Feed the Hungry guests and volunteers

Clackamas Fire District #1's fifth annual Winter Warming Drive began October 16, 2017 and will go through November 17, 2017. In collaboration with Feed the Hungry, Inc., Clackamas Service Center, and the City of Milwaukie; the Winter Warming Drive collects new hats, gloves, socks, scarves, and personal hygiene items for adults. This year, the Winter Warming Drive will also be accepting new and gently used coats for adults.

Look for collection barrels at the following locations: Clackamas Fire's Administration Office, 11300 SE Fuller Rd., Fire Prevention Office, 2930 SE Oak Grove Blvd., Boring Fire Station, 28655 SE Hwy 212, Boring, and the City of Milwaukie's City Hall, 10722 SE Main St. Afterwards, donations will be sorted and packaged to give to the Feed the Hungry dinner guests at St. John Episcopal Church, 2036 SE Jefferson Street in Milwaukie on Sunday, December 10, 2017.

Each Sunday throughout the year, Feed the Hungry has been serving a Sunday meal to all who are hungry. There are 16 different community groups who volunteer on rotation schedules to accomplish feeding the hungry on Sundays. For the past 16 years, Clackamas Fire has supported Feed the Hungry.

Feed the Hungry is a non-profit organization that began in 1991 and each week, volunteers prepare and serve a warm meal for anywhere between 75 to 125 adults.

When dinner guests were asked if they would tell others about Feed the Hungry, an anonymous guest said: "It fulfills an important need. It has helped my boyfriend and I a great deal -- as our finances have diminished."

Another dinner guest shared: "If you are hungry -- as long as you can get there, you will be fed."

If you would like to help build community by serving the community, contact Feed the Hungry, Inc. at (503)653-5880 or by email fthmilwaukie@gmail.com.

Don't have time to shop and want Clackamas Fire to shop for you? Make donation checks payable to Clackamas Fire District #1, Attention: Winter Warming Drive, 11300 SE Fuller Rd., Milwaukie, 97222.

Boat 308.2

Clackamas Fire Boat Rescue Team rescued a stranded kayaker on the Clackamas River this evening. At approximately 5pm today a jet boater reported spotting a 54-year-old kayaker stranded on the South shore of the Clackamas River. Engine 309 from Holcomb fire station responded and spotted the kayaker safe but with symptoms of mild hypothermia. The crew from Engine 309 provided blankets and formulated a plan to extract the kayaker. Due to the steep bank of the river the boat rescue team was called to assist with extracting the kayaker from the shore. Boat 308 responded and safely rescued the kayaker and provided care during transport back to Riverside boat launch. On arrival at the boat launch, crews from Clackamas Fire Boat 308 and AMR treated the patient for his symptoms and transported to an area hospital for evaluation. The condition of the patient is unknown at this time.

The kayaker told crews on scene that he was stranded for almost two hours after flipping his boat. The kayaker also stated that he came prepared with a life vest and whistle but became too cold to blow the whistle for help. The kayaker also stated, "The life vest saved my life".

Clackamas Fire is an all hazards fire department that serves over 200,00 citizens within Clackamas County. We would like to remind our citizens to come prepared when venturing into the outdoors, tell a friend where you're headed and when you'll be returning. These simple steps made the difference in the positive outcome today.

Division Chief Bill Conway

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, off-duty Clackamas Fire District #1 Division Chief Bill Conway was in the right place at the right time to help save a citizen's life. Division Chief Conway, accompanied by his wife, were shopping at the Grocery Outlet located at 15810 SE McLoughlin Blvd. in Oak Grove when they heard someone crash to the floor. Store Employees called 911 immediately and Chief Conway assessed the patient and found him to be unconscious and not breathing. Division Chief Conway began chest compressions as Clackamas Fire firefighter/paramedics and American Medical Response units responded to the scene. The patient was defibrillated twice and regained a pulse. The patient was then transported to a local hospital and is doing well.

Division Chief Conway serves as the Fire District's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief and has been instrumental in helping both first responders and citizens learn hands-only CPR and the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED). Under Chief Conway's leadership and vision, over 43,000 local students and citizens have learned hands-only CPR, AED's have been funded and placed in local law enforcement vehicles and businesses throughout Clackamas County, and the Pulse Point app is available to alert bystanders when a cardiac arrest occurs near them. We believe that the strength of an entire community fighting side-by-side will ultimately prove to be more powerful than the nation's number one killer -- heart disease.

Clackamas Fire would like to remind everyone that you can be a citizen hero too -- learn hands-only CPR, call 911 early, access an AED for cardiac arrest victims, and download the Pulse Point app.

Clackamas Fire District #1 will burn a residential structure located at 15547 SE 90th Ave., Clackamas, 97015 on Saturday, October 14, 2017 beginning around 9:00 a.m. The purpose of this exercise is to provide training for our firefighters under realistic conditions. Firefighters will practice interior fire attacks, water supply techniques, and exposure protection. This type of training assures that Clackamas Fire District #1's firefighters are performing at their best when a real emergency occurs within the community.

The training exercise will be controlled and plans have been made for additional resources to be deployed, should the need arise to provide for the safety of their firefighters, their citizens, and property located on SE 90th Ave. The Fire District will continually monitor weather conditions and hope to have very little impact on the surrounding area and the neighborhood. Residents can expect to see fire apparatus traveling in and around the training site and may notice some smoke from the structure. Around noon, firefighters will allow the building to become fully engulfed, which will generate a larger column of smoke. The Fire District asks residents to please keep their windows closed during that time to prevent smoke from entering into homes.

Residents and members of the media are welcome to attend the training exercise and take pictures, but for your safety, please remain behind the fire line tape.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this exercise, please contact the Clackamas Fire Training Division at 503.742.2680 or contact Battalion Chief of Training Keith Smith at keith.smith@clackamasfire.com.

Clackamas Fire thanks you for your patience and support.

New Fire Station 16

Clackamas Fire District #1 held a breaking ground ceremony for its newest community fire station, Hilltop Fire Station 16 located at 19340 Molalla Ave. in Oregon City on October 4, 2017. The new station is replacing the current fire station and is anticipated to be completed by the fall of 2018.

The current Hilltop Fire Station 16 was built in 1972 and protects approximately eight square miles serving a population of nearly 17, 500 residents. The new Station 16 will be approximately 12,000 sq. feet in size, will accommodate up to eight firefighters per day, and is designed to meet the needs of the community for years to come.

The Fire District made the decision to replace the current Hilltop Fire Station 16, due to toxic mold conditions that were discovered in May 2016 making the building unsafe to inhabit. Through voter approval of the Fire District's general obligation bond in 2015 of $29 million, this project was made possible.

Beginning on Monday, October 9, 2017, the contractor, Emerick Construction will fence off the front of the current fire station facing Molalla Ave. and the site will become an active construction zone. The public will have limited access to the site and is urged to call 911 for any emergencies. The current modular home, serving as the temporary fire station, will be relocated to the Clackamas Community College's campus in Oregon City to help maintain emergency response in Oregon City. At that point, the current Molalla Ave. fire station site will be closed permanently until the reopening in the fall of 2018.