ST. HELENS & SCAPPOOSE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SPECIALS
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
The Chronicle
$1 Vol. 134, No. 24 48 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
CODY MANN/The Chronicle
Scappoose Fire District conducted a training exercise on SW 4th Street and JP West Street on June 11, taking advantage of a donated home to get some rare live-fire training.
Scappoose fire conducts training burn of house BY CODY MANN cmann@countrymedia.net
Onlookers gathered in a Scappoose neighborhood this weekend to witness a rare sight – firemen burning a home to the ground. Scappoose Fire District conducted a training exercise on SW 4th Street and JP West Street on June 11, taking advantage of a donated home to get some rare live-fire training. Six teams of firefighters took turns working with the home as it burned. Fire Chief Michael Greisen said the exercise provided new crew members the opportunity to experience a structure fire in
a safer training environment. He said it also provides the experienced crewmembers a chance to develop their leadership abilities. “It gives them real experience with fully-involved structure fires,” Greisen said. “Not just a little oven fire or something like that.” He said the exercise allows the crews to learn how they will react to the heat, how flames behave, what effect water has when it is applied (too much water can lead to steam-burned firefighters). Greisen said the training allows newer firefighters to gain confidence in their protective equipment, seeing it work under
City seeks refuge from homeless campers BY CODY MANN cmann@countrymedia.net
The city government may look to revise some of its codes and reduce the number of homeless people camping in the area. At a recent meeting of the St. Helens City Council, Chief of Police Terry Moss asked the councilors to consider examining the language in some of the codes
used to enforce restrictions on camping in the city. Numerous ongoing complaints regarding homeless campsites may lead to questioning whether camping at McCormick Park and on Sand Island should be allowed to continue. Moss said among the problems was permitted camping in the park being abused by groups of homeless people who obtain multiple permits and monopolize campsites for days on end, exploiting what amounts to a loophole. “The police department recognizes it, the parks department recognizes it, the city council recognizes it… and our citizens recognize it.” Moss said. “We have to change the rules somehow.” Moss said everybody involved wants to provide a way for people to enjoy the opportunity to camp in the city, but in a way that is fair,
See HOMELESS, Page A5
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serious conditions. The whole team benefits: engineers, firefighters, and medical responders were all present to practice their respective skills. Scappoose Fire brought two fire engines and water tender to the scene, as well as a water tank and the local hydrants. Greisen said they needed to have two water sources, two primary lines and two back up lines, which requires a level of orchestration that exercises such as this are designed to practice. Firefighter Thomas Kirk, originally from London, England
See SCAPPOOSE FIRE, Page A5
CODY MANN/The Chronicle
Global Partners to resume Ethanol shipments by rail BY DON PATTERSON
dpatterson@countrymedia.net
Global Partners may soon begin shipping ethanol from its facility at Port Westward. On June 8, spokesman for the company, Dan Luckett, told the Port of St. Helens staff and commissioners the transloading company hoped to begin loading ethanol from rail cars onto ocean going barges later this month. According to Luckett, the ethanol will arrive via rail tank car. No ethanol will be manufactured at the Port Westward plant, at least not immediately. “We’re in the process of trying to develop that business,” Luckett said. Initial quantities will be low, he said. In 2015, Global Partners discontinued shipping, or transloading
Bakken crude oil brought in by rail cars. Crews spent the past several months cleaning and preparing equipment for the switch to ethanol. But concerns about the dangers posed by oil trains linger. During the Port meeting, several members of the public spoke out about oil trains. The recent accident involving a crude oil train in Mosier, Ore., refocused discussion on oil trains in Columbia County, with commissioners and the public alike expressing concern about the safety of tank cars filled with crude oil rolling through population centers. On June 8, the Port Commission agreed to send a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board, encouraging them to fully investigate the Mosier accident. Commissioner Keith Iverson asked the staff to check with local emergency responders to make sure
they are adequately prepared to handle an accident. So far, ethanol has not ignited the same public concern as oil trains rolling through local communities. In a quarterly report to the Port Commission, Luckett said ethanol posed less danger of fire and explosion due to its lower volatility and its quicker dissipation in the event of a spill. “There are differences between what happened there and what happens here,” he said. A fire involving tank cars filled with ethanol did occur in May 2011. A log train struck tank cars parked on a siding near the junction of Highway 30 and Cornelius Pass Road, creating a spectacular fire that closed Highway 30 for several hours. No one was injured and no structures were damaged in the blaze.
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