Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue reports surge in wildfire deployments, pilots new community paramedicine and nurse navigation programs

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) Chief Derek Weiss delivered the department’s state‑of‑district update to the Wilsonville City Council on April 21, describing last year’s wildfire deployments, emergency medical service demand in Wilsonville and districtwide innovation aimed at reducing unnecessary 9‑1‑1 dispatches.

Weiss said Oregon experienced an unprecedented wildfire year in 2024 with roughly 1.9 million acres burned statewide. TVF&R deployed wildland personnel to multiple incidents and sent 14 wildland firefighters to Southern California as part of a statewide mobilization; one of the district’s battalion chiefs supervised 370 Oregon personnel on the California deployment. Weiss said all personnel returned without injury.

Weiss showed a local response snapshot: TVF&R crews answered about 3,100 calls in Wilsonville last year and roughly 75% of district calls are medical in nature. He noted the city’s three area stations handled about 94% of Wilsonville calls, a figure he described as a strong response reliability indicator.

To address rising EMS demand and frequent callers, Weiss described new and expanding programs: advanced practice community paramedics who conduct case‑management visits rather than default ambulance transports, and an advanced resource medic (ARM) pilot that pairs a nurse practitioner or physician assistant on a transporting medic unit with an advanced practice paramedic to provide higher‑level care in place. Weiss said TVF&R received a state grant to launch the ARM pilot earlier this year.

TVF&R is also implementing nurse navigation, a dispatcher‑linked service in which callers may be routed to clinical nurses who provide telephone triage and care navigation; the program recently launched in Clackamas County and is starting in Washington County. Weiss said TVF&R expects a potential reduction in fire engine dispatches for low‑acuity calls when nurse navigation is at full scale.

Weiss reviewed the district’s funding and staffing measures: voters approved a five‑year local option levy in May 2024 that will allow TVF&R to hire 36 firefighters and paramedics over five years; Weiss said the levy replacement is intended to stabilize staffing as the district grows. He also described bond‑funded capital projects under development, including station remodels and training‑center upgrades funded by the 2021 general obligation bond; he observed that construction and vehicle costs have risen substantially since several projects were first scoped.

Weiss closed by thanking crews and noting the department’s emphasis on recruitment, partnerships with schools and community colleges, and ongoing training tied to the district’s capital program.

Ending

Councilors asked a few clarifying questions and thanked TVF&R for the presentation; Weiss encouraged elected officials to attend community events and participate in the annual community academy.