VIDEO: Flames pour from Northeast Portland home with ’significant amount of ammunition’

PHOTOS: Flames engulfed a home in Northeast Portland on Thursday night, sending one person to the hospital. Fire crews were called to the two-alarm fire on Northeast 136th just south of Glisan just before 8 p.m. Portland Fire & Rescue said the fire extended from the basement up to the second floor, where fire poured out of the roof of the home and black smoke billowed into the sky. The fire even set off ammunition stored in the home, forcing firefighters to back off. "It was reported to have a thousand pounds of ammunition stored in the garage, so with the significant amount of fire and the reality that there are the explosives on the inside, we pulled our crews out, established a perimeter," said PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves. One person was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Blazing a Trail: Young Woman’s Drive Changes Linn County Fire Academy Rules

Fourteen-year-old girls who sign up for firefighter training this summer through the Lebanon Fire District can thank Londyn Randall for the opportunity. It was 2018 and Randall was just 14 when she told her mother she’d like to try Lebanon’s new Linn County Young Women’s Fire Academy. Then in its first year, the academy was geared for ages 16 to 19. But Randall’s mother called Lt. Erin Nunes, who was organizing the academy, to see what might be done. “I remember asking her mom, is she very mature? Do you think she can do this camp?” Nunes said. “And she said, ‘Absolutely.’” So Nunes agreed and Randall signed up. She did so well that Nunes decided the minimum age for all subsequent camps would be lowered to 14. “I realized, this is the age group we should be including,” Nunes said.
The New Era Newspaper Co.

Fentanyl overdoses remain common challenge for Vale first responders

The Vale Fire & Ambulance Department recorded a surge in medical calls in 2023 attributed to the older population and an upswing in overdoses from fentanyl use. Fire Chief Jess Tolman said the number of responses to fires remained steady but a “little bit of everything” put the ambulances on the road more often in 2023. “Vale is an older community. A lot of people are on Medicaid and use the ambulance more as a taxi type of service,” he said. In 2022, the department responded to 604 medical calls. In 2023, the ambulance rolled 666 times, he said. While Tolman did not have statistics specifically regarding overdose calls, he said they were “significant.” “In the last few years, I’ve used Narcan more than I have in the past 20 years as an EMT,” he said. Tolman said his medics are “probably seeing one or two overdoses every month.”
Malheur Enterprise - Metered SIte

15 Portland police cars burned at training facility

VIDEO/PHOTOS: More than a dozen Portland police training vehicles were damaged or destroyed early Thursday morning at a training facility on Northeast Airport Way, authorities said. According to PPB, officers responded to the training facility just before 2 a.m. to help Portland Fire & Rescue. When officers arrived, they said they found 15 vehicles inside the fenced training area burning. The fires were put out and no injuries were reported; however, police say this incident is being investigated as arson. Anyone with information is asked to contact Portland police or call the PF&R Fire Investigation Unit’s tip line.
KOIN-TV NBC 6 Portland

Douglas County community rallies around firefighter battling cancer

Mike Merlino always knew he had a supportive community backing him up. When he stepped out of his pickup truck at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, however, even he was surprised at what he saw. “To see all those people there, I did what anybody else would do and started crying,” Merlino said. He opened his door to a crowd of hundreds of friends, family members and first responders who came to show their support for Merlino in his ongoing battle against cancer. Merlino is a 30-year veteran of local fire departments, including Douglas County Fire District No. 2, Winston-Dillard Fire District and Sutherlin Fire Department, where he currently works as a battalion chief. In Janurary, he was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, a rare and aggressive disease.
The News-Review - Metered Site

Klamath Community College gets simulation table for disaster training

Klamath Community College students will now have a new logistical resource to use to train for firefighting, as well as other disasters and emergencies. Thanks to a grant from Green Diamond Resource Company, the college’s Public Safety Regional Training Center has added a computer simulation table which will replicate various types of terrain through computer-generated models. “We greatly appreciate the focus KCC has put on wildfire prevention and suppression with the newly established wildland fire program. We hope our donation will help our communities be more wildfire resistant and resilient,” said Robert Douglas, Timber Resource Analyst at Green Diamond’s Oregon operations. Green Diamond is a sixth-generation, family-owned forest products company that owns and manages working forests in nine states throughout the western and southern U.S.
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford