Portland Fire & Rescue

Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, also known as the Portland Fire Bureau, and sometimes informally the Portland Fire Department, provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The department is responsible for an area of 151 square miles (390 km²),[1] with a population of over 632,309.[6] It is the largest fire and emergency services provider in Oregon.

Portland Fire and Rescue

Always Ready, Always There
Operational area
Country	United States
State	Oregon
City	Portland
Agency overview[1][2]
Established	January 3, 1883 (volunteer force established 1850)
Annual calls	67,191 (2010)[3]
Employees	756 total personnel (2010) - 699 uniformed members - 57 civilian personnel
Annual budget	$91 million (2010)[4]
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	Sara Boone [5]
EMS level	ALS
IAFF	43
Facilities and equipment[1]
Battalions	4
Stations	31
Engines	28
Trucks	10
Squads	3
Rescues	1
Tenders	1
HAZMAT	1
USAR	1
Wildland	4
Fireboats	4
Rescue boats	2
Light and air	2
Website
Official website
www.portlandfirefighters.org

Station #1, the Headquarters of the Portland Fire Bureau.

Portland Fire and Rescue Boathouse.

Truck #4.

A Fireboat in the background during the Portland Rose Festival's Fleet Week.

A Portland Fireboat during Portland Rose Festival's Fleet Week.

Station 21, Portland's newest fire station. It is located on the shore of the Willamette River next to the boathouses.

An engine at Station 21.

History

Portland's first firefighting services were provided by Pioneer Fire Engine Company no. 1, established in 1850 by Thomas Dryer, founder of The Oregonian newspaper.[2] It consisted of 37 volunteers wearing red shirts and operating a single hand pump. A fire at a steam mill in 1853 illustrated the need for an organized firefighting force, and on July 29, 1853, the Vigilance Hook and Ladder Company no. 1 was created, consisting of 36 volunteers. Less than a month later, 22 volunteers formed the Willamette Engine Company no. 1, and the first engine house in Portland was built on a donated lot on Yamhill Street.[2]

On May 22, 1854, the Portland city council passed an ordinance establishing the Portland Fire Department.[7] H. W. Davis was elected as the first "chief engineer" (or chief) and was reelected to the position in 1855 and 1856.[7] In 1857, businessman S. J. McCormick was elected chief. A reorganization of the department in 1857 brought the Willamette Company no. 1, the Multnomah Engine Company no. 2 (which had been formed in 1856) and Vigilance Hook and Ladder Company no. 1 into the Portland Fire Department, which thereupon had a total of 157 members (volunteer firefighters).[7] Another reorganization in 1859 added the Columbia Engine Company no. 3 to the department; it was the first engine company in Portland to use horses.[7] As the city's population grew, additional fire companies were organized, including the Protection Engine Company no. 4, in 1862; the Tiger Company no. 5, in 1873; and the Couch Engine Company no. 6, in 1880.[7]

On August 2, 1873, the Great Fire of 1873 broke out, burning for over 12 hours and destroying 22 blocks in the heart of the city. In 1883, the Portland Paid Fire Department submitted its first annual budget to City Council.[2]

Fire stations and apparatus

As of May 2016, the department operates out of 31 fire stations strategically located the city.[8]

Station #	Location	Address	Apparatus	Notes
1	Old Town	55 SW Ash Street	C103, E1, RC1, S1, T1, TR1, USAR1, UT1
2	Parkrose	4800 NE 122nd Avenue	E2, T2	Station 2 includes PF&R's training facility, so both apparatus have extended cabs to seat two additional firefighters.
3	Northwest/Pearl District	1715 NW Johnson Street	E3, T3
4	Portland State University	511 SW College Street	E4, T4
5	Hillsdale	1505 SW DeWitt Street	C1, E5, R99, RHB5	Rescue 99 is Portland Fire's SERT paramedics, which responds to tactical incidents when Portland Police's Special Emergency Reaction Team is activated.
6	Northwest Industrial	3660 NW Front Avenue	E6, FB6, FB6R	Reserve Fireboat 6 is the David Campbell, which entered service in 1927.
7	Mill Park	1500 SE 122nd Avenue	C3, E7, HC458, HM7, RC7, T7	Hazmat 7 is Portland's primary hazardous materials response unit, and Oregon State Region 7 HazMat Emergency Response Team.
8	Kenton	7134 North Maryland Avenue	T8
9	Hawthorne	1706 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd	C4, E9, MC9
10	Burlingame	451 SW Taylors Ferry Road	T10, E10	Engine 10 is sometimes used in service when Truck 10 is out for repairs.
11	Lents	5707 SE 92nd Avenue	E11, R11
12	Sandy Blvd.	8645 NE Sandy Boulevard	E12, S12	Squad 12 is a tillered crane, the first of its kind manufactured by Pierce in 2012, designed to support Urban Search and Rescue operations in the event of an earthquake.[9]
13	Lloyd	926 NE Weidler Street	E13, T13, WT13
14	Alberta	1905 NE Killingsworth Street	BU14, E14
15	Arlington Heights	1920 SW Spring St	E15
16	Sylvan	1715 SW Skyline	BU16, E16, WT16
17	Hayden Island	848 North Tomahawk Island Drive	E17, FB17, FB17R, RB17
18	Multnomah Village	8720 SW 30th Avenue	BU18, E18, HS18
19	Mt. Tabor	7301 East Burnside Street	E19, RHB19
20	Sellwood	2235 SE Bybee Boulevard	E20
21	Eastbank	5 SE Madison St.	E21, FB21, RB21, UT21
22	St. Johns	7205 North Alta Street	BU22, E22, T22, UT22
23	Lower Southeast	2915 SE 13th Place	E23, R23
24	Overlook/Swan Island	4515 North Maryland Street	C2, E24, FU24, HS24, R24
25	Woodstock	5211 SE Mall Street	E25, T25
26	Portsmouth/University Park	5247 North Lombard Street	E26
27	Forest Heights	3130 NW Skyline Boulevard	BU27, E27, JP27
28	Hollywood	5540 NE Sandy Boulevard	E28
29	Powellhurst	13310 SE Foster Road	BU29, E29
30	Gateway	13313 NE San Rafael Street	E30
31	Rockwood	1927 SE 174th Avenue	E31, R31	Station 31 is shared with Gresham Fire & Emergency Services. PF&R staffs Station 31 on A and C shifts, and Gresham staffs it on B shift.

Legend

Callsign	Full title
T	Truck (PF&R operates tillers, towers and quints all under the callsign "Truck")
E	Engine
S	Squad (PF&R operates one heavy rescue squad, located at Station 1)
R	Rescue response vehicle (modified GMC Yukons which respond to medical emergencies and can provide Advanced life support)
HS	Heavy Squad (These units are assigned to Chemical and Biological, Radiological/Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) response, as well as responding to high-rise fires)
FU	Foam Unit
FB	Fireboat
RB	Rescue Boat
RC	Rescue Craft (specially outfitted SeaDoos which respond to water rescues from Station 1)
C	Battalion Chief or Deputy Chief (PF&R always has four battalion chiefs on duty across the city, as well as a deputy chief at its headquarters at Station 1)
BU	Brush Unit (responds to brush fires and emergencies in areas not accessible by normal fire apparatus)
JP	Jeep (responds to emergencies in areas and weather conditions not accessible by normal fire apparatus)
UT	Utility (ATVs which respond along trails and other areas not accessible by normal fire apparatus)
HM	HazMat
HC	HazMat Conditions Unit
RHB	Rehabilitation Unit
AU	Air Unit
TR	Technical Rescue Unit
USAR	Urban search and rescue

References

1. "Portland Fire & Rescue GET TO KNOW US". City of Portland. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
2. "Firefighting in Portland Through the Years". City of Portland. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
3. "FY 2010-11 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT Portland Fire & Rescue". City of Portland. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
4. "Portland interim fire chief named". KGW-TV. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
5. "Sara Boone Becomes Portland's 1st African American Fire Chief". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
6. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
7. Harry, De Witt (June 13, 1920). "Spirit of Emulation Inspires Portland's Fireman [sic] to Great Deeds". The Sunday Oregonian. Magazine section, p. 1.
8. "Fire Stations". City of Portland. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
9. "PIERCE DELIVERS HEAVY-DUTY RESCUE TILLER TO OR FIRE DEPARTMENT". Fire Engineering. Retrieved 30 May 2016.

External links

• Media related to Portland Fire Bureau at Wikimedia Commons