June 2020
Here’s the latest news impacting Seattle Fire Fighters…
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Photo Courtesy of Greg Gilbert/Seattle Times
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Seattle City Council authorizes $8M to buy and prep site for new Fire Station 31
Seattle will spend about $8 million to buy and prepare a site in Northgate for the construction of a new fire station. The City Council voted Monday to allocate the money and authorize the purchase. The new Fire Station 31 will replace an existing station at 1319 N. Northgate Way that shut down in June due to concerns about conditions there, including mold. Firefighters had nicknamed the old station “Cancer House,” because many who worked there were diagnosed with cancer. The new site is at 11302 Meridian Ave. N., about two blocks away, and is mostly vacant.
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Seattle Fire Fighters Help Provide Meals and Opportunity for Front Line Workers
King County Unions and workers have donated tens of thousands of dollars to provide free meals to frontline health care workers. The “Labor Supports Labor” meal donation drive seeks to provide a meal to every health care worker in King County who are risking their health to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Donations are being accepted over GoFundMe. However, many unions have been writing checks to pay for meals.
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Seattle Fire Fighters Remember Mental Health Awareness Month
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are participating in national We Remember Night in support of families of firefighters and EMS members who have taken their own lives. We want to help raise awareness about behavioral health issues affecting first responders, especially in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic where many of us are on the front lines providing emergency medical services. More than 20 years ago, Seattle firefighters started their own Peer Support Team with the goal of helping each other cope with traumatic incidents, manage stress and build resilience.
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SFD Adds 21 New Recruits to their Ranks
On May, 15
th
, 21 recruits graduated from our academy and are now entering their one-year probationary phase where they'll be assigned to stations throughout the city working alongside veteran firefighters responding to real incidents. Congratulations to the new recruits!
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International Firefighters’ Day
On May 4, 2020, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) joined in the celebration of International Firefighters’ Day which began on May 4, 1999, after the deaths of five Australian firefighters in a wildland fire. New this year, the NFFF is asking members of the public to light their homes in “red” on May 4-5 to celebrate International Firefighters’ Day. They ask that families share their stories on social media using #ShineYourLight4Firefighters.
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Several boats burn as fire rages through marina under West Seattle Bridge
Several boats burned as a fire raged through a Harbor Island marina Friday night. The marina manager called 911 around 9:30 p.m. to report that boats were burning at the boathouse just off SW Spokane Street under the West Seattle Bridge, according to David Cuerpo with Seattle Fire. "There was explosions," said witness Mike Drake. "Once it went, it was pretty much a monster on it's own. It was unbelievable."
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Crews respond to construction site fire at South Seattle College
The Seattle Fire Department responded to a construction fire at the South Seattle College campus on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Fire crews went to the 6000 block of 16th Ave SW around 1 p.m. for a fire at construction site. A tweet from the department said that crews had water on the fire and most of it has been knocked down. The response was later reduced to fewer units.
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Recent fires at Seattle homeless camps raise new questions about their removal
A spate of recent fires at homeless camps in the city has prompted new questions about the thresholds for removal of the encampments during the current COVID-19 crisis. Early Saturday morning, crews were forced to close Interstate 5 in both directions because of a fire in a small homeless camp located in the middle of the highway directly underneath the Washington State Convention Center. The highway was closed because drivers could not see through the smoke.
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Firefighters battle brush fire in Magnolia
Seattle firefighters battled a brush fire in an encampment in the woods of Magnolia Wednesday morning. The fire broke out just before 8:30 a.m. in the 2900 block of West Galer Street. Firefighters arrived to find flames burning about a 30x30 foot area in the woods. Crews worked to get water on the flames and protect nearby buildings, officials said. It was deemed under control within 30 minutes.
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Photo Courtesy of Mike Siegel of The Seattle Times
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To Ensure Appropriate Response Times During Bridge Closure, City Announces Additional Medic One Unit and Ladder Truck for West Seattle
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Seattle Fire Chief Harold D. Scoggins today announced the Seattle Fire Department will dedicate two additional units to serve the residents of West Seattle. A medic unit (Medic 26) staffed with two paramedics will be located at Station 26, and a ladder truck (Ladder 13) staffed with four firefighter-EMTs will be located at Station 37. Beginning in June, these units will be in-service for responding to emergencies 24-hours per day, seven days a week.
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Fred Hutch study targets front-line workers most at risk from the coronavirus
Early in the novel coronavirus pandemic, Nick Fugate figured he would probably get infected sooner or later. As a paramedic with King County Medic One, he and his colleagues were transporting gravely ill patients every day, amid an atmosphere of uncertainty and urgency. Even now that hospitalizations have declined, Fugate puts his odds at 50-50. “We are still seeing COVID patients pretty regularly, particularly in the nursing home facilities and our other vulnerable populations,” he said.
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Photo Courtesy of KOMO News
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Man found dead in Elliott Bay
The body of a man was found floating in Elliott Bay Monday afternoon. A Seattle Fire boat was sent to the scene about a mile west of Colman Dock around noon. There, they discovered the body, according to Seattle Fire officials.
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Man hospitalized after Capitol Hill shooting on Sunday afternoon
A man was hospitalized Sunday afternoon after he was shot in an alleyway near the 1400 block of East Olive Way, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The man who was shot, described by the Seattle Fire Department as being in his 20s, was in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center.
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Seattle to permanently close streets to vehicles for stay healthy initiative
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Thursday that 20 miles of closed city streets that were shuttered in order to accommodate socially distant outdoor activities will remain closed permanently and more streets could be added. Durkan made the announcement during a press conference although officials did not elaborate on what prompted the decision to close the streets for good.
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Warm weather threatens Washington snowpack, leading to concerns of drought, fires
Washington’s important winter snowpack got off to a slow start, but the good news is that state ended up above normal because of precipitation in other parts of the state. However, this April there wasn’t much rain or snowfall and this weekend's warm temperatures will lead to a loss of snow — and that's not such good news.
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CDC plans sweeping COVID-19 antibody study in 25 metropolitan areas
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans a nationwide study of up to 325,000 people to track how the new coronavirus is spreading across the country into next year and beyond, a CDC spokeswoman and researchers conducting the effort told Reuters. The CDC study, expected to launch in June or July, will test samples from blood donors in 25 metropolitan areas for antibodies created when the immune system fights the coronavirus, said Dr. Michael Busch, director of the nonprofit Vitalant Research Institute.
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Fire hydrant testing happening in May – You might have discolored water temporarily
Each year, firefighters test all fire hydrants in Seattle to make sure that they are working properly and will provide sufficient water if ever needed for a fire. Working in collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) who maintain and repair the fire hydrants, the Seattle Fire Department sets a schedule to test the hydrants during the warmer months. Fire hydrant testing is happening now and should continue until the end of May. Hydrant testing is typically done in the morning hours between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
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Emergency Medical Workers Are Integral to the Fight Against Coronavirus. Just a Few Decades Ago, America's EMS System Didn't Even Exist
EMS Week, which took place in 2020 from May 17-23, is an annual time to recognize the life-saving efforts of emergency medical services personnel. While celebratory events won’t take place in person this year, EMS personnel are getting more recognition than usual: even before EMS week, virtually and during daily cheers for healthcare workers, they are widely hailed as heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. But though sick people have always needed someone to help get them to medical attention, the modern American EMS field is only about five decades old — and can be traced to what one scholarly report called a “neglected epidemic.”
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Seattle fire fighter father honors front-line daughter
Mike Washington knows a thing or two about heroism. The Marine Corps veteran has been a Seattle firefighter for 26 years. His son, Michael, gave his life at age 20 fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. But Mike has never experienced anything like what his daughter is enduring right now. Mike's daughter, Aja Collins, is an ICU nurse in Augusta, Georgia.
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IAFF LINE-OF-DUTY
DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Edward J. Ciocca (White Plans Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 274):
Passed away on 5/1/20 from Infectious Disease.
Matthew J. Kelly (Savannah Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 574):
Passed away on 5/4/20 from Pancreatic Cancer.
David W. Mathis (United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association Local 493):
Passed away on 5/5/20 from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
David F. Jameson (Professional Firefighters of Independence Local 781):
Passed away on 5/7/20 from an Undetermined Cause.
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About Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27:
The Seattle Fire Department became a paid, professional department in 1889 with 32 fire fighters, but it wasn’t until 1917 that the original City Fire Fighters Union No. 15462 was organized. In 1918, the International Association of Fire Fighters was established and the City Fire Fighters Union was admitted as Local 27, one of 218 charter locals. Local 27 has made significant improvements in wages, hours, and working conditions. These advances were due to the hard work and dedication of union officers and the solidarity and support of the membership. For more information, visit iaff27.com.
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