Portland firefighters battle heat, fires, and ambulance shortage

On a hot and sunny day, we met up with Rick Graves, Portland Fire & Rescue’s public information officer, and took off for a ride-along on the Fourth of July.

Amid a heat wave, added wildfire risk, and a countywide ambulance shortage, we wanted to get a firsthand look at the workload of Portland firefighters.

The first call was a medical one.

“That person was in respiratory distress, and they were going downhill,” said Graves.

The next call was a bark dust fire.

“You know, sometimes these miscellaneous fires are simply fires on the sidewalk. But right now, with the wind and the heat, we can work ourselves into a bad situation,” said Graves.

Then there was a three-alarm fire in Northeast Portland that burned down a business and downed power lines.

Portland firefighters are dealing with all of this as well as a Multnomah County ambulance shortage. American Medical Response (AMR), the county’s ambulance provider, has said that the shortage is due to the county’s staffing model, requiring two paramedics to respond to each call. It’s a model they say is burdened by a paramedic shortage.

County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson disagrees with AMR. The county fined the ambulance provider to get it back into compliance with response times.

The ambulance shortage sometimes leaves Portland Fire & Rescue the only ones available for an emergency response.

“If we’re running ragged because we don’t have any assistance from our transporting ambulance, then it becomes difficult because our members become exhausted, and then they lose capabilities of managing themselves on true emergency scenes,” said Graves.

As the temperatures grow warmer, a spokesperson for AMR told us, “AMR is prepared to serve Multnomah County throughout the anticipated heat wave," adding that it is "continuing our work with Multnomah County to find a solution to put more ambulances on the road and increase our availability."

Graves said they will handle it going forward.

“So we are able to effectively keep those that are within our response area medically safe to a degree, but we’re in a compromised situation,” said Graves.

AMR recommends the following tips to keep safe in extreme temperatures:

Stay indoors and avoid being out in the heat when possible.
Seek an air-conditioned environment. If you don’t have air conditioning, consider visiting an air-conditioned shopping mall, public library or community cooling center to cool off.
Drink plenty of water, including beverages with electrolytes, regardless of activity level.
Limit alcohol intake.
Wear lightweight clothing.
When outside, wear sunscreen and protective clothing.
Avoid strenuous activities.
Never leave a child or pet in the car, even to run a quick errand.

If you or someone you know is experiencing confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures, very high body temperature and has stopped sweating, call 911 immediately.

https://katu.com/news/local/portland-fire-and-rescue-firefighters-battle-heat-fires-and-ambulance-shortage
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: July 8, 2024, 3:05 am.

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