Portland firefighters received a valuable training opportunity thanks to Laurelhurst Village. Laurelhurst Village, located on 30th and SE Stark Street in Portland, Oregon provides senior care, offering services such as health and rehabilitative care, long term care, assisted living, and respite and hospice services.

In May and June, all firefighters at Portland Fire & Rescue will participate in a "Firefighter Skills Training" drill that will focus on further developing special techniques to help victims or firefighters who may be trapped in a commercial structure during an actual emergency. Exercises will include firefighter rescue, forcible entry, air management, and search techniques in a commercial structure. The drills will be conducted in a vacant wing of the Laurelhurst Village Senior Care Facility and in an adjacent unoccupied single family home.

"These two vacant facilities have allowed us to do larger scale training and ensure that the skill set and overall proficiency of our firefighters are continuously improved," Portland Fire & Rescue Training & Safety Division Chief Scott Fisher said. "This type of fire training is essential because it improves the responsiveness of firefighters and ensures that they are proficient in the use of new, innovative techniques and tools. Firefighters drill alongside each other and see firsthand how cooperation is vital to achieving their goals. Their confidence increases and helps them to see that they can depend on each other during an emergency to get the job done." Special thanks to Laurelhurst Village for hosting this training. June 4, 2010