Fire Station 23, located at 2915 SE 13th Pl., was originally closed in 2011 and is now set to fully reopen. The closure was due to city budget cuts and, although a two-person rescue crew was assigned to the station in 2017, the crew was not the type that responds to fire calls or motor vehicle accidents. Earlier this year, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) and Portland Firefighters Association (PFFA) Local 43 worked together to apply and secure federal funding. The grant, called the Safer Grant, provides funding to allow city officials to fully staff Station 23.
Local 43 has been working since the 2011 closure to reopen the fire station with a fully staffed firehouse and gained support from retired Fire Chief Sara Boone and Fire Commissioner Rene Gonzalez. The Safer Grant was also supported by Representative Earl Blumenauer, Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley. “We know the grant will run out in two years, and we are optimistic city leaders and others who support neighborhood fire stations will find a permanent funding solution,” said Isaac McLennan, President of PFFA Local 43.
Fire Station 23 takes pride in serving the Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn Neighborhoods. “The reopening of fire station 23 is a community celebration for the people who live in the southeast neighborhoods who may feel more at ease to know, after 12 years, they now have a fully staffed fire station again,” said McLennan. “If they have a fire at their home or business, firefighters will respond within minutes and hopefully save lives or property,”
The community is invited to celebrate the reopening of Station 23, Saturday, September 2, 11 am-2 pm. A number of community and city representatives will be speaking at the event, including Isaac McLennan, Portland Firefighters Association Local 43; Station 23 Captain Rob Hutchins; Ryan Gillespie, Portland Fire & Rescue Interim Fire Chief; Rene Gonzalez, Portland City Commissioner of Public Safety; LC Hanson, Brooklyn Action Corps; Christopher Eykamp, Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Association; and a representative from the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association. Meet the station’s firefighters, tour the station and enjoy a barbeque.
Photo by Local 43 representing Portland Firefighters.