Communications Workshop
Jeff Rubin and Tim Birr, Leaders
Location: Portland Fire Headquarters at 55 SW Ash Street  › Map
This 4-hour workshop will focus on public information and media relations, and will be tailored to the interests of attendees. Principal topics include: media roles and practices, interview techniques, and effective design and communication of a primary message. The workshop will conclude with videotaping mock interviews: participants will receive constructive feedback and have the opportunity to critique themselves. [More detailed discussion will be accompanied by fine Oregon microbrews at a nearby establishment.]


Tsunami Field Trip
Mark Darienzo, Leader
The field trip will make stops in Cannon Beach and Seaside, two coastal communities in Oregon with very different tsunami warning and evacuation issues.

› Field Trip Itinerary

Cannon Beach We will first look at a prehistoric tsunami deposit in a marsh near downtown, and then visit the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District office to view their tsunami warning system and discuss Cannon Beach's evacuation plan. Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District has been active in tsunami preparedness and mitigation for many years and was recently designated a TsunamiReady community by the National Weather Service. Our last stop in Cannon Beach will be an elementary school in the inundation zone.

Seaside We will look at Seaside’s major tsunami evacuation problems and how they are being addressed. Evacuation is a problem because two waterways, the Necanicum River and Newanna Creek, are close to and parallel the shoreline. The bridges that cross the river and creek are therefore critical evacuation routes. One stop will be the First Street Bridge. To honor the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the group will visit the site of the Lewis and Clark salt cairn. Our final stop will be a house that was flooded by the 1964 Alaskan tsunami. The owner, Tom Horning, who experienced the tsunami is still living in the house and will talk about his experience.


Portland Walking Tour
Organizer: Yumei Wang      Leaders: Don Eggleston and Jerry Abdie
The walking tour will investigate three buildings in downtown Portland that have been seismically rehabilitated. The Embassy Suites Hotel, also known as the historic Multnomah Hotel completed in 1912, was renovated meeting the dual goals of seismic strengthening and maintaining its historic and aesthetic character. From the hotel, participants will board a free city bus to arrive at Portland City Hall, a $30 million upgrade of an historic four-story unreinforced masonry building (URM) using shear walls. The walking tour will conclude with a visit to Pioneer Courthouse, another URM which is currently under renovation. A base-isolation system will be incorporated in this 1875 structure.


Informal Seismic Safety Commissions Meeting
This informal meeting is open to seismic safety commission chairs and commissioners and will be held in the Arcadian Gardens at the Embassy Suites Portland Downtown hotel.

› Meeting Itinerary

Exhibitor & Awards Fair
Public and private organizations are encouraged to consider exhibiting their products and services at the Annual Conference Exhibitor Fair. The Fair will open on Sunday evening for the Icebreaker, and will be open all day on Monday and Tuesday. All breaks will be served in the same room as the Exhibitor Fair allowing conference attendees numerous opportunities to view products, awards, and displays. For additional information and registration forms, go to www.wsspc.org/events/ac2003/exhibitors.