Seattle Responder - January 2022 Edition

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 01/14/2022 07:22 PM PST

Happy New Year, Seattle! Over the course of the past year, your Seattle firefighters and paramedics responded to more than 94,000 incidents, which was 13,000 higher of a response volume than the previous year in 2020. Of our total responses in 2021, 73% were for medical emergencies, 26% were for fires (including illegal burns) and 1% were for other types of responses, such as rescue or hazardous material incidents. I want to thank our community members for your continued support of the Seattle Fire Department, and I want you to know that we remain committed to serving you during these trying times.

As we enter the new calendar year, I encourage everyone to take small steps each month to help make yourself and your family become more fire safe. The recent apartment fires in Philadelphia and New York City and landslide in our very own Magnolia neighborhood are stark reminders that tragedy can hit when you least expect it. Take time now to become prepared for all of the various types of emergencies we may face. Follow us on our social media channels to learn more about what we recommend.

Stay safe and healthy Seattle and have a great start to 2022.

Significant Incidents Recap

Fire at the 200 block of South Horton St.

Photo by John Odegard

Dec. 6: Crews extinguished a car fire that extended to an adjacent warehouse near the 3300 block of 3rd Ave. S. No injuries were reported. Investigators ruled the fire as undetermined with an estimated loss of $103,500.

2-alarm fire at the 1300 block of West Newton Street

Dec. 11: A fire in townhomes under construction was upgraded to a 2-alarm response as firefighters worked overnight to extinguish it. No injuries were reported. Investigators ruled the fire as undetermined with an estimated loss of $2,000,000.

Fire at the 800 block of South Southern Street

Photo by John Odegard

Dec. 9: Firefighters rescued two occupants from a residential fire at the 800 block of S. Southern St. Paramedics transported both patients to a hospital for further medical care. Investigators ruled the fire as undetermined with an estimated loss of $175,000.

Fire at the 8600 block of Beacon Avenue South

Dec. 18: Crews extinguished a well involved residential fire at the 8600 block of Beacon Ave. S. No injuries were reported. Investigators determined the fire was accidental with an estimated loss of $530,000.

Seattle Fire around the community

Third Health One unit to serve South Seattle in 2022

Good news for neighborhoods in South Seattle! We recently announced that a third Health One unit will become operational in early 2022 and will regularly serve individuals in the Mt. Baker, Central District, Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill neighborhoods.

Similar to the other two units, the third unit will be staffed with two specially trained firefighter/EMTs and a case manager from the Human Services Department Aging and Disability Services division.

Our Health One program helps those with mental/behavioral health or substance abuse disorders and those with non-emergent medical issues by providing alternatives to hospitalization and referrals to a wide array of services and alternative transport.

Ladder 5 made a special visit over the holidays

Ladder 5 special visit to Ella who is battling cancer

On Dec. 23, Ladder 5 made a special visit with Christmas presents to a young girl named Ella, who is battling cancer. Ella’s dad is a firefighter in Idaho and connected with the crew to help make the delivery happen. It may be hard to see the smiles through our masks, but Ella made our day just as much as we tried to bring happiness to her.

Rescue 1 to the rescue

Rescue One helped school bus that was stuck in the snow

As snow turned to ice, the crew of Seattle Fire’s Rescue 1 pulled over to help get a school bus full of youth "un-stuck."

Sometimes inclement weather brings out the true meaning of “community” in different ways. We thank all Seattle residents who took time to help and check on others during our latest snow storm - you are appreciated!

Firefighters rescue two from landslide in Magnolia neighborhood, then dog six days later

On Jan. 7, firefighters responded to a landslide in the Magnolia neighborhood, which caused a home to partially collapse and slide 15-20 feet off of its foundation. We had reports of an adult male trapped inside, along with a fire involving propane tanks on the back side of the house.

Engine 41 from Fire Station 41 in the Magnolia neighborhood arrived first on scene and quickly conducted a size-up of the incident and began to put a strategy in place to conduct a rescue and mitigate the fire simultaneously. Thankfully, the two house occupants were extricated safely. However, it was believed both of the family's dogs had died in the landslide.

Then on Jan. 13, after hearing what sounded like a dog in the rubble, Seattle Fire was called back and safely extricated one of the family's missing canines. (They were able to find the second dog, which sadly did not survive).

Read more on Fireline about our initial response and read up on safety tips for what to look out for on steep slopes when we see increased precipitation in our area.

Fire Station 11 welcomed their new fire engine

To start the new year, crews at West Seattle's Fire Station 11 welcomed their new apparatus by giving it a thorough wash before it went into service.

Keeping you safe

Winter safety

City of Seattle's winter weather resource webpage

The season's first winter storm arrived early, and with a few months of winter yet to come, we encourage everyone to visit the City of Seattle's winter weather resource page. The webpage provides safety tips, information on warming shelters, road conditions and power outages.

Replace your carbon monoxide alarm if it was installed in or before 2015

Every year, our Fire Alarm Center receives 9-1-1 calls from concerned residents because of chirping carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. While it’s important to call 9-1-1 if your CO alarm is sounding continuously without stopping, a CO alarm that chirps every 30 seconds is not an emergency. Most likely, it’s an indication that your CO alarm has reached its end of life and should be replaced.

Fire and life safety videos

Please watch our new home fire safety videos available on our website as well as our YouTube channel. The safety videos are also available in American Sign Language and Spanish.

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