Seattle Responder - May 2022 Edition

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 05/06/2022 03:11 PM PDT

In April, I joined Mayor Bruce Harrell, Councilmember Lisa Herbold and WSRB CEO and President Larry Newman to announce that Seattle Fire has become the first fire department in the state to receive a Protection Class 1 rating from WSRB. We join the top 1% in our nation of approximately 460 departments who hold this honor of receiving the most exemplary fire protection rating. This rating reaffirms our commitment to serve those in our community and assures residents they can be even more confident in an efficient response from Seattle Fire for fire suppression emergencies. Read more about this new protection class rating on our Fireline Blog to learn what this means for you as a resident of our great City.

As the weather gets warmer and the sun shines brighter, we begin to see an increase in responses to incidents occurring on the water and when grilling at outdoor gatherings. We also need to be prepared that we could see another summer with very high temperatures that increase our brush fire threat and alert us to check more closely on our vulnerable populations. Be sure to stay tuned to our social media sites to learn safety tips for how you can prevent brush fires and help to keep your loved ones safe from experiencing preventable emergencies.

Save the date for Saturday, June 4, to bring your family and friends to our annual Seattle Fire Day event at MOHAI. More details about the activities attendees can expect will be shared in the coming month. We hope to see you there, and if you can't join us in person, we will also be livestreaming the event on our Facebook page.

And finally, May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) heritage month. The City's culture is deeply interwoven with that of our AANHPI colleagues and community, and I want to take a moment to recognize this month dedicated to celebrating history.

Stay safe,

Harold D. Scoggins, Fire Chief

Significant Incidents Recap

April 1 Rescue Extrication near the 200 block of 2nd Ave. Ext. S.

Photo by John Odegard

April 1: Crews rescued an adult male who was reportedly struck by a vehicle and pinned underneath it near the 200 block of 2nd Ave. Ext. S. The patient was in critical condition, and paramedics transported him to Harborview Medical Center.

Teen rescued in apartment fire near the 100 block of 14th Ave

Photo by John Odegard

April 22: Firefighters rescued a male adolescent from an apartment unit fire near the 100 block of 14th Ave. The patient was in stable condition, and paramedics transported him to Harborview Medical Center. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent it from extending to adjacent units. Investigators determined the fire was accidental and likely caused by an overloaded electrical outlet. Estimated loss is $30,000.

2-alarm fire in apartment building near the 4800 block of South Henderson Street

Photo by John Odegard

April 8: Crews extinguished a 2-alarm fire in a three-story apartment building near the 4800 block of S. Henderson St. An adult male who jumped from a balcony due to fire in the unit was transported to a hospital and was in stable condition. Firefighters utilized ladders to evacuate several residents. Investigators determined the fire was accidental. Estimated loss is $130,000.

Encampment fire near Northbound Interstate 5 to Eastbound Interstate 90

April 25: Eastside Fire and Rescue provided a water tender to help our crews extinguish an encampment fire near Northbound I-5 to Eastbound I-90. No injuries were reported, and the incident is under investigation.

Seattle Fire around the community

SFD opens doors on May 7 for Neighbor Day

Seattle Fire Department opens its doors on May 7 for Neighbor Day

Saturday, May 7 is Neighbor Day! Stop by your local fire station between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for a tour and to meet your firefighters!

Neighbor Day is a special day set aside to reach out to neighbors, make new friends and express thanks to those who help make your neighborhood a great place to live. Residents, businesses or community groups are all welcome to visit! We look forward to seeing you!

Please note: Our firefighters will still be in-service and may need to leave for emergencies during the open house.

Fire Day at MOHAI

Join us online or in-person for the Seattle Fire Day at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. The Seattle Fire Day commemorates the 133rd anniversary of the Great Seattle Fire that burned more than 25 city blocks and led to the creation of the Seattle Fire Department.

Bring your kids or tune into our Facebook livestream to tour our fire engine and fireboat, listen to firefighter story time, learn about fire safety and much more.

April promotional ceremony

On April 7, we held a promotion ceremony at Fire Station 10 to promote 40 members to new ranks in the department, celebrate professional staff promotions and welcome new employees. Congratulations to all as they step into their new roles. Visit our Fireline blog for a full list of new hires and promotions.

Engine 34 crew attends YMCA Healthy Kids Day event

Engine 34 visit at Meredith Madison YMCA

The Engine 34 crew had so much fun at the Meredith Madison YMCA Healthy Kids Day event. Kids learned a ton about firefighting and had a blast with our crews. Thank you for having us.

Station 10 provides tour for children at Harborview

Station 10 tour for children at Harborview Medical Center

Station 10 tour for children at Harborview

Several of our firefighters volunteer with the Burn Foundation and facilitated a tour of Engine 10 and Ladder 1 for children at Harborview Medical Center.

King County Diversity and Recruitment workshop

On April 9, more than 100 people attended the King County Fire Chiefs Association's second Diversity and Recruitment workshop in our Joint Training Facility. Though the rewards and benefits of a fire service career are many, some members of the community may not see themselves in the role of firefighter or believe there are too many obstacles in the career path. The goal of this workshop was to help address real and perceived barriers for those seeking a fire service career and provide strategies for successfully navigating the hiring process. They also had the opportunity to interact with mentors from many organizations who are currently serving their community as firefighters, EMTs or dispatchers. The next workshop is planned for this fall.

Keeping you safe

As we ease into warmer weather and longer days, we would like to remind you to keep safety in mind when starting your 2022 spring cleaning and other home projects. Click here for tips to help keep you and your family safe!

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:

Topics include (in English):