Clackamas Fire to start training with virtual reality headsets

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Clackamas Fire Department is getting some major upgrades thanks to virtual reality or VR. The station's brand new VR simulation program was funded by the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grant. The department is now the second fire agency to use this program in the U.S., a department in Oklahoma was the first. “When you go into a virtual space, your brain thinks you’re actually in there and it’s pretty compelling," Division Chief Rick Huffman told KATU. “What we would do is use a scenario that is extremely high risk, that doesn’t happen very often and is hard to train on.” Huffman says there's not always a lot of opportunities to train on specific scenarios that don't happen in Oregon everyday, and the new VR headsets help fill that gap.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Portland Fire & Rescue Responds to Electrocution and Forty Foot Fall From Power Tower in Sellwood

PHOTO: On May 15, 2024 at approximately 5:05 pm, Portland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to an area along the railroad tracks near Sellwood Riverfront Park for an individual who was reportedly climbing a steel powerline tower at this location, was electrocuted, and then fell forty feet into some bushes on the ground below. Per PGE, the line at the top of this tower was a 57,000 volt powerline. Per one witness, this individual was attempting to take a selfie photo when they fell. Another witness told dispatchers that they heard a “transformer blow” and then saw a person fall from the tower to the ground. Per an off-duty paramedic who was on scene when the fall occurred, the individual—in a stroke of incredibly good luck--was conscious and breathing immediately after the fall.
City of Portland

Oregon agencies expecting another severe wildfire season as ’the drought still persists’

VIDEO: In seconds, firefighters for Marion County Fire District 1 are out of their truck, hooking up a hose and lugging it into a field. "When you call, the public calls, we want to be there and get to moving within 60, 90 seconds," said Kyle McMann, fire chief for Marion County Fire District 1. This is week two of training for McMann's firefighters who are preparing for wildfire season, which is typically May through August. Training is critical for these crews, as they're structural firefighters the remainder of the year. About ten minutes down the road from the fire station, state agencies from across Oregon met at the capital on Wednesday to discuss the impending wildfire season. "July, August, September — that’s really the three-month stretch," said Chris Cline, Fire Protection Chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).
KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland

Clackamas firefighters tackle apartment complex blaze

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Firefighters from Clackamas Fire battled a commercial fire at 'The Townhomes with a View' in the 9900 block of SE Talbert Street Tuesday evening. Crews were dispatched just before 8:30 p.m. A column of smoke was visible from KATU’s U.S. Bancorp Camera in downtown Portland. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire coming from one of the buildings. Clackamas Fire says there were no injuries and a few residents have been displaced. Fire investigators will determine the cause of the fire.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Firefighters train on prescribed burn, fuels reduction in Southern Oregon

A series of prescribed burns are planned this week by the U.S. Forest Service and BLM, starting with one Monday in the Applegate Valley. Other groups have also joined in to learn about prescribed burn techniques. It’s all part of a plan to burn areas from Applegate to Ashland to improve their ability to fight potential wildfires, in certain areas; particularly, ones near homes and structures. U.S. Forest Service Fuels Specialist Kit Colbenson said, "This particular unit is on the edge of what we call the Wildland Urban Interface. It’s right up against the community. Doing this fuels treatment and maintaining it will help us be able to defend those communities should a wildfire, a large fire grow and start heading towards there."
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford

Oregon ranks among most dangerous states according to new report

Shootings and homicides are declining in Portland, Oregon's largest city. But that doesn't change how the state ranks nationwide. A new report shows Oregon is one of the top ten most dangerous states, based on violent crime and property crime. In the first quarter of 2022, Portland Police say there were 483 shootings and 34 homicides. During that same time in 2023, there were 346 shootings and 29 homicides. From January 1 to April 30, 2024, there were 285 shootings and 25 homicides. From January 1 to May 11th, there have been 304 shootings and 27 homicides. All but seven were due to gunfire. In 2022, Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a gun violence emergency. Community activist Lionel Irving thinks that's one reason for the drop. “We had that urgency,” he said. “Everybody was in on it. That's why we were able to see a dip,” Irving added.
KVAL-TV CBS 13 Eugene