Volunteers Work Second Fire in Two Days
6 April 2008

Seaside Firefighters were dispatched to 521 Beach Drive at 2141 hours Sunday night for a reported apartment fire with smoke showing. The first arriving captain, Fire Marshall Chris Dugan reported smoke coming from the number eight unit and called for Working fire assignments. Shortly after, Captain Dugan reported that the unit appeared to be unoccupied and that the fire appeared to be a smoldering mattress in the bedroom.

The first arriving truck (3148) stretched a preconnect and made an interior attack, quickly knocking down the fire. The crew from the first arriving engine pulled a back-up line from 3148 and assisted with ventilation. 3151 provided scene lighting. Seaside police officers assisted in evacuating neighboring residents and Medix ambulance provided an ambulance for stand by. Gearhart and Cannon Beach units moved up for coverage at the Seaside fire station.

The residents of the apartment were moving into the unit, but were out of the apartment at the time of the fire. Items being moved were placed too close to a wall heater and caught fire after the heater turned on. Fire was contained to the bedroom; however heat and smoke damaged the entire unit. Damage is estimated at $15,000.

There were no injuries reported. A total of 13 Seaside firefighters responded. All Seaside units were back in service by 2329 hours.

The fire at the Seaside Factory Outlet Mall on February 20^th is being treated as arson. The fire was located in the stock room of the Paper Factory, however smoke and water damaged a number of other stores. Damage to the Mall has been estimated at over $1 million.

Initially, members of the Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team called the fire suspicious, prompting the involvement of the Seaside Police Department, Oregon State Police, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The investigation determined that the fire was intentionally set and a continuing arson investigation is being conducted by Seaside Police.

Seaside Police are looking for anyone who may have been at the mall prior to the fire on February 20^th. Anyone with information should contact the police department at (503) 738-6311. The department will take anonymous tips and a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons involved is being offered.

At 0433 this morning, the Seaside Fire Department was dispatched to 446 South Downing for a structure fire with victims trapped. The fire was upgraded to Working, dispatching Gearhart and Cannon Beach fire departments, before the arrival of the first units. The first arriving captain, Fire Marshal Chris Dugan was met by the male occupant of the unit and was told that the victim’s wife was still inside. The female victim was hanging out a second story window of a 4-plex with smoke pouring out behind her, ready to jump. Dugan urged her to stay put while Seaside police officers attempted to find a ladder to rescue the woman.

The first arriving truck (3148) was ordered to roll straight in and was assigned rescue duties. Firefighters Bill Mitchell and Brooke Novion placed a ground ladder and assisted the woman out the window to safety. The truck crew then made an interior attack, knocking down the fire quickly. The first arriving Seaside engine (3122) provided a water supply to 3148. The Gearhart engine provided back-up lines to the interior crews, 3151 provided scene lighting and salvage operations. Cannon Beach was moved up to the Seaside station for coverage. The scene was cleared by 0643. A total of 19 Seaside firefighters responded.

Both victims were transported by Medix Ambulance to Providence Seaside Hospital. The male victim, having jumped from the window prior to the arrival of fire units, had suffered a leg injury. No firefighters were injured during fire operations.

The fire was contained to the living room of the unit, but heat and smoke damage were present throughout. Fire Marshal Dugan estimates between $40,000-50,000 in damages. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but has been determined to be not suspicious. Two families, including the victims, were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross was contacted for assistance to the families.

Commercial Fire at the Seaside Outlet Mall
20 February 2008

At roughly noon on Wednesday, a fire was reported by employees in the stock room of the Paper Factory at the Seaside Outlet Malls. The first arriving fire officers reported smoke from the rear of the building and immediately requested a second alarm. The first arriving truck stretched an attack line to the stock room door and set up for roof operations. Crews entered the stock room and began searching for the fire in heavy smoke conditions. Heavy fuel load and poor visibility hampered the attack team’s efforts in locating the fire. A second crew was assigned for roof ventilation, which improved interior conditions and allowed for location of the fire. The building’s sprinkler system activated with two heads and contained the fire to corner of the stock room.

The first due engine arrived shortly after and was assigned salvage duties in the main store front. The building’s sprinkler system was still active and dumping hundreds of gallons into the store room and flooding into the store front. Crews went to work to contain water damage and save as much inventory as possible. An additional engine and heavy rescue arrived from Seaside, and mutual aid was received by Gearhart Fire Department scene. Cannon Beach, Hamlet, Warrenton, and Astoria fire departments were also moved up for second alarm assignments. Medix Ambulance provided an ALS ambulance for standby.

Crews worked for several hours on overhaul, salvage, and clean up work. Several other stores were affected by smoke and water damage and will remain temporarily closed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office. There were no injuries reported.

Announced on February 1^st, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded 147 departments with over $15 million in financial assistance to US fire departments. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is designed to “meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical services organizations.” Seaside was awarded $82,650 in the category of Operations and Safety, to be used for a diesel exhaust/filter system for the fire station. Several systems are currently being researched with installation to begin in the next few months.

The Honors page is now online. Service award recipients are listed back to the 1970s. Keep checking back as this page will be updated with length of service awards and the retiree roster.

Also, pictures from the Awards Banquet will be up by the end of the week. Keep an eye on the Gallery and also look up the Resources section to download copies of previous slide shows.

The annual Seaside Fire Awards Banquet was held the evening of the 12^th at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. Current firefighters, retirees, and honored city officials were all in attendance. Seaside City Councilman Stubby Lyons engaged all attendees with an excellent speech regarding teamwork and praising the efforts of the Seaside volunteers. Chief Kamrath presented service awards near the end of the evening, honoring David Guinn (5 years), Susan Agalzoff (10 years), and Roy Dague (35 years) with the service award pins.

Following service awards, Susan Agalzoff and Doug Barker presented First Responder Tom Hecox with the EMS Provider of the Year award. Doug Barker remained at the podium to award Chaplain Glenn Bard with the Officer of the Year award. Closing out the awards was Chief Kamrath awarding Bill Mitchell with the Firefighter of the Year Award.

Congratulations to all award recipients. Let’s hope for another safe year.

The year of 2007 was a record setting year for the department. For the second time in a single year, the monthly alarm record was broken and the annual alarm count beat out 2006 by 2 alarms. A busy month of December was punctuated by a hurricane-force storm that triggered 40 alarms in 32 hours. During the 5-day storm and recovery period, Seaside volunteers responded to 65 alarms. Crews worked all week during the storm answering medical and fire alarms, as well as clearing roadways of debris, investigating lines down, and assisting the local utility companies. The alarm count started the month of December at 770, well below the anticipated mark, but ended the month by breaking records. The year ended with 901 alarms that includes all medical and fire alarms, drills, and meetings.

The January through March training calender is now online. Check it out under the Training page.

The National Fire Protection Association is sponsoring the annual Fire Prevention week October 7-13. The theme this year, “Practice Your Escape Plan!” focuses on planning and practicing a home fire escape plan. Learn more at the Fire Prevention Week website.

The summertime burn ban has been lifted as of October 1st, however some restrictions still apply to burning. You can find information on the Permit Info page, or by contacting Fire Marshal Chris Dugan at (503) 738-5420.

EMT-Intermediate Jeramy Houston was honored at the Oregon EMS Conference in Bend this weekend as the EMT-Intermediate of the Year. Jeramy was nominated by his employer Medix Ambulance for his commitment to quality care and dedication to his work and community. He has been with the Seaside Fire Department for seven years and started as a First Responder, and has worked for Medix Ambulance for three years where he started as an EMT-Basic.

Chief Dale Kamrath has submitted the details for the proposed special levy for fire department equipment and expenses. The levy as proposed is 5 years at $180,000 a year for a total of $900,000. The levy would fund the purchase of a new fire engine to replace a 1992 apparatus, the salary of the Fire Marshal/Training Officer, the purchase of a new staff vehicle with the replaced unit being rotated to the lifeguard fleet, and the purchase of a beach/Wildland apparatus to replace a currently unsafe unit. The vote is November 6^th.

The annual Firemen’s Benefit Game Night was held at the Seaside Convention Center on Saturday, September 8^th. Roughly $13,500 was raised between donations and proceeds generated at the event. The money this year has been ear marked primarily for training equipment and materials.

The month of July 2007 marks a record for alarms in a single month with 103 alarms total. These numbers can be attributed to a very busy 4th of July holiday where 18 alarms occurred between July 3rd and July 5th. The previous call record was 98 for December 2006.

Rescue was requested by Seaside Police for a biohazard cleanup at a beach front condo. The first arriving officer from 3151 reported a large biohazard and requested that 3179 be brought to the scene for a washdown. Firefighters spent roughly 30 minutes on scene conducting decontamination and cleanup.

Lifeguards entered the water to rescue two swimmers in distress after they had been swept around by rip currents. Lifeguards notified Seaside Dispatch of a surf rescue in progress who then dispatched Fire Department and Medix Ambulance to the scene. The swimmers were brought in by lifeguards then transported to the Avenue A beach approach. The swimmers-a 16 year old boy and 13 year old girl-were evaluated by Fire Department EMTs and Medix Ambulance Paramedics for exhaustion and possible hypothermia. A third swimmer, who made it to shore on his own, walked to the approach for evaluation. The three were transported by Medix Ambulance to Providence Seaside Hospital.

This page best viewed with Internet Explorer

All photos courtesy of the Seaside Fire Department volunteers and their families. This page maintained by Jeramy Houston and the Seaside Volunteers.