Public Safety
FIRE CONTAINMENT: Percentage of structure fires where the progression of the damage was stopped before the fire progressed from its starting point
Current Value
66%
Definition
Data comes from BFM, measure # FR_0045. Titled: Structural fires where flame spread contained to room (no tents)
Why Is This Important?
A structure fire is a fire that occurs in a building, such as a home, office, or warehouse. Tracking the percentage of structure fires contained to their room of origin helps measure the effectiveness of fire response efforts. The room of origin is the location within a building where a fire starts. Firefighters must arrive quickly, identify this room, and use the right strategies to stop the fire before it spreads, reducing damage and saving lives.
This measure helps the City assess the overall effectiveness of its fire response, including response times, water resources, and firefighter training. By monitoring this data, the City can improve fire suppression strategies and better protect the community.
Underserved and underrepresented Portlanders are often more impacted by fires because they tend to live in older structures that are less safe. maintaining a high standard for fire suppression and staffing is especially important for underserved communities living in older, more fire-prone buildings.
What Do The Numbers Show?
Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) has a strategic goal to maintain 60% containment to room of origin in 2025 and a longer-range goal to attain 75% containment to room of origin. To accomplish our short- and long-term goals, PF&R is working to address a staffing shortage to maintain crew levels, work with builders to build safer and more fire-retardant buildings, and restructure resources to meet best practices.
How Did We Arrive at These Numbers?
Every incident is logged in the PF&R records management system along with information on what resources were deployed to the fire and what was found at the scene. For structure fires, the State of Oregon and Federal agencies require a significant level of investigation and documentation. For each fire, a room of origin and the fire spread are designated by investigators/firefighters. PF&R records the total number of rooms. Where the affected rooms is greater than one, the fire is judged to have progressed past the room of origin.
Where Can I Find More Information?
Information about call counts, available resources, and other statistics can be found on the PF&R Annual Performance Reports webpage.
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