Portland was built on the banks of the Willamette River, and for many decades, its waterways were its highways. Even today, big chunks of the city, especially along its industrial waterfront, are easier accessed from the river than the land. Which poses a special challenge for Portland Fire & Rescue. How do you respond to a fire at a marina? Or a blaze on board a ship? Or an accident on the Eastside Esplanade, which is too narrow for a regular vehicle?
Fire Station 21 is Portland’s answer to this puzzle. Located at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, the station is home to a fire engine for land-based emergencies, an ATV for the Esplanade, a fire boat for waterfront fires, and a rescue boat for swimmers in distress. Firefighter Colin Mcgladrey drives them all. He's served with Portland Fire and Rescue for 22 years and been a harbor pilot for 15 of them. We caught up with him at Station 21 to find out more.
What does a harbor pilot do? The harbor pilot operates the fire boat and the rescue boat. So you’re responsible for safe operation and navigation of the vessel. You're in charge of knowing your waterways, your response areas. And working as a crew together to respond on the emergency calls that we go on.
What type of calls do you get? At Station 21, we respond to fire, medical, and other emergency incidents as a typical engine company for land-based calls. We also get water-based calls. We respond in a fire boat or rescue boat depending on the nature of the call. It could be fire, search and rescue, medical assistance, oil spill, navigation hazards, you name it.
What does your workday look like? We work 24-hour and 48-hour shifts. After roll call, we do physical fitness and check the fire engine and boats to make sure all equipment is ready for the day. We shop for the shift meals we're going to need. We train or do various tasks like maintaining the station and apparatus or going on building walkthroughs to get information prior to a fire. All these plans can be interrupted at any time to respond to emergency calls. Our shift ends at 0700. We have coffee with the next crew and catch up with them. I usually head home by 0745.
Maybe this is a dumb question, but why do we have fire boats? Say there’s a fire on the waterfront, isn’t it faster to take a regular fire engine? That depends on the situation. Can the land-based companies get access to where the fire is? Where’s the nearest hydrant? What kind of pressure does it have? The fire boat can access areas the land-based apparatus cannot. For instance, marina fires or structures where access is difficult. The fire boat can pump 7,000 gallons per minute — that’s way more than a land engine. That’ll knock down a lot of fire fast. The fire boat can also supply land-based crews with water. It's basically a mobile fire hydrant with an endless supply of water. We responded to a tire fire on Ross Island last summer that generated so much smoke it darkened the sky.
Are ship fires still a thing? Yes, ship fires still happen. These types of fires can be tricky due to ships being compartmentalized into many confined spaces. PF&R has a land-based marine station with specially trained firefighters and specialty equipment for shipboard fires. The role of the fire boat would be shuttling crew to the ship and water supply for the firefighters onboard.
Do waterfront fires pose special hazards to firefighters? The smoke is toxic, so we try to position upwind. That’s true of every fire. When we approach the fire, we also have to be aware of submerged piers and rocks we have to navigate through. A lot of these buildings were built on creosote piers. Once those get going, that’s a massive wall of smoke.
What do you see when you look at the river? I see the same thing you do. A beautiful sparkling body of water. I love it. I love being on the water. I grew up in Rainier, Oregon, I’ve been on the water my whole life. But looks can be deceptive. Beneath the surface you’ve got swift currents. Hidden hazards. Cold temperatures that can shock a strong swimmer. So we advise people to wear a life jacket.
What are the things that most often get people into trouble on the water? The top three things I see that get Portlanders into trouble on the water are drugs, alcohol, and mental illness. Unfortunately, we see a lot of issues with mental illness at our location.
How long does it take you to respond? We’re on the rescue boat within a minute and a half. Then however long it takes to get to the scene. The boat has a top speed of 48 miles an hour. If we get the call soon enough, we can get on scene fast. Sometimes we can give people a second chance.
What do you like best about the job? I love the camaraderie of the Fire Bureau. It's like having a second family. We work 48 hours together, so we get to know each other pretty well. Most of all, I like the opportunity to help people. That's why I'm here. It’s something I was called to do.