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June 2017
Published by the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal
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Our agency’s 100th Anniversary Celebration continued last month as we held a formal reception at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. I want to thank the Governor's Public Safety Policy Advisor Heidi Moawad and Oregon Fire Chiefs Association President Les Hallman for their words of support for our past history and our future success.
The OSFM journey began in 1917 through a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature, with the insurance commissioner serving as ex officio state fire marshal with a staff of three.
Here we are 100 years later, with a bit larger staff and a significantly wider base of programs we are responsible for.
However, our mission remains the same: to protect citizens, their property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials.
It’s an honor for me to be leading this agency at such a milestone in our history.
Though we’ve certainly come a long way, we could not have accomplished what we have over the past 100 years without the help of our partners and collaborators along the way.
The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, Oregon Fire Marshals Association, Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association, Oregon Fire District Directors Association, the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council, the Special Districts Association of Oregon, and all of our Oregon fire agencies have played an important role in our success.
Myself and our staff truly appreciate the continued support from all of our partners.
We have worked, and continue to work, side-by-side with our partners to elevate the safety of our citizens and keep our risk reduction programs moving forward.
I’m pleased to say that our relationships are stronger than ever and it makes me excited about the future of the OSFM and fire prevention and protection in Oregon.
I believe our combined future is bright. We stand ready to accept
t
he challenges of change,
the responsibility of maintaining our focus on the protection of Oregonians,
and the commitment to our partners in helping them achieve their mission and goals.
We’ve come a long way, but we also have a long way to go, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
Thank you to all of you for recognizing the value of our agency and supporting our efforts.
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Oregon State Fire Marshal Jim Walker
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OSFM's 100 years of service
:
Highlights from 1970 to 1979
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This is the seventh of 12 monthly articles highlighting interesting facts and significant events from each decade of OSFM's 100 years of service and an OSFM deputy state fire marshal region.
- The Fire Standards and Accreditation Board was established.
- Oregon's first state fire marshal, C. Walter Stickney, retired. His successor was Clyde W. Centers.
1976
- Oregon began to participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System.
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Spotlight on:
OSFM deputy district 9
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Counties: Deschutes, Jefferson, and parts of Wasco counties.
- Deputy State Fire Marshal: Kevin Sullivan. Kevin has been a deputy state fire marshal since 2015.
- Population: 212,576
- Fire Agencies: 21
- Approximately 62% volunteer firefighters
- CR2K facilities: 829
- Extremely Hazardous Substance facilities: 81
- Conflagration responses in the last 15 years: 31
- Conflagrations hosted in the last 15 years: 17
- Annual calls (5 year avg): 21,418
- Annual reported fires (5 year avg): 841
- Annual Hazmat calls (5 year avg): 119
- Annual dollar loss (5 year avg): $7,033,631
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Did you know:
- The B&B Complex Fire consisted of a linked pair of wildfires that together burned 90,769 acres of Oregon forest during the summer of 2003. The fire complex began as two separate fires, the Bear Butte Fire and the Booth Fire. The two fires were reported the same day and eventually burned together, forming a single fire area that stretched along the crest of the Cascade Mountains between Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington. Firefighters battled the blaze for 34 days. At the peak of the firefighting effort, there were more than 2,300 personnel working on the fire. The cost of suppression was more than $38 millon.
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Spotlight: Hazmat Team 03
Gresham/Multnomah
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H
azmat Team 03 began prior to the OSFM regional program. In 1983, District 10 member Len Malmquist was approached about applying for a federal grant to develop a hazmat team with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to do “something not thought of before” for team delivery (the partnership with MCSO was established to help with response to a new need to process a rise in methamphetamine labs). Along with his wife, Penny, who worked for MCSO, they applied for and received a grant to provide a hazmat team with remote computer capabilities (not done anywhere at this point). They built the original vehicle on the principle of a motor home with the “command module” inside containing a computer for mobile research capabilities, two radio telephones, and numerous radios for communications. The outside of the vehicle provided access to suits and other response supplies. This unit was only the second hazmat team west of the Mississippi and the first in the country to have a mobile computer unit. In 1984, the team came to Gresham Fire after Portland Fire and District 10 merged. Initially this team provided all hazmat response for the states of Oregon and Washington.
This merged team assisted the OSFM with establishing the original 10 regional response teams with which we currently provide hazmat response in the state and they became Hazmat 03. Throughout the years, they have maintained a combined team with MCSO deputies playing a role as a part of team responders.
HM03 currently has 15 Gresham Fire and Emergency Services members (one battalion chief, one captain, four lieutenants, and nine firefighters), and eight MCSO deputies. Hazmat 03 is based at Station 72 in Gresham. The borders of their response area are complex and varied to include Multnomah, Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties and a portion of Jefferson County. This is a very diverse area in terrain, altitudes, and access (both high density population areas and designated wilderness areas with extremely limited access).
As a hazmat team HM03 has had the honor of receiving several awards. In the second year of existence, they received the Governor’s Award for Public Service in recognition of their response to drug labs, and an award from EPA Region 10 for being the first Computer Assisted/Driven Hazmat Team. More recently, they received the Call of the Year award in 2011 for responding to an incident at a Clackamas County manufacturer that lasted several days. This incident included support from HM07 and a private company that provided specialized monitoring equipment. This challenging call required several operational periods and staffing changes but was eclipsed by HM03's response in 2016 to the crude oil train derailment in Mosier. Operations at the derailment required a response from the entire team, some additional assistance from HM07’s team coordinator, and coordination with numerous agencies (local, state, federal, and private contractor). During the incident HM03 provided monitoring, firefighting with the UP/OSFM foam trailers, safety officers, and liaison officers. Fortunately there were no injuries or loss of life on this large-scale incident.
Due to HM03’s response area, they have a mix of potential for large incidents. There are very large fixed facilities in east Multnomah County and Clackamas County that use chemicals that, if released, could cause significant risk and damage due to the area's high population density (anhydrous ammonia, hydrogen fluoride, and chlorine are among several other specialty processes).
HM03 also serves major transportation routes for both rail and highways close proximity to large waterways (the Columbia River Gorge and Deschutes River south to Madras and the John Day River). The Columbia River Gorge has had numerous transportation incidents including both rail and over the road incidents.
During the floods of 1996 that caused a landslide in Ainsworth, a train was derailed and HM03 spent several days assisting in establishing containment which minimized any hazardous materials release. During winter months, the road conditions in passes and the Gorge result in many transportation incidents due to icy/impassible roads which in turn complicates their response.
Team training focuses on making sure all team members have the opportunity to complete all requirements of the OSFM Regional Hazardous Materials Response Teams Individual Compliance Training Task Book. Additionally, HM03 reaches out to local fixed facilities that have a risk for response to help develop response plans based on the facility’s current processes and likely chemicals, and spend time training with HM03’s emergency response technicians. They also try to perform drills in conjunction with nearby hazmat teams (most commonly HM07 and HM09), the Oregon National Guard 102nd Civil Support Team, and Union Pacific RR.
Outreach Coordinator Lt. Lloyd Nickson
Lloyd.nickson@greshamoregon.gov
works with the departments HM03 serves in their response area to meet their needs for hazmat outreach trainings.
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by Deputy State Fire Marshal David Mills
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CMS - new team, new look, same focus
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L to R: Compliance Specialist Matthew Rodriguez, Deputy State Fire Marshal David Mills, Compliance Specialist Gordon Simeral, Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Trabue, and Compliance Specialist Mark Crawford.
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So what is the CMS Program?
What is a CMS facility Survey?
The survey (inspection) is to determine a facility's compliance to participate in this federal reimbursement program and is performed on behalf of CMS by the individual State Survey Agencies. The functions the states perform for CMS under the agreements in Section 1864 of the Social Security Act are referred to collectively as the certification process. In Oregon, the State Survey Agencies are the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
What is the role of the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM)?
The OSFM conducts Life Safety Code (LSC -
NFPA 101
&
NFPA 99
) surveys on behalf, and under the direction of, DHS and OHA as part of their performance of the CMS certification process of participating healthcare facilities in Oregon. The portions of a facility receiving an LSC survey is generally limited to patient care areas and those portions providing direct support of patient care. This survey work has most recently been performed by OSFM Deputy State Fire Marshals (DSFM) Sean Condon and Jonathon Jones.
What are the changes in the CMS Survey Program at OSFM?
The people, the scope, and the services we provide.
The people
:
For the past eight months, the OSFM has been preparing to transition the CMS healthcare survey work that DSFMs Condon and Jones have been performing to our three new Health Care Unit CMS Compliance Specialists. Compliance Specialists Matt Rodriguez, Gordon Simeral, and Mark Crawford have completed their transition to full time LSC surveyors of CMS facilities. They have been well trained and prepared for their new roles in the unit. DSFM David Mills will assist as their lead for the next six to twelve months as they get comfortable with their new responsibilities.
The scope
:
LSC surveys are now
solely
focused on Life Safety Code requirements (NFPA 101 & NFPA 99), verifying compliance with federal fire and life safety standards of existing facilities and for new facilities who wish to be certified to receive federal CMS funding. This is a significant change in the scope of the CMS program at OSFM as our Healthcare Unit surveyors no longer enforce Oregon Fire Code requirements when they are conducting their healthcare facility surveys.
The services
:
New construction and tenant improvement plan review - The OSFM will begin participating in OHA’s expansion of their new construction and tenant improvement plan review process by the end of September. This new service will allow our LSC surveyors to determine compliance with federal requirements prior to facility construction, with the goal to minimize any conflicts with state construction codes and lack of CMS compliance at the time a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Regulated community/stakeholder outreach - We have met with, and will continue to meet with, healthcare facility management and maintenance directors to educate them on the changes we are making at OSFM, increasing collaboration on our process improvements and to get feedback on how we can continue to improve service delivery.
What does this mean to the fire service?
Determining compliance with the OFC in healthcare facilities is now the responsibility of local fire jurisdictions within their respective communities. Any assistance required from the OSFM will be mutually determined in concert with the DSFM serving the local jurisdiction’s region. It will also mean more collaboration in addressing fire code and CMS regulation conflicts that occasionally arise when multiple regulatory Authorities Having Jurisdictions (AHJs) all look at the same issue being regulated.
Benton, Linn, and Marion counties will now have a dedicated DSFM assigned to provide them service. Fire inspection and investigation service support for theses counties has been provided by Deputy State Fire Marshals Shannon Miller, Kristina Deschaine, and Ted Megert for the past thirteen months as our office has been making these changes.
Effective June 19th, DSFM Sean Condon has transitioned out of our Healthcare Unit and is serving
District 3
(Marion County). DSFM Jonathon Jones will follow on July 3rd and will serve
District 4
(Linn/Benton counties). This will mean a decrease in workload for DSFMs Miller, Megert, and Deschaine as they have been filling the gaps in those Districts. Sean’s and Jonathan’s priority will be to become familiar with the needs of the fire departments and districts in their service areas and increase the level of service to them.
Please welcome Sean and Jonathan as they assume their new roles in the branch and congratulate Matt, Gordon, and Mark with the completion of their very intense training and testing, and their new role in our Healthcare Unit.
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Fireworks - the roles of
OSFM and locals
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Oregon Revised Statutes 480.111-480.165 grants authority to specific entities to conduct certain activities. Under these Oregon Revised Statutes, the OSFM is mandated to issue fireworks permits for the use of Pest Control (Agricultural) fireworks, the display of non-consumer fireworks, and the sale of both display and consumer fireworks. The OSFM Regulatory Services Unit also provides information regarding the fireworks statutes and rules; helps facilitate assistance from OSP when appropriate; provides guidance and information to local law enforcement agencies regarding seizure, storage, and pick up of fireworks; and helps facilitate the destruction of seized fireworks. The fireworks statutes and rules provide for local authorities to control fireworks in their communities.
- ORS 480.140 places the supervision of fireworks displays under the local fire and police agency, or in unprotected areas, the county court.
- ORS 480.160 has provisions for local regulation of fireworks.
- OAR 837-012-0860 (9-11) requires displays to be postponed or discontinued by the local authority if there are adverse conditions, lack of crowd control, or adverse weather conditions that affect safety recognized by the local fire or law enforcement authority.
- ORS 480.120(2) requires law enforcement agencies of the state, county, or municipality to enforce the provisions of ORS 480.111-480.165.
Below is a matrix that summarizes the roles of OSFM and local authorities relating to the retail sales of consumer fireworks, fireworks displays, and enforcement activities.
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Oregon solar eclipse update
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I
n anticipation of an influx of visitors, statewide traffic congestion, and high fire risk, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is organizing staff to be available in key positions and locations to support the Oregon fire service and emergency management stakeholders.
Local Deputy State Fire Marshals
The weekend prior to the solar eclipse, deputy state fire marshals will be pre-positioned in areas within the state expected to have increased tourism and planned events. Deputies will be available to assist and guide local resources during fires and emergency situations. If additional resources are needed in order to mitigate a hazard or emergency, deputies will serve as a liaison and forward such requests to the OSFM duty officer.
OSFM Duty Officer
An OSFM duty officer is the 24-hour point of contact for the OSFM and is also a member of the management team. Contact with a duty officer may be requested by calling the Oregon Emergency Response System: (800) 452-0311. Examples of when an OSFM duty officer may be needed:
- Request for a fire investigator
- Request for a regional hazmat team
- Request resources through the Fire Service Mobilization Plan
Resources requested through the Oregon Fire Service Mobilization Plan will be deployed and tracked through the OSFM Agency Operations Center.
Agency Operations Center
The AOC will be staffed and OPEN from Friday, August 18th at 0600 until Tuesday, August 22nd at 0600. In addition to deploying and tracking resources, staff will be monitoring local and statewide fire and weather conditions, gathering details about traffic conditions, coordinating daily conference calls with incident management teams, deputy state fire marshals, and fire defense board chiefs, and coordinating information with Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Transportation, and the State Emergency Coordination Center.
State Emergency Coordination Center (ECC)
If the statewide impacts of the solar eclipse escalate, or if assistance is requested from several state agencies, or if more than one county or tribe has been significantly impacted by this event, the ECC may be activated at the direction of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. Currently, OEM plans on the ECC being open on the day of the eclipse, but may expand hours and days as needed. During activation, all appropriate ECC positions will filled.
The OSFM will have key personnel present in the ECC as primary agency partners for Emergency Support Functions:
- ESF#4 – Firefighting
- ESF#10 – Hazardous Materials
The OSFM will also have key personnel present in the ECC in a supporting agency role for:
- ESF#2 – Communications
- ESF#14 – Public Information
A written Special Event Plan is being developed by OSFM and is expected to be available for distribution mid-July.
For questions about the OSFM’s solar eclipse planning, please contact Michael Heffner at (503) 934-8030 or email
michael.heffner@state.or.us
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News from the Analytics & Intelligence Unit
by Program Coordinator Dave Gulledge
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Coding Community Paramedicine
Community paramedicine is a model of community-based health care in which paramedics work outside their normal emergency response and transport roles. This health care model maximizes the use of emergency care resources and enhances access to primary care for medically underserved populations.
Interest in community paramedicine has grown substantially in recent years, based on the belief that it may improve access to and quality of care, while also reducing costs. Community paramedicine programs are usually designed to address local problems.
The typical services performed are:
- Coordinating health services for patients/clients.
- Determining the need for, and providing referrals to, community resources (such as mental health, substance abuse, public health, and social services).
- Assessing safety risks for the community paramedic (for example, unsafe situations, animals, and diseases).
- Assessing safety risks for the patient/client (for example, disease, falls, and environmental health hazards).
- Educating on proper use of health care resources.
- Providing oral health education and/or screening.
- Educating on identified health care goals.
- Performing a physical safety inspection (for example, home, property, and vehicle).
- Screening for chronic disease (such as diabetes, asthma, and coronary artery disease).
- Providing service with the local public health agency (for example, immunization and disease investigation).
- Providing service with the local social service and aging agencies (for example, adult protection, child protection, senior services, and housing).
- Participating in wellness clinics (such as immunization and screening).
Due to the service that is being provided, Oregon fire agencies should report these incidents using the incident type code of 5531 – Community paramedicine. This is a special plus-one code adopted by the Office of State Fire Marshal designed to specifically capture these types of situations. This was selected because the core code (553-Public service) is the most accurate. The codes in the 300 series suggest an actual emergency situation; whereas the 500 series codes suggest a non-emergency service call (for example, assist invalid).
If the situation changes to an emergency while doing an assessment, or if transportation to an urgent care facility or to another emergency department is warranted, then the fire agency can escalate the incident type to 321 – EMS Call.
For questions or more information, please contact the Analytics & Intelligence Unit at 503-934-8250 or by email at
osfm.data@state.or.us
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Community Right to Know moves closer to online reporting
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A
few years ago, the OSFM made a commitment to our stakeholders to move away from the paper copy of the Hazardous Substance Information Survey to an online reporting tool.
We are excited to announce that earlier this year we signed a contract with a vendor who has fourteen years of experience in developing and servicing online products specifically for hazardous substance information reporting and dissemination.
Working with facilities, first responder representatives, pre-planners, and representatives from OSFM’s hazardous material response teams, we developed project objectives and software deliverables.
Currently, the vendor is customizing the software specifically for Oregon’s reporting requirements. The project plan includes user acceptance testing to take place later this summer, pilot testing in the fall, and full implementation in January of 2018.
In late June, we shared the transition plan with all facilities currently reporting to our office. As we continue to move closer to the full implementation date, we will periodically provide additional information to facilities and other stakeholders, this includes project updates, features of the software, how to begin preparing for the transition, and available training tools.
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Metro Advanced Wildland School
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OSFM employees and incident management team members participated in planning and conducting the annual Metro Advanced Wildland School (MAWS) in Clackamas County June 9 & 10. The 2017 training was provided free, thanks to a grant from DPSST. More than 60 students participated over the course of two days, representing more than 15 structural departments in addition to a contract crew and the National Guard.
2017 marked the 6th year for MAWS, organized by the Northwest Association of Fire Trainers and hosted by Molalla Fire. In years past, the training has been geared toward Task Force/Strike Team Leader and Engine Boss trainees. This was the first year that Firefighter Type 1 students were accepted. The intention of the training is to provide a realistic environment for students to practice skills learned in the classroom. MAWS is a unique opportunity for everyone involved to have conversations and work together in a low-stress environment and hone skills necessary for response to a wildland fire.
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This year, approximately 20 IMT members participated in planning and staffing the training event. Fully qualified team members and trainees worked alongside cadre members throughout the training.
The OSFM extends a sincere thank you to all team members who participated, as well as all agencies who took advantage of the training opportunity. We are thankful to NAFT, who in 2016 offered us the opportunity to help facilitate this valuable training.
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NWCG Training System
Assessment & Improvement
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The National Wildfire Coordinating Group is working to improve their training system. They are currently soliciting feedback on:
- the formatting of position task books
- the specific tasks included in PTBs for the Operations Section from FFT1/ICT5 through DIVS/ICT3
- tasks for aviation positions
Feedback is accepted until September 15, and it is anticipated that the revised task books will be available in October. One of the overarching goals of this project is to remove roadblocks which are preventing individuals from getting qualified, and some of the proposed changes will be especially beneficial for structural firefighters working toward wildland qualifications.
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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