September 2019
Published by the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal
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Oregon Fire Code Update Set for October Release
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Next month, the Office of State Fire Marshal will adopt one of the most important tools used by the fire service to promote fire and life safety for all Oregonians. After 36 months of work with more than 150 members of the Oregon Fire Code Committee, our office will approve the 2019 Oregon Fire Code. This will be the first update to the fire code since 2014.
The Oregon update to the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) serves as the Oregon fire service’s manual to protect the public from the hazards of fire, explosions, or dangerous conditions in buildings and other facilities.
For more than two years, the committee met each month and reviewed the 2018 IFC in great detail. The members came from the fire service, business and industry, partner agencies, and other interested parties. Each generously volunteered their time and expertise to provide input into the fire code that helps set the framework for a safer Oregon.
Our code review efforts sought to bring the Oregon Fire Code into conformance with the 2018 IFC, recommend amendments, and coordinate those changes. We also examined current and pending legislation, standards for equipment used for fire protection, and fire and life safety issues the 2018 IFC may not have addressed.
The OSFM will be adopting the 2019 Oregon Fire Code in October. To kick off the official roll out of the 2019 Oregon Fire Code, our office will host a workshop on Oct. 15 in Salem to review the code changes, discuss items for mid-cycle amendments, and discuss future code issues. Please save the date and watch for further information.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to the upcoming fire code update — one of the most critical services we provide to keep all Oregonians safe. Your collective work, into one document, exemplifies the spirit of safety and service.
Thanks for all you do.
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Oregon State Fire Marshal Jim Walker
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Following Statewide Tour, OSFM Proposes Regionally-Based Risk-Reduction Staff
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As nearly all Oregonians have seen first-hand over the past few summers, structural fire jurisdictions statewide are responding to thousands of WUI fires statewide, and residents are facing great risk of large-scale fires.
With the changing environment and the growing expectations on our office and the fire service, the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) organized a “Listening and Understanding” tour of the Oregon fire service to listen to their prevention needs and help shape a path forward. Our office traveled to eight communities this spring.
Last month, the OSFM finalized
a formal report outlining what we heard during these statewide conversations with Oregon fire service and local partners. Three major themes emerged: Need for fire prevention resources, personnel, and codes/standards to help local jurisdictions address these growing challenges.
The OSFM proposes to address the WUI prevention and mitigation needs through staffing dedicated to community risk reduction. Positions infused locally would assist with enhancing resiliency and improving preparedness for the risks associated with fire.
Starting in fall 2019, our office plans to continue with Phase 2, meeting with fire departments along the Northern Coast and Willamette Valley. We expect a full report in early 2020.
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Shawn Anderson Appointed Deputy State Fire Marshal
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The Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has hired Shawn Anderson as Deputy State Fire Marshal for the District 8 (Portland) region, starting in August. He previously served as an OSFM compliance specialist for its Fire & Life Safety Services Division.
Anderson has a long career in the military and fire service. He is fourth generation military. He has served on the Honor Guard with Goodyear Fire Department from its inception as a founding member and is currently a member of the Oregon Honor Guard.
Anderson spent six years active duty in the U.S. Army and 14 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, with two combat deployments to Oman and Iraq. He served in numerous roles such as communications operator, military firefighter, and retired as a staff sergeant combat medic serving as a medical platoon leader. He was awarded the Combat Action Badge and retired in April of 2008 with more than 20 years total service.
Concurrently with his military service, Anderson joined the fire service in 1995 as a volunteer firefighter. After completing paramedic school in 1998, he was hired as a career firefighter with the Goodyear Fire Department in Arizona. He was one of the first fire engineers promoted in Goodyear where he went on to be promoted to fire captain in 2005, picking up his hazmat technician certification along the way.
During his time at Goodyear, Anderson served as a deputy fire marshal, fire investigator, training captain, terrorism liaison officer, battalion safety officer, and hazmat company officer. He was also heavily involved with type 1, 2, and 3 incident management teams and has vast experience responding to large complex wildland fire incidents. He is qualified as a medical unit leader, incident center communications manager, safety officer, logistics section chief, and communications unit leader, and has been deployed many places in the United States, including Alaska.
Anderson is excited to join the DSFM team.
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News from the Analytics & Intelligence Unit
by Program Coordinator Kayla Brookshire
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The Annual Report Supplement for 2018 is available on the Office of State Fire Marshal's
website.
This report contains Oregon data and trends related to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incidents (including fire, EMS, and hazmat), top fire causes, civilian casualties, fire service casualties, and youth fire data, as well as data related to detectors and sprinkler systems.
Coding Trivia: What do the following fires have in common: microwave fires, toaster fires, barbecue fires, dryer fires, and hot tub fires?
All of these fire types are recorded with the incident type code
111 or
112. Fires involving equipment located in or on a portion of the building (including an attached patio or deck) are coded 111, while those located in or on a detached structure separate from the building, such as a freestanding gazebo or detached deck, are 112.
Fires involving equipment such as microwaves, toasters, grills, dryers, and hot tubs are not considered confined fires. NFIRS provides the following explanation:
Additionally, fires that take place in combustible cooking equipment products, such as coffee pots, toasters, toaster ovens, or microwave ovens, should not be reported as confined fires. These fires require the completion of the Fire Module so that the equipment involved in ignition can be recorded for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to then track the products involved in ignition.
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Resources Available for
Fire Prevention Month
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October is recognized as Fire Prevention Month, and this year’s theme from the National Fire Protection Agency is: “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!™”
The two most common causes of Oregon residential fires in 2018 were cooking and heating. All told, 3,122 residential structure fires resulted in 30 deaths, 125 civilian injuries, and $80 million dollars in property and content loss.
There are many resources available for Oregon fire agencies and partners that can be used to educate the public about the importance of planning and practicing your escape.
Resources to accompany your agency's Fire Prevention Month events will be available for ordering on the
OSFM website beginning Sept. 15. New products include a home escape planning paper airplane to fold and fly, a new coaster design, and restaurant style activity place mats for kids.
We would love for the coasters and place mats to make their way to local restaurants around the state as well as accompany your agency's open houses and Fire Prevention Month events.
Questions? Please contact OSFM’s Fire & Life Safety Education Division at 503-934-8228 or
osfm.ce@state.or.us.
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Meet Deputy State Fire Marshal Kevin Sullivan
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Where do you work/how long have you been in your position?
I have worked as a Deputy State Fire Marshal for almost four years in Central Oregon, Region No. 9, with a field office based out of Bend. It is my privilege to serve Deschutes, Jefferson, and Wasco counties.
Tell us about your background before you became a Deputy State Fire Marshal (DSFM).
I graduated from the architecture program at the University of Oregon and worked in the architecture profession for 10 years. I was fortunate to meet an exceptional mentor during my volunteer firefighting/EMT experiences with the Bainbridge Island Fire Department near Seattle. The Bainbridge Fire Marshal directly influenced my decision to pursue a career in fire prevention. I went on to receive a master’s degree in fire science from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. I had several professional internship opportunities while pursuing my degree, which included the Connecticut Office of State Fire Marshal, and I worked as a deputy fire marshal for the town of South Windsor, Connecticut. Upon graduation, I took a position as a fire inspector with the Sedona Fire District in Arizona.
What makes you most proud of being a DSFM?
Our Deputy State Fire Marshal team is presented with opportunities to demonstrate servant-based leadership on a daily basis throughout Oregon. I am proud to be part of a team that engages in these opportunities for the purpose of providing assistance in solving regional challenges and to help shape positive outcomes. My goal is to have my personal and professional compass pointed towards outcomes that benefit others.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Fire prevention is important work, and I am proud to contribute to the team of officials who work to keep Oregonians safe. I take great pride in knowing that as a fire marshal we provide safeguards for both the public and firefighters. Our work impacts the world in a positive way.
What would you like the public to know about your job?
As a Deputy State Fire Marshal we often encounter challenges with fire and building code requirements that can be costly, in addition to responding on incidents that involve significant loss of life and property. While we have a duty to enforce the Oregon Fire Code and investigate incidents, we also have a duty to put people and relationships first as this is just one demonstration of what it means to provide premier public safety services.
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 would like to think that the culmination of work we accomplish with consistency everyday makes the greatest impact — from a routine fire inspection of an assisted living facility, to assisting a community with a fire investigation when they have no investigator.
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By OSFM Code Deputy David Mills
Ignition Sources
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Open flames, sparks, static electricity, and hot surfaces are all possible ignition sources. Flammable or combustible materials will generally not ignite without an external source of ignition. An explosion can occur when flammable gases or vapors in the air come in contact with an ignition source such as a spark.
The Oregon Fire Code, in Section 305.2, outlines safe clearances between ignition sources and combustible materials, which are to be maintained in an approved manner.
305.2 Hot ashes and spontaneous ignition sources:
Hot ashes, cinders, smoldering coals or greasy or oily materials subject to spontaneous ignition shall not be deposited in a combustible receptacle, within 10 feet of other combustible material including combustible walls and partitions or within 2 feet of openings to buildings.
Exception:
The minimum required separation distance to other combustible materials shall be 2 feet where the material is deposited in a covered, noncombustible receptacle placed on a noncombustible floor, ground surface or stand.
An ignition source is a process or event that can cause a fire or explosion. This section covers two different, but equally serious, ignition source problems. First, hot ashes, embers, and cinders from fireplaces, stoves, or other fireboxes must never be placed in a combustible container. This point seems almost too obvious to be mentioned, but every year fires are started when someone carelessly scoops ashes containing glowing embers into paper bags or cardboard cartons. It is also not uncommon to see construction scrap being burned in steel drums on construction sites in cold weather. Care must be taken when emptying ashes from those containers to make sure no hot coals get dumped on paper waste or other combustible materials.
The second problem, greasy or oily materials subject to spontaneous combustion, is addressed by requiring such materials to be placed in listed containers.
In both cases, safe distances must be maintained from combustible construction and building openings for added protection.
The exception recognizes the added protection of tight-fitting covers on noncombustible trash containers as well as the reduced fire hazard when the containers are placed on a noncombustible surface.
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September Is Preparedness Month: Are You Ready?
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National Preparedness Month serves as a reminder that all Oregonians must prepare themselves and their families year-round for possible disasters.
Individually, all of us can get ready by learning lifesaving skills, such as CPR and first aid. Residents can verify if their insurance policies offer coverage for hazards from wildfires, floods, and earthquakes. Around our homes, we can take simple steps like learning how to safely shut off water and gas, for ourselves and our neighbors. Important documents and emergency
finances can also be prepared in advance.
Most residents can take simple steps to be
better prepared for any emergency.
1. Make a plan. Emergencies happen when those are the least prepared and at the most inconvenient times. Consider events that may happen that could keep you from leaving work and/or arriving home: a winter pile up on the freeway, a bridge collapse, wildfires, power outages, hazardous materials incidents, earthquakes, and flooding are disasters that may happen in our state.
2. Purchase a case or two of water and stash it under your desk and/or in your vehicle. Having bottled water on hand at work and at home at all times can be helpful at any time of year. Have a minimum of one gallon per person per day for at least two weeks.
3. Have at least enough food in your vehicle or workplace for at least three days, although it is a preferable practice to instead be prepared for a minimum of two weeks.
4. Put a pair of tennis shoes and a change or two of clothing in your vehicle. You never know when your vehicle may break down and the need to walk for help arises or just in case you are stranded at work and are not able to get yourself home.
5. A first-aid kit is very important to have in case you and/or a coworker have minor injuries and local fire or emergency services are not able to get to your location in a timely manner. This could be helpful for a multitude of reasons
— and not only in case of emergency.
If and when the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake occurs, our region will face major damage to our infrastructure. Emergency responders will need to prioritize the damages and injuries and focus on the more life-threatening issues. If people are prepared, it will save time and resources for those first responders who are trying to get to those in dire need.
To help Oregonians prepare, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management has created the
Two Weeks Ready campaign. There is no one right way to assemble two weeks’ worth of supplies, given individual dietary and medical needs. If your family includes children, seniors, or pets, you will have additional needs. You may already have many Two Weeks Ready items around the house. Many of the standard preparedness kit items such as flashlights, gloves, hand-crank radios, trash bags, and a first-aid kit are already in your 72-hour kit.
Below are a few websites and agencies that can help you in your preparedness activities:
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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