Smoke Patient On South Hill
Incident #: 2012053118 Date of Incident: 12/08/2012 Issuing Officer: Bruce Moline/Battalion Chief
Narrative:
On December 8th, 2012 at 7:42 A.M. the Spokane Fire Department responded on a medical call located in the 2800 block of S. Post Street due to an emergency medical signal received from a patient inside the home. Engine 9 from their neighborhood station at 18th and Bernard responded to this medical call and discovered smoke detectors sounding from the interior of the home and light smoke showing from around the entry door as they approached. They immediately accessed the home and found an 85 year old female in bed with smoke throughout the dwelling. The lone occupant was unable to remove herself from the bed so the Engine 9 crew and an off duty city firefighter/paramedic who lives across the street, removed the occupant to safety. At this same time, the officer asked for a full fire response bringing additional units to assist in suppressing the fire. The patient who lives alone, was found to be experiencing difficulty breathing and was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center. Crews were able to confine the fire to an overheated furnace in the basement that had melted some nearby plastic material. The main avenue for smoke spread throughout the home was due to an adjacent laundry chute. This incident illustrates the importance of working smoke detectors in the home. The occupants medical activating device also contributed to her surviving this incident. The occupant was evaluated and treated by Fire Department paramedics along with AMR ambulance paramedics and was found to be in stable condition. Please check your smoke detectors and make sure they are in working order. Seconds count in these situations, and an early detection of smoke plus an early medical alert activation played crucial roles for this occupant.
Cause:
Overheated furnace. Defective.
Damage:
Fire confined to furnace and nearby plastic material.
# Firefighters Responding: 21
Dollar Loss: $ 5,000
End Of Release For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002
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