BEAVERTON CITY COUNCIL AND
TUALATIN VALLEY FIRE & RESCUE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
MINUTES - OCTOBER 23, 2006

CALL TO ORDER:

The Special Joint Meeting of the Beaverton City Council and the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVF&R) Board of Directors was held at the TFV&R Administration Offices, 20665 SW Blanton Street, Aloha, Oregon, on Monday, October 23, 2006.  The meeting was called to order by TVF&R Board President Clark Balfour at 6:30 p.m.

INTRODUCTIONS:

Present from the City of Beaverton were: Mayor Rob Drake; City Councilors Catherine Arnold, Betty Bode, Bruce Dalrymple, Dennis Doyle and Cathy Stanton; City Attorney Alan Rappleyea; Human Resource Director Nancy Bates; Police Chief Dave Bishop; Emergency Manager Mike Mumaw; and City Recorder Sue Nelson.

Present from the TVF&R were: Board President Clark Balfour; Board Members Robert Wyffels, Carol Gearin, Brian Clopton and Larry Goff; Fire Chief Jeff Johnson; Assistant Fire Chiefs Kirk Hale and Paul LeSage; Executive Officer Alec Jensen; Division Chief Jeff Jones; Retired Division Chief Tim Birr; Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Forster; Deputy Fire Marshal Kat Stoller; Human Resource Director Beverly Wilkinson; Median/Public Education Manager Joanne Hatch; Executive Assistant Sherri Camarillo; Attorney Bob Blackmore; Scott Porter, Director, Office of Consolidated Emergency Management (OCEM). 

LIFESAVING AWARD PRESENTATION:

TVF&R Assistant Chief Paul LeSage introduced Beaverton Police Lieutenant Kevin O'Keefe and Peter Bradshaw and noted that the men acted valiantly to save the lives of their neighbors Homer and Irene Young of Beaverton on September 14, 2006.  He explained that O'Keefe and Bradshaw were alerted to a fire at the Young's resident; they entered the burning home and carried Homer Young, who is dependent upon a wheelchair to safety prior to arrival of the firefighters.  He said when the fire engine arrived the back of the house was heavily engulfed in flames and the firefighters could not enter the home.  He said 20 firefighters fought the blaze and damage was estimated at $50,000.  He said without the actions of O'Keefe and Bradshaw the outcome would have been very different.  He said both men have also been nominated for the TVF&R Valor Awards which are given annually in September. 

President Balfour presented the Lifesaving Awards and plaques to O'Keefe and Bradshaw.

MULTI-FAMILY FIRE REDUCTION PROGRAM:

Media/Public Education Manager Joanne Hatch and Deputy Fire Marshall Kate Stoller reviewed the TFV&R's Fire Reduction in Multi-Family Housing Program.  Stoller said this Program was considered an innovative program nation-wide.  She said ten years ago the District had the nation's deadliest fire and a ten-year history showed there had been 1,119 fires, 35 significant fires and 18 deaths.  She said the biggest problems were multi-family residential fires. 

Stoller said the District received a federal grant to conduct research on this problem and found that residents were not educated in fire safety for many residents could not identify a smoke alarm.  She said through this demographic study and focus groups the District created educational tools, code enforcement and manager training for the District's apartment fire safety program.  She said the training covered basic fire and human behavior, fire and life safety codes, fire extinguisher usage, a juvenile fire setters education program, and smoke alarm usage/maintenance.  She said the District has also developed educational pamphlets that are mailed to residents concerning smoke alarms and what to do in case of a fire.  She said the District also trains apartment landlords so that they can train their tenants and she reviewed in detail what the training encompassed.   She said the District has received a third federal grant that it will use to evaluate its current program and update its training procedures and educate the public. 

President Balfour thanked staff for the presentation.

TUALATIN VALLEY FIRE & RESCUE OPERATIONS UPDATE

Assistant Chief Paul LeSage presented information on the response times in the greater Beaverton area and the operational changes in the District.  He said the greater Beaverton area was classified as Category A Risk Zone; the highest risk would be  life/property/environment.  He said the highest level of response was in the urban areas inside the District.  He said TVF&R has an overall response time of just over six minutes; 80% of the time they met this response time and the District's goal was to increase that to 90%..  He said that was the national standard and risk analysis has shown that they need to reach that standard. 

LeSage reviewed a map that showed the response times for the various areas of Beaverton.  He said the District kept close track of its response times in each area.  He noted response times had degraded from 2004 to 2006, from factors such as increased call volumes and heavier development with increased traffic.  He said in response the District put in place five peak-activity units (rescue engines with water and medic staff) that are deployed throughout the District to impact the times the District receives the most calls.  He said the District has purchased two properties and was looking at a third parcel to build new stations that would help reduce response times.  He noted a specialized unit for explosives for mass casualty and disaster response were added at Station 66.  He said the District has also added a unified command unit and additional hazardous team resources.   He reviewed how these resources help improve service and response times.

President Balfour thanked staff for the presentation.

OFFICE OF CONSOLIDATED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (OCEM) UPDATE

Assistant Chief Kirk Hale and Director Scott Porter, Office of Consolidated Emergency Management for Washing County, presented an overview of the OCEM.  Hale explained the OCEM is made up of Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro, Washington County and TVF&R Emergency Managers.  He said the OCEM supports these service areas and provides assistance to other local jurisdictions, special districts, businesses, schools, social service agencies and individuals. 

Hale noted the OCEM works closely with the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, fire and emergency services, law enforcement and public works departments of the cities to develop and coordinate emergency plans and procedures.  Hale said OCEM works proactively to enhance government preparedness and educate the public.  He stressed citizens need to be prepared to manage on their own for a minimum of three days since government's ability to respond will be limited during a disaster.  He said the OCEM provides informational brochures and training to assist everyone in preparing for an emergency.

President Balfour thanked staff for the presentation.

FIRE SAFETY LEGISLATION

Retired Division Chief Tim Birr gave a presentation on "fire-safer" cigarettes.  He said that cigarettes were the leading cause of fatal fires in the United States; annually, 900 people were killed and 2,500 to 3,000 were injured from fires caused by cigarettes.  He said in Oregon, from 1999 through 2005, cigarettes cause 8,824 fires, 37 deaths, 185 injuries and $32.2 million in property losses.  He said that legislation requiring cigarettes to be manufactured to self-extinguish would significantly reduce these loses; however, efforts to pass a national "fire-safer" cigarette bill continue to fail.  He said a coalition of groups was working in Oregon for passage of the "fire-safer" cigarette legislation.

President Balfour thanked staff for the presentation.

OTHER BUSINESS

Mayor Drake complimented the District and said that TVF&R provides excellent service.  He said the Board of Directors should be proud of what has been accomplished.

Chief Johnson thanked the City Council and Mayor Drake for their support.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

 

______________________________
Sue Nelson, City Recorder

 

 

APPROVAL:

Approved this 12th day of February, 2007.

__________________________________
Rob Drake, Mayor