Public Service Announcement Safety Tips

Information
home fire evacuation
Portland Fire & Rescue offers these short videos to inform the community on various ways to keep your home and loved ones safe.
On this page

Portland Fire & Rescue has produced several safety videos with tips and reminders about how to stay safe in various situations.

Please view the videos below and stay safe! 

Pulsepoint and Public Alerts

Download the Pulsepoint App and sign up for Public Alerts.

Where adopted, PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. App users who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and willing to assist in case of an emergency can be notified if someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

PublicAlerts is hosted by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) on behalf of the region. Content is managed by the Disaster Messaging Work Group of the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO), which includes representatives from ClackamasClarkColumbiaMultnomah, and Washington counties, the City of Portland, the City of GreshamMetroRed Cross Cascades Region, the Regional Water Providers ConsortiumMercy Corps NorthwestPortland Community College, and NW Natural

Tent and RV Fires

There's no such thing as a fire-proof tent or RV.

Here's some tips if making a fire outdoors for warmth or cooking:

  1. Make sure any fires are in a dig out pit, have rocks or other noncombustible material around the pit to contain the fire.  Never leave a fire unattended. Don't make a fire if a burn ban is in effect.
  2. Keep couches, furniture, and other combustibles a minimum of 15′ away from the fire. Tents, tarps and other highly flammable items should be kept a minimum of 25′ away from the fire.
  3. If you have kerosene heater or other portable heater keep a minimum of 3′ from combustibles.
  4. Never leave candles unattended.
  5. Use caution where placing candles. Never place them near curtains, bedding, other combustibles, or where they can be easily turned over.
  6. Never smoke in bed or leave a lit cigarette unattended.
  7. Keep several gallons of water nearby in case of emergency to extinguish fire.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications-and-media/blogs-landing-page/nfpa-today/blog-posts/2020/07/21/as-some-restaurants-use-outdoor-tents-to-re-open-fire-protection-and-life-safety-precautions-must-be-made

Close Your Door and Have an Escape Plan

Close your door and have an scape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors.

Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.  Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm.

For more information, visit: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Escape-planning

Smoke and CO Detectors

Smoke and CO detectors are the most important safety equipment in the home.

You are more likely to survive a home fire if you have a working smoke alarm. During a fire, you may have less than three minutes to escape. Smoke spreads fast, and smoke alarms alert you to the danger and give you time to get out. Smoke alarms in dwelling units shall be installed in each sleeping room as per the applicable requirements of the State Building Code at the time of construction and in the corridor or area giving access to sleeping areas according to the manufacturer's instructions.


Where sleeping areas are located on an upper level, the smoke alarm or smoke detector shall be installed in an accessible location as close as practical to the center of the ceiling directly over the stairway. Where sleeping areas are widely separated (i.e., on different levels or opposite ends of the dwelling unit) and/or where a single smoke alarm or smoke detector will not adequately service all sleeping areas, a smoke alarm or smoke detector shall be installed adjacent to each sleeping area.

For more information, please visit: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Smoke-alarms

Hands-Only CPR

Practice hands-only CPR and save a life.

Be the difference for someone you love. In a cardiac arrest, every second counts. A cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, often while at home, at work or at play. And the victim could be someone you know and love. We believe anyone can learn the simple steps to save a life, and everyone should.

There are many medical emergencies that cause a person to be unresponsive and to stop breathing normally. In those emergencies, conventional CPR that includes mouth-to-mouth breathing may provide more benefit than Hands-Only CPR. The American Heart Association recommends CPR with a combination of breaths and compressions for:

  • All infants (up to age 1)
  • Children (up to puberty)
  • Anyone found already unresponsive and not breathing normally
  • Any victims of drowning, drug overdose, collapse due to breathing problems, or prolonged cardiac arrest

More info: https://international.heart.org/

Evacuations 1-2-3

Be prepared in case of an emergency.

Level 1: Get Ready

Possible evacuation for your area

Law enforcement officials may ask residents to prepare to evacuate an area at risk of a disaster such as a wildfire. Officials use a three-level system to warn residents that it’s time to Get Ready, Be Set and Go!

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office works closely with fire agencies and other counties to determine if residents need to leave an area for safety. Conditions can change suddenly. You may not receive a Level 2 “Be Set” warning before you are ordered to Level 3 “Go! Evacuate now.”

Monitor public safety and news sites for more information and start preparing for possible evacuation.

Consider accommodations for children, seniors, people with mobility limitations, and pets, horses, and livestock.  People who need help or more time to evacuate — people with disabilities, people with small children, people with medical conditions and people with large animals — should consider evacuating at Level 1.

To “Get Ready”, and if time allows, follow these Pre-Evacuation Preparation Steps: 

Pack a Go Kit

Assemble your valuables, essential medications and medical equipment. Include important documents such as passports, birth certificates and insurance information. Make sure you have your computer and phone, a credit card and copies of personal items such as family photos. 

Level 2: Be Set 

Short Notice Evacuation likely of your area

Monitor public safety and news sites for more information as you prepare for possible evacuation at any moment. 

Conditions can change suddenly, so finish preparations for sudden evacuation and consider leaving the area now and going to a safe place if possible.  

People who need help or more time to evacuate — people with disabilities, people with small children, people with medical conditions and people with large animals — should evacuate. 

  1. Review your Level 1 Plan. Make sure your evacuation Plan Checklist is complete and ensure your Go Kit is in your vehicle.

  1. Don’t wait to be ordered to leave. Leave as soon as evacuation is recommended by fire officials to avoid being caught in fire, smoke or road congestion. Evacuating the forest fire area early helps firefighters keep roads clear of congestion, and lets them move more freely. In an intense wildfire, they will not have time to knock on every door.

  1. Promptly follow directions of law enforcement.  Law enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing an evacuation order. Officials will determine areas to be evacuated and escape routes depending on the fire’s location, behavior, winds, and terrain.

  1. Stay informed and aware. Listen to the news for announcements from law enforcement and emergency personnel and follow social media channels for your local law enforcement and fire departments as well as  Multnomah County and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

Level 3: Go! 

Evacuate immediately from your area

Leave the area immediate and take your pets with you. No matter where you go, information will be provided about resources and support.  And be sure to follow the directions of law enforcement.  

Do not return to your home until fire officials determine it is safe. Notification that it is safe to return home will be given as soon as possible.

For more information on emergency evacuations, visit: https://www.ready.gov/evacuation