Palisades Neighborhood Association

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South Shore Fire Station Task Force – November 2025

Published October 31, 2025

Submitted by Chris Durkee, Task Force Chair –

South Shore Fire Station – Update
November, 2025

FACT:
When firefighters return from a fire – structure or auto – they and their equipment
are covered with contaminants, many of which are carcinogens.


UPDATE:

Firefighters must decontaminate their personal protective equipment (PPE), tools and
fire fighting equipment. “Gross Decontamination”, as can be seen in the photo above,
occurs on scene.

The second phase of decontamination occurs back at the fire station, and includes
washing the fire engine (a diverter valve directs the runoff water to the sewer rather than
storm drain). Next, their turnout gear is washed in special washers that extract the
carcinogens from the material with special cleaning agents. Turnouts are then hung to
dry and “off gas” toxins for up to 72 hours. Each firefighter has 2 sets of turnouts to
accommodate this process.

Another aspect of this decontamination process is that the fire station’s HVAC system
should be designed to prevent airborne contaminants and off gas toxins from migrating
into the living quarters by placing a slight negative air pressure in the decontamination
space, and constructed with special air filters that then remove the contaminants.

The new South Shore Fire Station will be designed with this specialized air conditioning
system and in-house cleaning equipment to decontaminate turnouts, breathing
apparatus, and equipment.

Stay tuned for more information in future updates!



Learn more about the South Shore Fire Station Task Force:

Website: www.lakeoswego.city/SSFSproject            email: durkeechris@yahoo.com


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Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) Project Coordinator

Primary Role:

  • Handles NEP grant applications, grant approvals, reviews receipts for reimbursement and is the single point of contact between the entire Palisades Neighborhood Association (PNA) and the City.
  • To be successfull in this role you should be organized, communicative.
  • Time commitment: From 8-12 hrs. throughout the year

Process:

  • Accepting NEP proposals: Anyone living in the Palisades Neighborhood Association can submit proposal(s) to the NEP Coordinator along with estimated costs throughout the year. They should follow the application guidelines and answer the questions related to their proposal.
  • PNA Board will Vote on Which Items To Include in our NEP Proposal: During the month of March PNA board meeting the NEP Coordinator asks the board to vote on the proposed item(s). NEP Coordinator encourages person(s) proposing the item(s) to attend the meeting to answer questions that might come up. The PNA board then votes on which items should be included in the NEP grant proposal.
  • Developing and Submitting the NEP Grant Proposalt: During the NEP grant proposal period (usually the month of May) the NEP Project Coordinator:
    • Fills out the NEP grant proposal application based on items approved by the PNA Board;
    • Gets sign offs from the PNA Chair
    • Submits the proposal form to the city in early May for the initial review process
    • Provides additional information requested by the city
    • Revises and submits the final application to the City by the deadline (typically May 31).

What Happens Next:

  • Iris McCaleb from the City forwards the NEP grant proposals to the grant review committee and then to the City Council who review it and awards certain grants.The NEP Coordinator will receive a letter of award from the City and will share it with the PNA Leadership Team.
  • As items are purchased from the approved grant list, the project close-out form is filled out by the person requesting reimbursement. They will attach digital copies of receipts and photos and then submit all to both the NEP Project Coordinator and the PNA Chair. The NEP Project Coordinator submits the reimbursement request to Iris at the City for reimbursement.
  • Reimbursement checks are then sent directly to the person who purchased the item(s).