Seattle Fire award ceremony
 On April 18, we gathered at the Embassy Suites Pioneer Square hotel to celebrate our 2023 annual award recipients. More than 350 of us packed the ballroom, including our family and friends as well as community residents and business owners.
Emcees Mark Wright and Asst. Chief Hastings made sure the ceremony ran smoothly and on time as we honored more than 80 individuals whose actions demonstrated “going above and beyond” their regular duty. We also recognized several community members who stepped in to help others, and their actions made a critical difference.
Watch the individual award videos of the 10 employee of the year and lifetime achievement award categories on the Seattle Fire Department's YouTube Channel.
Promotions celebrated
 Fire Chief Harold Scoggins held a promotional ceremony on April 16 at the Fire Station 10 to promote members to new ranks and welcome new professional staff to the department. Congratulations to all as they step into their new roles.
Preparing for the job: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification
Did you know around 75% of Seattle Fire's responses are for patients with an emergency medical issue?
All Seattle firefighters are certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Seattle Fire's application period for entry-level firefighter/EMT is Oct. 4 - Nov. 29, 2024, and there are steps interested applicants can take NOW to get prepared.
An EMT certification is not required at time of application but is required in conjunction with completing recruit school. We strongly encourage applicants to have their EMT certification before the start of recruit school.
There are various programs within Washington state that offer EMT certification, including locally at North Seattle College, Pierce College, Everett Community College, Bates Technical College and many more also offer similar programs.
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Vacant building ordinance
On April 18, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that he submitted emergency legislation to amend the Seattle Fire Code and allow the Seattle Fire Department to order and complete demolition or remediation of unsafe vacant buildings in Seattle.
Fires in vacant buildings have surged in recent years. There were 77 vacant building fires in 2021, 91 in 2022 and 130 in 2023. The 3-alarm Madison St. fire was one of 30 fires that have happened so far this year.
Read more about the proposed ordinance.
Hydrant inspections and what to do if you experience temporarily discolored water
 The 19,000 fire hydrants located within the City of Seattle are maintained and repaired by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and inspected by the Seattle Fire Department (SFD). Firefighters inspect all fire hydrants across the city on an annual basis to ensure they are working properly and will provide sufficient water when needed for fighting a fire. Inspecting hydrants can help save lives and protect property.
Seattle Fire strives to inspect each hydrant within city limits once per year.
Inspections occur between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and when the temperature is above 35 degrees.
If you live near a fire hydrant that has recently been inspected, your drinking water may appear discolored for up to a few hours. This can happen when hydrant flushing changes the direction or rate of flow in a nearby water main.
The discoloration comes from internal pipe rust and sediment getting stirred up. Drinking the water is not harmful but the water can be unsightly.
If you experience discolored water, SPU recommends running the cold water for a few minutes to see if it is clearing or still discolored. If the water does not clear, let the water sit for one to two hours. Then run cold water for a few minutes in your bathtub or shower. Do not run the hot water to try to clear the water. If the water remains discolored, please contact SPU’s 24/7 Operations Response Center at (206) 386-1800.
SFD and SPU are working in partnership to help minimize discolored water when hydrants are inspected.
The two departments are also sharing information to help keep customers informed about inspections that may have occurred in their neighborhood. This includes a procedure in place whereby SFD notifies SPU’s Operation Response Center just prior to flowing water.
Hydrant inspections within neighborhoods is dependent on when the fire station is able to work it into their schedule in between emergency calls and training.
Firefighters may plan for or be in the middle of conducting hydrant inspections and get pulled away to an emergent incident, having to push inspections to a later date, which is why advance notice for inspecting the city’s 19,000 hydrants from within 33 fire station districts has been a challenge.
Help us train our newest firefighters
We need homes or buildings scheduled for demolition to train our newest firefighters the week of May 13, 2024! The project must have a demolition permit in hand. Learn more about our acquired structure program.
Have a building that qualifies? Fill out the intake form on the website, or email your name, building address and contact information to SFD_inservicetraining@seattle.gov.
Thank you in advance for helping our firefighters be prepared to respond to fire, rescue and medical emergencies 24/7 in Seattle!
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