Fire Fighter Endorsement........See the letters of endorsements!

Creating a unique partnership, the Oregon State Fire Fighters Council has endorsed OTA’s Vinyl Out of Oregon campaign. The Council represents over 2500 fire fighters across the State of Oregon, and is the lead organization for all of the local chapters of the International Association of fire Fighters (AFL-CIO CLC). In addition, IAFF Local 851 in Eugene has written their endorsement and District 9 of the IAFF has indicated that they plan to endorse as well.

Why are fire fighters supporting Vinyl Out of Oregon? As Pat West, President of the Oregon Fire Fighters Council states:

“ . . . I am writing this letter in support to endorse the Oregon Toxics Alliance’s Vinyl Out of Oregon project, which advocates for the use of non-toxic building materials and products.

Due to the nature of our organization, we are very concerned about the health hazards posed by exposure to combustion byproducts of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics in fires. During a fire, PVC-based materials [vinyl] release hydrochloric acid and dioxin. Both of these substances are known to have short and long term adverse effects on firefighters, building occupants, and the environment.” (June 1, 2004)

OTA has the greatest respect for our first-responders, men and women who often risk their lives to fight fires emitting hazardous, potentially lethal gases caused by the combustion of vinyl products. We are pleased to be working to eliminate vinyl materials in building construction, helping make the job of fire fighters (and the health of building occupants) safer.

Click here! to see the letters of endorsements from the Oregon Fire Fighters Council and the Eugene Fire Fighters Association Local 851. It is time to bring this grassroots action to Oregon with a campaign to . . .The City of Eugene is constructing two new fire stations in 2004 to serve a growing population. The city planning staff and the Fire Department representatives immediately found common ground in their desire to make the new stations vinyl-free. The Project Manager for the city was seeking to incorporate green sustainable-building guidelines that would result in an enduring “100-year” building. He educated himself on the latest research about reducing impacts to human and environmental health. He discovered that building vinyl-free is one important way to provide a safer building, one that does not generate significant indoor air pollution and is not emit lethal toxic gases during a fire.Simultaneously during the planning process, the Deputy Chief ofthe Eugene Fire Department approached the City to request that the use of vinyl be minimized because of the inherent dangers that vinyl poses to building occupants. The local Fire Fighters Union also advocated for a building that models safety and sustainability, and follows the vinyl-free recommendations set forth by the International Fire Fighters Union. Together, the city's Project Manager and the Fire Department teamed up to design a building that is as vinyl-free as possible, both in terms of the exterior and interior finishes. The only vinyl in the building will be electrical wire insulation and wiring conduit.
The two Fire Station projects in Eugene demonstrate how important it is to educate project managers, contractors and other key decision makers about vinyl; once they grasp the problems caused by vinyl use, it is very likely that design and construction teams will strive to use safe and alternative building materials.