Seattle Responder - April 2023 Edition

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 04/04/2023 02:35 PM PDT

March was a busy month for the Seattle Fire Department. We had numerous complex incidents, including several vacant building fires, a two-alarm fire at a dry boat storage facility, a residential apartment fire with two fatalities as well as a confined space rescue on a barge and a tragic motor vehicle incident on the West Seattle Bridge.

As challenging as these responses are, this is what our Seattle firefighters are prepared to do. In addition to our highly-skilled firefighters and paramedics, we have several teams of firefighters that are trained to conduct specialized extrications and rescues like the ones we faced this month. They prepare for these challenging scenarios so they can respond efficiently and professionally – and that you can have every confidence in our abilities to serve you.

March was Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. We were honored to have one of our female Deputy Chief’s be on a city panel to share her experiences as a firefighter at Seattle Fire and how equity in the workplace has evolved along the way.

Seattle Fire strives to increase the number of women firefighters both to reflect our community and for the strengths they bring. We have a lot work yet in this area, but through efforts of our Women’s Alliance, developing relationships with the workforce development community and supporting the Future Women in EMS and Fire workshops, we are building awareness with a wider audience that fire service is a tremendous career option.

Stay safe, Seattle,

Harold D. Scoggins, Fire Chief

Significant Incidents Recap

Vacant building fire at the 14000 block of Lake City Way Northeast

March 3: Firefighters responded to a vacant building fire at the 14000 block of Lake City Way N.E. Flames extended through the roof, raising concerns of a structural collapse. Crews poured water on the fire from a safe distance away from the building until it was fully extinguished. Investigators rule the fire as undetermined. No injuries were reported, and there is no estimated loss because the building was slated for demolition. Read more on the Fire Line Blog.

Vacant building fire at the former 7-Eleven at the 2000 block of Rainier Avenue South.

March 21: Crews responded to a vacant building fire at a former 7-Eleven on the 2000 block of Rainier Ave. S. in the Jefferson Park and Coleman Triangle neighborhoods. Fire quickly extended through the roof, causing firefighters to withdraw from the building due to concerns of it collapsing. They were able to extinguish the fire and protect the neighboring business. No injuries were reported. Fire investigators ruled the fire as intentionally set with an estimated loss of $75,000. Seattle Police is conducting a follow up investigation. Read more on the Fire Line Blog.

Fatal fire in an apartment unit on the 100 block of 23rd Avenue East.

Photo by John Odegard

March 16: Crews were dispatched to a fire in a third-floor apartment unit at the 100 block of 23rd Ave. E. in the Miller Park neighborhood. Flames broke through the living room window, but firefighters were able to knock it down before it could extend to the roof. Additional crews extinguished the fire inside the unit and searched the home for occupants. Unfortunately, they found two adults and a dog deceased. investigators ruled the fire was accidental with an estimated loss of $120,000. Read more on the Fire Line Blog.

Marina fire at a dry rack boat storage facility at the 700 block of North East Northlake Way

Photy by John Odegard

March 22: Firefighters were dispatched for fire at a dry rack boat storage facility at the 700 block of NE Northlake Way in the University District. The incident quickly escalated to a two-alarm fire as flames extended over 30 vessels. Crews had the fire under control by 3:30 a.m., and several units remained on scene throughout the day to monitor for flare ups. No injuries were reported. Investigators ruled the fire as intentionally set with an estimated loss of $8.5 million. Seattle Police posted an update here. Read more on the Fire Line Blog.

Seattle Fire around the community

31st annual LLS Stair climb at Columbia Tower

Seattle Fire's Team Tristan had 44 firefighter climb to the top of the Columbia Tower to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) on March 13. This is a special stair climb event just for the fire service. We are proud to report that Team Tristan is currently number one in team fundraising, totaling $123,219!

Retired Seattle Fire Captain Dan Nelson is the LLS stair climb’s number one individual fundraiser with $63,195. Firefighter Kyle Mattson was Seattle's fastest climber with a time of 15:50, which placed him 86^th overall for the climb.

This year, Team Tristan climbed in memory of Firefighter Matt Runte and Lt. Luis Batayola.

We also want to give a shout-out to our Services team who provided logistics support at the climb and our team that supplied air bottles for climbers. The LLS expressed their appreciation for them being there to assist.

Seattle Fire Department receives naloxone donation from HarborPath

Seattle Fire Department receives life-saving naloxone donation from Harbor Path nonprofit.

HarborPath, a national nonprofit with over a decade of experience in providing free medication to those in need, has donated 1,000 dosages of intramuscular naloxone to the Seattle Fire Department. The donation, made in partnership with Hikma, will aid first responders in saving lives from the fentanyl and opioid overdose crisis.

Also commonly known as Narcan, naloxone blocks the opioid effects from the brain, quickly reversing overdoses and saving lives. The Naloxone contribution is part of HarborPath’s initiative to make the life-saving drug available and affordable in communities across the country.

Retired firefighter Mike Washington featured on King 5 to discuss mental health

Retired firefighter Mike Washington talks with King 5 to encourage firefighters to reach out for help with mental help.

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and KING TV recently interviewed retired Seattle firefighter Mike Washington, where he encourages first responders to reach out for mental health help. Click here to watch the interview.

Keeping you safe

Springing into home cleaning? Remember these fire and injury prevention tips!

Spring cleaning fire and injury prevention tips

t’s that time of year! Before you start your annual spring cleaning, please read our important fire prevention and safety tips to keep you safe all year long.

Inside the home safety topics include:

Complete a home safety check
Clear your clutter in case of emergencies
Clean and clear your kitchen
Test your smoke and CO alarms
Clean out your clothes dryer

Events & Workshops

King County Diversity and Recruitment Workshop on May 6

The King County Fire Chiefs Association will hold its fourth semi-annual Diversity and Recruitment Workshop on May 6 in Sammamish. The one-day workshop will provide potential applicants useful information on navigating the hiring process to become a firefighter/EMT. Mentors from the profession will also be available to workshop attendees.

This workshop is open to everyone at least 16 years of age, and we encourage members of the BIPOC community, women, bilingual adults, LGBTQIA+ or those with no prior fire service experience to attend. Click here to register by April 29.

Medic One 50th Anniversary Dinner

Medic One’s 50th Anniversary Dinner is back on! The event is on Sat., May 13 at the Seattle Hyatt Regency and pays tribute to the founders, paramedics, physicians, instructors and community members who helped build Medic One into one of the world’s leading pre-hospital emergency medical systems. Click here to purchase tickets.

UW School of Public Health & SFD fall and fire prevention workshops

City of Seattle Fire Department Free Fall & Fire Safety Workshops

These workshops are taught by UW School of Public Health students in collaboration with the Seattle Fire Department and are intended for older adults and their caregivers. Participants will learn strategies and resources to prevent falls and fires at home to remain independent and healthy. Topics include home modification ideas, exercise programs, identifying home fire hazards, importance of smoke/CO alarms and how to respond safely to a home fire.

Upcoming Workshops:
4/11 - West Seattle Senior Center
4/18 - Ravenna Eckstein Community Center
4/25 - Burien Community Center
5/2 - Ballard Senior Center
5/9 - Shoreline Library
5/16 - Queen Anne Community Center
5/23 – Shoreline Lake Forest Park Senior Center