Seattle Responder - October 2021 Edition

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 10/01/2021 06:46 PM PDT

On Oct. 1, we held our annual Seattle Fallen Firefighter Memorial to honor and remember all SFD members who made the ultimate sacrifice. The event was livestreamed on our Facebook page and is available here.

Later this evening from 8-8:15 p.m., all of Seattle's 33 fire stations will turn on apparatus emergency lights to honor fallen firefighters across the nation. We will "Light the Night" in red in their memory.

Members of the public are invited to observe outside of your local fire station from the sidewalk from 8-8:15 p.m. However, be aware that units may be on actual emergency responses during that time and out of station quarters. We also encourage you to swap out your porch light with a red bulb to join in our remembrance.

Significant Incidents Recap

Residential fire at the 5100 block of 25th Ave NE

Sept. 8: Firefighters extinguished a deck fire at an apartment building near the 5100 block of 25th Ave. NE. No injuries were reported, and the estimated loss is $115,000.

Water Rescue off shore near the 1600 block of Harbor Ave SW

Sept. 23: Firefighters, including our rescue swimmers, were dispatched to assist a person in crisis off shore near the 1600 block of Harbor Ave. SW. The patient was safely pulled out of the water and transported to a hospital in stable condition.

Residential fire at the 4000 block of 5th Ave NE

Sept. 21: Crews responded to a fire in an unoccupied residence near the 4000 block of 5th Ave. NE. The fire was largely contained to the rear entry and attic space above. No injuries were reported. The estimated loss is $225,000.

Residential fire at the 4300 block of 5th Ave NE

Sept. 30: Firefighters extinguished a fire in a residence near the 4300 block of 5th Ave. NE. The fire was mostly contained to the porch and attic space above it. No injuries were reported. The estimated loss is $222,500.

Seattle Fire around the community

September Promotions

On Sept. 30, we celebrated the promotions of three lieutenants, three captains and one battalion chief at our headquarters. In compliance with social distancing guidelines, we held a live stream for families and colleagues to join in the celebration. Congratulations to:

Lieutenant Jorge Bernal
Lieutenant Adam Hadley
Lieutenant Douglas Rickabaugh
Captain Dabryn Jee (not pictured)
Captain Douglas Johnson
Captain Scott Jones
Captain James Rowe
Battalion Chief Dominic Batistelli

The Fire Chief also welcomed those professional staff new to SFD since the start of 2021:

Traci Bunker, Administrative Specialist I, Fire Prevention Division
Andrew Lu, Director of Human Resources
Jordan Foster, Fire Protection Engineer
Veronica Qualls, Accounting Tech III, Fire Inspection Systems
Lindsay Harper, Administrative Specialist III, Fire Investigation Unit
Allison Dolzonek, Administrative Specialist I, Training Division
Jasinda Waldron, Administrative Specialist I, Headquarters
Mackenzie Boileau, Administrative Specialist I, Fire Prevention Division
McKinley Farrell, Permit Tech
Franklin Miles, Permit Tech Supervisor
Carrie Brazil, Education and Outreach Advisor
David Pearson, Temp – Admin Staff Assistant, Ops Admin

Celebrating Eleanor's 103rd birthday

Engine 38, Engine 40 and Battalion 6 were invited to participate in a drive-thru celebration for Eleanor's 103rd birthday. We were honored to wish her a happy birthday.

Seattle Fire Foundation visits the Last Resort Fire Department

In an effort to learn more about the Last Resort Fire Department’s extensive collection of historic fire apparatus and build a plan to support preservation long into the future, board members of the Seattle Fire Foundation held their September meeting at the Ballard warehouse used by retired firefighter Galen Thomaier.

First Responder Blood Drive extended through Oct. 9

Our firefighters and paramedics know firsthand the importance of a strong, stable local blood supply, and are faced with situations every day where a pint of blood can mean the difference between life and death. Join us this month for a First Responder Blood Drive by donating blood with Bloodworks NW. Sign up to give and help us reach our goal of 150 donors. Make your one-hour appointment today at schedule.bloodworks.org or call 800-398-7888. Use the code 1ST when you arrive at your appointment to help count towards our goal.

Keeping you safe

October is fire prevention month, and for this year we are publishing safety videos and graphics that will be available in multiple languages. The videos will be published on our website as well as our YouTube channel, then distributed on our Fireline blog as well as our social media accounts. For Fire Prevention Month, we will focus on the following weekly safety:

Week One: When to call 9-1-1
Week Two: Smoke/CO alarms, learn the sounds of fire safety
Week Three: Heating safety
Week Four: Cooking safety

50th Anniversary of Medic II Bystander CPR

50th Anniversary of our Medic 2 Bystander CPR program

Oct. 8 marks the 50th anniversary of our Medic II bystander CPR program. A year prior, we worked with Dr. Michael Copass and Dr. Leonard Cobb at UW Medicine to successfully launch the Medic One program where firefighters trained to become paramedics. The momentum lead to training all of our firefighters in CPR—a concept primarily taught to healthcare workers at the time.

Paramedic Clyde Neaville and his wife, Merle, suggested to then-Fire Chief Gordon Vickery that we train community members to perform CPR as they are likely to witness a patient experiencing sudden cardiac arrest before our crews arrive. Fire Chief Gordon Vickery and Dr. Leonard Cobb agreed, then Medic II was born soon thereafter.

Throughout Oct. we will publish stories of our Medic II program and the impact that bystander CPR has in saving lives. Visit our Fireline Blog as well as our Facebook Page for more to come.