PORTLAND, Ore.– Cause of the fire at Hope N Care Nursing Home was a faulty bathroom vent fan. Investigators with Portland Fire and Rescue believe the bearings wore out. It’s not uncommon for commercial properties to run these kinds of fans 24/7.
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Flirting With Death
( PORTLAND, Ore.—) When blurry-eyed firefighters are awakened out of a dead sleep at 1A.M. in the morning, they don’t rollover and go back to sleep. They quickly gather their thoughts as they listen to the information about the call they’re going to. Hearts pound as 8 firefighters from station #7 , at 1500 S.E. 122nd and 4 men with station #29 at 13310 SE Foster Rd. roll full throttle to a care facility fire. Hope N Care, an assisted living at 12045 S.E. Pardee St. was black with smoke. Approaching fire crews could see the smoke shooting sky-ward and bright red and orange flames towering over the front part of the one story very long structure.
Engine 7 and Truck 7 arrived first . Battalion Chief Jerry Bartolome assumed command. Hoses were quickly attached to hydrants. A map on a laptop pinpoints their location. Now the members of the second busiest fire station in Portland, answering nearly 9,000 calls between two rigs goes to work without hesitation. They saw two care facility workers carrying residents out. There were 22 of them. Most all of them were mobility impaired.. Some were crawling on the floor. A paralyzed resident thought for sure he was going to die. Lt. Keelan Kwei ( 15 year veteran) knew from the start this was not going to be a run of the mill care facility fire. Portland Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Terry Foster says, “ This type of fire could scare the most seasoned firefighters, an actively burning nursing home with patients who have limited mobility.” Fire was coming out of light fixtures and ceiling vents. Natural Gas hadto be shut off fast.
Lt. Ty Callicotte (21 year veteran) calls this fire a GENERATIONAL fire. “There’s one big fire in the U.S. every year.” Ty started rescue efforts right away. Others did the same. Fire survivors were carried out over shoulders and helped to safety through windows. Ty pulled a limbless woman to safety. She could barely hold herself up. Lt. Kwei says, “This was the perfect storm of knowing what to do and how to do it. There was no time to waste.” Kwei says, “crews from 7 and 29 are so good they just get right to it, they’re some of the best in the state.” Everything happened so fast. It truly was a miracle nobody died. One of the two employees injured his arm. Firefighters call staff members Tim Spencer and Hermie Magistrado the true heroes. They were getting residents out as soon as they could. It was a good thing, because about 35minutes into the burn the roof collapsed.
When I arrived to talk with the members of Station #7 three of them were writing their incident reports about the Hope N Care fire. All the firefighters agree if the manpower was not there, lives would have been lost. Facial expressions became somber as we listened to the recording of every detail of the event. Lt. Callicotte cupped his chin, eyes downcast. The room was completely silent except for the audio we were listening to. I just knew each of them was reliving the fire. Callicotte remarks, “As we drive through the city we look at buildings and wonder where the next big fire will be and will we be able to get everyone out without losing lives. We talk about this among ourselves all the time.”
Firefighters at Station #29 say they had just gotten their rig dialed in for inspection when the car facility fire happened. Fireman KC Jones (15 year veteran) says, “This fire was the perfect storm of survivability. The fact that everyone survived is an absolute miracle.” Firefighter Tim Wagner with (11 years) of experience says, “ The fire was happening overhead. It was like Hollywood staged it. We weren’t bombarded with a lot of smoke. It made it easier to check and double check rooms. Of course chemicals from carpeting and furnishings were still pushed into the air.” Both continue to worry about firefighter staffing levels that are at a 20 year low. These men smiled when they shared the love for their jobs and the joy of getting to come to work doing a lot of good and having fun.
NFPA The National Fire Protection Association established in 1896, is devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss from fire, electrical and related hazards. It publishes more than 300 agreed upon codes and standards. NFPA – 1710 says (4) firefighters should be present before entering a burning structure. This is a minimum safety standard. Standards for this organization are formed by consensus. Fire departments, fire districts both volunteer and paid try to meet this standard, but budget constraints often limit that for many departments across the country. Preserving and protecting this is paramount.
“The 22 lives saved in the nursing home fire is truly an incredible and heroic feat made possible by exceptional human beings. The fire companies, chief officers, public safety partners, and agencies involved in the nursing home fire responded how they trained and epitomized the highest mission of public service. The first-in companies, through their stories and first-hand accounts reveal a glimpse of their world, the conditions in which they operate, their character and the heart and soul of who they are and what they need. They exemplify a truly remarkable workforce.
As Fire Chief and from a personal perspective, I believe that when all other safety nets have failed and someone’s life is in peril, community members instinctively step in and work together with emergency responders to help save lives. The trauma and tragedy of falling short is a collective pain experienced by the family, the responders, and the community as a whole, especially when a life that could be saved is lost. It is critical to ensure firefighters have the resources, staffing, and training as well as rest and recovery to effectively do their job under extreme and life threatening circumstances, making critical risk assessment and decisions, leading to positive outcomes. “
——— Sara Boone
Chief Of Portland Fire & Rescue
Flames were shooting out of the light fixtures and the vents. As of May 26, 2022 a cause has not been found, even though investigators initially indicated it might have been electrical in nature. The investigation is a coordinated effort between private fire investigators and Portland Fire and Rescue. The fire is accidental in nature. The State Fire Marshal’s office is not involved in the investigation. It may have oversight from a code enforcement perspective depending on if the facility is the recipient of Medicare/Medicaid funding.
Over 100 firefighters helped put this fire out. Crews from Clackamas and Gresham Fire assisted. 5 ambulances were dispatched to the scene in preparation for multiple fire victims.
Crew from Station #7: Engine 7 = Keelan Kwei, Billy Earl, Kevin Pratt, and David Remington
Truck 7 = Ty Callicotte, Scott Rupp, Danny Dove, Richard Lyman
Crew from Station #29: Engine 29 = Jesse Coefield, Tim Wagner, KC Jones, Matt Smith