Citing recent fires at homeless camps in Portland, Public Safety Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has temporarily banned the agencies he oversees from handing out tents and tarps to the homeless.

“It has become clear that tent and tarp-related fires are a grave public safety emergency for our city. Unsanctioned fires put our first responders, houseless individuals and our neighborhoods at risk. I am taking immediate action to save lives and protect Portlanders from life-shattering injuries. To Portland’s houseless community members: I implore you to seek shelter in public warming centers during cold weather events,” Gonzalez said in a press release issued late Tuesday, Feb. 14.

The only program affected appears to be Portland Street Response, which is part of Portland Fire & Rescue. The program was created by the Portland City Council as an unarmed alternative to the Portland Police Bureau for 911 calls not involving violence.

In a December 2022 report, the program said it had distributed 473 tents or sleeping bags over a six-month period between April and the end of September 2022, after the program expanded citywide.

“Clients served by Portland Street Response received a variety of resources to address their basic needs, including 1,012 snacks or food boxes; 1,000 water bottles; 473 tents or sleeping bags; and 391 clothing items,” said the report, titled “Portland Street Response: Year Two Mid-Point Evaluation. It was prepared by Portland State University Homeless Research & Action Collaborative.

The release included a statement by Portland Fire Marshal Kari Schimel that added Portland Fire & Rescue has responded to more than a thousand tent or tarp-related fires within the last two years.

“On each of these calls our first responders put their lives at risk. Given the heat sources generating these fires and the flammable nature of the materials in question, I have unequivocally advised Commissioner Gonzalez that there is no such thing as a safe, unsanctioned fire in a tent,” Schimel said.

The ban does not include sleeping bags and other emergency equipment. According to KOIN 6 News, the release was issued after a Tuesday morning fire under the Morrison Bridge at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that killed a mother dog and six puppies.

The tents distributed by Portland Street Response are a small fraction of those purchased by Multnomah County and distributed by the Joint Office of Homeless Services. County records indicate it has purchased more than 22,000 tents over the past two years, along with over 69,000 tarps.

As previously reported by the Portland Tribune, the records were obtained by Portland attorney John DiLorenzo, who is representing disabled Portlanders suing the city for allowing homeless camps to block public sidewalks in violation of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.

The tents, tarps and other emergency supplies were intended to help the homeless survive on the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic that limited available shelter space. The joint office said it is reducing their distribution late last year.

Gonzalez took charge of Portland Fire & Rescue earlier this year. Mayor Ted Wheeler put him in charge of public safety programs but retained control of the Portland Police Bureau. Gonzalez defeated Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who championed the Portland Street Response program, at the Nov. 8, 2022 general election.