The Office of State Fire Marshal, Oregon Fire Service, natural resource agencies, Oregon licensed fireworks wholesalers, and safety experts encourage Oregonians to “Keep it Legal and Keep it Safe” when using fireworks.

The 2019 Oregon fireworks retail sales season opens June 23 and runs through July 6.

“To help inform Oregonians about the safe and legal use of fireworks in Oregon before legal fireworks sales begin, our office has prepared fireworks safety and education materials,” said Mark Johnston, assistant chief deputy fire marshal. “The downloadable items will help Oregonians understand what fireworks are legal to use in Oregon without a permit, where they are permitted to be used, and the important safety steps to take when using fireworks. We want Oregonians to share this information with their friends, families, and neighbors.”

The OSFM will also reach out to its fire service and other partners to share the information on their social media sites. OSFM’s fireworks materials can be found on its website.

The OSFM encourages everyone to use the four BEs of safe fireworks use:

• Be prepared before lighting fireworks: keep water available by using a garden hose or bucket.
• Be safe when lighting fireworks: keep children and pets away from fireworks.
• Be responsible after lighting fireworks: never relight a dud. Wait 15 to 20 minutes then soak it in a bucket of water before disposal.
• Be aware: use only legal fireworks and use them only in legal places.

The OSFM website also features FAQs for commonly answered questions about the sale and legal use of consumer fireworks, permits for the retail sale of fireworks, and state rules for their use and enforcement activities.

Remember, officials may seize illegal fireworks and charge offenders with a class B misdemeanor, which could result in a fine of up to $2,500 per violation and a civil penalty of up to $500. Those who misuse fireworks or allow fireworks to cause damage are liable and may be required to pay fire suppression costs or other damage. Parents are also liable for fireworks damage caused by their children. 

Despite their regulated sale and use, fireworks in Oregon represent a public safety and health threat every year. For the last reported five years through 2018, there were 1,264 reported fireworks-related fires in Oregon, resulting in more than $3.5 million in property damage. During that same period, fires resulting from fireworks resulted one death and 26 injuries.  

-###-

When: Media Availability, June 7, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Who: Members of the media are welcome to observe this training.

What: Metro Advanced Wildland School training event; firefighters from several western Oregon agencies will be conducting wildfire training. A helicopter will be on site practicing water drops as directed by ground crews. Firefighters will be lighting and extinguishing live fire. There are several opportunities to observe training sessions. Sessions last approximately two hours.

Where: Media should meet at 10 a.m. at the training site, located at: 16115 S. Pierce Road, Molalla, OR 97038

Point of Contact: Lt. Damon Simmons, Portland Fire & Rescue
Cell: (503)209-8341
Damon.simmons@portlandoregon.gov

Special Notes: Depending on the type of helicopter that is obtained for this training, a media flight may be a possibility. This will be determined on the day of the event and a pool camera will be used. Access to any pool camera video will be limited to on site media.  

All attendees are required to bring and wear Nomex® wildland firefighting clothing and sturdy leather close toed shoes.

The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, in coordination with its Oregon fire service partners, is hosting the last of its four Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (RHMERT) Media Field Days in Medford on June 4.

Who:   Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team HM08 Southern Oregon Medford Fire-Rescue - Station #4
Where: 2208 Table Rock Road, Medford, Oregon 97501
When: June 4, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

All local media are invited to attend the event. The field day will begin at the set time above with a short presentation to provide media outlets, agency public information officers, and elected officials an overview of Oregon’s statewide RHMERT program, an understanding of HazMat response terminology, and information about the local HazMat Team response services.

Tours and photo opportunities will be available of the HazMat response vehicle and equipment following each presentation.

Regional teams respond to hazardous materials emergency incidents that exceed the resources of local jurisdictions. There are 13 teams across Oregon. They are a technical resource for local incident commanders.

Team members receive 160 hours of specialized training to the technician level and are equipped to provide different levels of response. Teams are prepared for response to petrochemical highway incidents, as well as supporting response partners at biological, radiological, and explosive incidents. The teams provide outreach training to local responders and industry to ensure communities are prepared to respond to a hazardous materials incident and create safer communities.

For more information on the RHMERT program, go to: https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/sfm/Pages/Regional-Response-Teams.aspx. See the attached fact sheet for additional information.

Please join us as the RHMERT program celebrates 30 years of service to Oregon, protecting life and the environment by responding to chemical emergencies and minimizing the dangers associated with them.

Register here to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/media-field-day-and-open-house-tickets-59741241662.

For media inquiries, please contact: Rudy Owens, Public Affairs Specialist; Rudy.Owens@osp.oregon.gov; tel: 503.934.8217; cell: 971.332.0052.

OSFMBigfootSocialGotAway_thumb.png

The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is proud to announce that a Pacific Northwest legend is joining fire prevention activities statewide, particularly in the wildland urban interface and communities at greatest risk of wildfires and property loss.

Starting in June, the OSFM will be promoting wildfire safety education with its partners, using images of Bigfoot and the hashtag #BelieveInFireSafety.

“Wildfires can easily be ignited by backyard burning, an unattended campfire, a hot car on tall, dry grass, or from dragging tow chains, and they spread fast,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Walker.

“We hope our Bigfoot campaign will draw attention and create a bigger ‘footprint’ of wildfire prevention efforts around the state,” said Walker. “We want people to believe in fire safety, whether you are camping, visiting Oregon, or recreating. We’ve created images and education materials showing Bigfoot outdoors, protecting his wilderness ‘home.’ By preventing wildfires in Bigfoot’s home, we can help residents protect their homes and our communities.”

Images showing Bigfoot recreating and enjoying Oregon can be found on the OSFM’s web site. Organizations promoting wildfire safety and anyone from the public can download a free colorful Bigfoot poster, mobile phone and desktop wallpaper images, a full suite of colorful social media images, and even an iconic shirt design.

The images show Bigfoot hiking, fly fishing, four-wheeling, and putting out campfires responsibly. Each Bigfoot image promotes a wildfire safety message, and all make for perfect materials to share on social media and other platforms as we head into summer and the 2019 wildfire season.

Oregon fire service partners, emergency planners, and other groups who promote wildfire prevention and who work to make their communities safer from wildfire are encouraged to print the materials and share them at events and on their social media pages.

A first batch of messaging Bigfoot coasters and stickers have already been sent to fire service agencies statewide. Based on the overwhelmingly popular response to Bigfoot materials to date, the OSFM anticipates many Oregonians will soon be sharing the message to “believe in fire safety.”

During the summer, the OSFM will hold a social media contest for a Bigfoot T-shirt giveaway and highlight different Bigfoot images each week. Also keep your eyes open later this summer for Bigfoot’s image on highway billboards on popular travel routes in Oregon.

-###-

The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, in coordination with its Oregon fire service partners, is hosting a Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (RHMERT) Media Field Day in Eugene on May 28.

Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team HM02 Eugene
Eugene/Springfield Fire
1705 W 2nd Ave., Eugene, Oregon 97402
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

A second event will follow on June 4, in Medford:
Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team HM08 Southern Oregon
Medford Fire-Rescue - Station #4
2208 Table Rock Road, Medford, Oregon 97501
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

All local media are invited to attend the events. Each event will begin at the set time above with a short presentation to provide media outlets, agency public information officers, and elected officials an overview of Oregon’s statewide RHMERT program, an understanding of HazMat response terminology, and information about the local HazMat Team response services.

Tours and photo opportunities will be available of the HazMat response vehicle and equipment following each presentation.

Regional teams respond to hazardous materials emergency incidents that exceed the resources of local jurisdictions. There are 13 teams across Oregon. They are a technical resource for local incident commanders.

Team members receive 160 hours of specialized training to the technician level and are equipped to provide different levels of response. Teams are prepared for response to petrochemical highway incidents, as well as supporting response partners at biological, radiological, and explosive incidents. The teams provide outreach training to local responders and industry to ensure communities are prepared to respond to a hazardous materials incident and create safer communities.

For more information on the RHMERT program, go to: https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/sfm/Pages/Regional-Response-Teams.aspx. See the attached fact sheet for additional information.

Please join us as the RHMERT program celebrates 30 years of service to Oregon, protecting life and the environment by responding to chemical emergencies and minimizing the dangers associated with them.

Register here to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/media-field-day-and-open-house-tickets-59741241662.

For media inquiries, please contact: Rudy Owens, Public Affairs Specialist; Rudy.Owens@osp.oregon.gov; tel: 503.934.8217; cell: 971.332.0052.