this task for the first few efforts. In time the trainees will don their traditional fire helmet and learn to ascend the ladder with tools draped over their shoulders. This is a well-planned series of steps taken so all members are capable of safely ascending the fire fighter ladder early on in their time in the academy.

In an effort at making room for the newest recruits and having more time to run and ski, FFE Bret Kimple is heading off into the sunset as well. Having worked all over the city and assigned to many different stations, Bret was a known figure throughout PF&R. You knew that if you worked a shift with him that the steady thump of his feet on the treadmill would certainly fill the air for a few hours and that if you wanted any of the leftovers in the fridge, you would be best served to get to those while he was putting the miles in!

As his cake says, he now will be unencumbered on getting more time on the trails...both running and skiig! All the best Bret as you move into the next chapter of life!

And just like that, the Class of 26-03 finishes the swearing in ceremony and moves out to the training yard to climb the aerial ladder as an important part of the focused training curriculum all of complete before responding on any emergency calls. This is the beginning of their decades of service to the City of Portland and all those within our 145 square mile city.

(You know you are alive when the tip of the ladder sways in the wind...)