Columbia County Emergency Management

05/11/2024

With temperatures this high, there’s only one thing on our minds - water!

As we look forward to warmer temperatures ahead, the change from cooler weather can create health risks for many people. One dangerous aspect of cold water that isn’t often mentioned is cold water shock.

Cold water shock causes the blood vessels in the skin to close, which increases the resistance of blood flow. Your heart rate is also increased, as a result your heart must work much harder, and your blood pressure goes up. Cold water shock can cause heart attacks, even in the relatively young and healthy. It also increases the risk of drowning for experienced swimmers in calm water.

Cold Shock responses fall into three categories:

Threat No. 1 – Loss of breathing control (3-5 minutes or more)

Threat No. 2 – Heart and blood pressure problems

Threat No. 3 – Impaired mental ability

Remember to tread carefully; take your time before splashing into the cold water and wear your life jackets!

https://www.coldwatersafety.org/cold-shock

04/03/2024

03/14/2024

Is your go bag ready to sham-rock and roll in case of a disaster?

Ready.gov

03/13/2024

When the luck of the Irish isn’t with you, make sure you have insurance instead.

Ready.gov

03/08/2024

St. Helens police are seeking assistance to identify a suspect and vehicle involved in a reckless driving incident which endangered multiple witnesses in St. Helens on Saturday, March 2. Please call 503-397-1521 if you have any information related to the incident below.

On Saturday, March 2, 2024, at approximately 9:49 p.m., St. Helens Police Department officers responded to a single vehicle crash at Pour House, 2098 Old Portland Road, St. Helens. The driver fled from the location before officers arrived.

Witnesses described the suspect as a younger white male driving a green diesel pickup truck, possibly a Ford F-350 or something similar. The suspect nearly struck several pedestrians in the parking lot before hitting a utility pole and driving away. The truck sustained substantial front passenger side damage according to witnesses. Officers checked the surrounding area and were unable to locate the vehicle. The driver faces charges for Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering.

St. Helens police are asking the public’s assistance in identifying the driver or locating the vehicle involved in the incident. If you have any related information, the St. Helens Police Department encourages you to contact St. Helens Officer McKenzie McClure at 503-397-1521.

The St. Helens Police Department reminds the public to have a plan to return home safely if you are impaired. Don't drive under the influence of any substance. Additionally, a driver is required to remain at the scene of a crash that causes property damage.

https://www.sthelensoregon.gov/police/page/st-helens-police-seeking-assistance-identifying-reckless-driving-suspect

03/04/2024

Last night Fire Chief Kaczenski, Division Chief N. Berg and Volunteer Firefighter O. Berg conducted a search and rescue mission that lasted over six hours up in the rural logging roads within our District.

A group of individuals drove several miles up into the deep snow through a maze of logging roads to play in the snow and ended up getting stuck.

Our vehicles were unable to make it to their exact location due to the road conditions and the group ended up having to hike a mile out to meet with our rescuers because the snow depth was over 30 inches and became impassable.

While we encourage all of you to enjoy the winter weather - please do so responsibly.

✅ Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be home and make a plan to check in.
✅ Carry proper equipment with you to traverse poor road conditions - including but not limited to shovels, extra fuel, tire chains, food and water etc.
✅ Dress accordingly for worsening weather conditions in case you have to walk out or stay put for extended periods of time.
✅ Have a method of communication or emergency alert system in case something goes wrong.
✅ Know your limits - if conditions change or you aren’t prepared 🛑 STOP 🛑 and return to a safer area.

Poor planning on activities like these not only puts your safety at risk, but our First Responders’ safety at risk too.

Our crew got stuck several times trying to make it to the location of these individuals but worked tirelessly to continue to dig themselves out and get as close as possible to their location.

We are grateful for the efforts of our crew and glad that everyone was found uninjured. Our crews did not make it home until after 3 AM this morning.

Enjoy the snow but please, stay safe and make responsible decisions when you are participating in recreational activities in our area! ❄️

02/19/2024

We responded to a trauma call today in the vicinity of Fishhawk Lake.

Due to the mechanism of injury and patient’s condition, the decision was made to enter the patient into the trauma system, and activate our friends at Life Flight Network so the patient could be flown to Portland for a full trauma work-up. We are grateful for their help and the beautiful skies today allowing them safe travels to our area.

Thank you to our many volunteers who left their homes and assisted on this call, we wish the patient a complete and speedy recovery.

A good reminder to our community it’s never too late to sign up for Life Flight and/or FireMed membership!

02/17/2024

02/13/2024

02/08/2024

TVF&R people go to amazing places, recently one of our firefighters and an apparatus operator were deployed with their Oregon Air National Guard unit to Antarctica.

Senior Master Sergeant Cody Nichols and Senior Airman Cole Siemon, both members of the Oregon Air National Guard 142nd Fighter Wing Fire Department, recently deployed to McMurdo Station Antarctica in support of the National Science Foundation and Operation Deep Freeze.

This is the first time that National Guard firefighters have been deployed to Antarctica to provide firefighting support for the C130 and C17 aircraft that operate there.

We’re proud of Apparatus Operator Nichols and Firefighter Siemon for their commitment to our nation and local communities.