Firefighters in the Community

 

Next time you are out and about don't be surprised if you see your local firefighters grocery shopping or performing fitness activities in public. Since firefighters work from 8 AM to 8 AM the next day, and provide their own meals, they must purchase the necessary supplies to prepare their own food throughout their shift. Preparing and sharing meals together is recommended for all firefighters at SFD. Cooking and eating together reinforces that firefighters are a team that must work together; which we believe helps them do their jobs more safely and effectively.

During their 24 hour shifts firefighters also do physical fitness training at the station; however they also like to explore jogging at a local track, running outdoor stairs, etc. Firefighting is an extremely stressful and physically demanding job and therefore firefighters must continually work to stay fit.

Spokane Fire crews do not have to be located at their station to be dispatched to a call. Whenever companies are away from the station, they are always within their first due districts, have a fire apparatus, a full crew, and are always in contact with the dispatch center by radio, mobile data computer and pager. Emergency response takes precedence over everything else a firefighter does.

So if you see a fire apparatus in a grocery store parking lot or exercising at a local track, know that Spokane Fire Department is always ready to respond at a moment's notice.

Use 911 for EMERGENCIES...

Use 9-1-1 to save a life, report a fire or to stop a crime. 9-1-1 is the right number to call in an emergency when a PROMPT RESPONSE is needed. There could be a fire, fight or an assault occurring right now or a medical problem occurring now which could be life threatening. 

The person who answers your 9-1-1 call is a trained professional. They will ask you questions in order to determine what kind of help you need – Fire/Medical or Police. Be prepared to state the nature of the emergency, and please answer all the questions. Answering questions DOES NOT DELAY the response. As they ask their questions, keep your answers as short and direct as possible. 

Questions could include:

• What number are you calling from?
• What is the location?
• What is the problem?

While on the phone with the call taker, EMERGENCY help is being dispatched. Staying on the line, if asked to do so, will NOT delay help from responding units. Fire Dispatchers are all specially trained to give direct, clear instructions to the caller if indicated to assist them in taking life-saving action prior to the arrival of Fire Department resources.  If it is possible and does not compromise your safety, do not hang up the phone until the dispatcher says it is okay to hang up.

What if I call 9-1-1 by mistake?

Please stay on the line if you call 9-1-1 by accident, and tell the dispatcher that everything is OK. If you do not stay on the line, a police officer to your home to make sure there is not a problem.

When should I use Crime Check?

(509) 456-2233 is a ten digit non-emergency number which you can dial 24 hours a day in Spokane County for non-emergency crime reporting. Using Crime Check keeps 9-1-1 available for true EMERGENCIES.

Citizens are reminded that a quick response in an emergency depends upon each of us using the emergency system and the non-emergency number properly.

Take Steps to Prevent a Tragedy with Portable Heaters!

With temperatures diminishing across the Pacific Northwest, many of us are using portable electric heaters.

While they can be an efficient way to warm a room or supplement central heating, portable electric heaters can also be a fire or electric shock hazard if not used properly.

The SFD joins the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in encouraging the safe use of portable electric heaters:

·         Read the manufacturer's instructions and warning labels before using your heater.

·         Never leave an operating heater unattended and always unplug the heater when not in use.

·         Unplug the heater by pulling the plug straight from the outlet. Inspect the power cord regularly, and never use a heater with a damaged cord.

·         Check periodically for a secure plug/outlet fit. If the plug does not fit snugly into the outlet or if the plug becomes very hot, the outlet may need to be replaced. Check with a qualified electrician to replace the outlet.

·         Do not use a power strip or extension cord to power your heater. Overheating of the power strip or extension cord could result in a fire.

·         Do not plug any other electrical device into the same outlet as your heater. This could result in overheating.

·         String the included power cord above any rug or carpeting. Anything you place on top of a cord - including furniture, may damage it.

·         Keep combustible materials such as furniture, pillows, bedding, papers, clothes, curtains, paint, gas cans and matches at least three feet from the front of the heater and away from the sides and rear. Do not block the heater's air intake or outlet.

·         Unless the heater is designed for outdoor use or in bathrooms, do not use in damp or wet areas. Parts in the heater may be damaged by moisture.

·         Place the heater on a level, flat surface. Only use a heater on tabletops when specified by the manufacturer.

·         Heaters should be kept away from pets and children and never used in a child's room without adult presence.

·         Seniors, the disabled, those living alone or in student housing may be at INCREASED RISK due to careless or improper use of heaters. If you know someone in this risk category, please share this safety list and your concerns.

1980 Zukor Fire Gets a Mention in the Spokesman Review

Thanks to the Spokesman Review for their article this morning mentioning the Zukor Building and resulting fire on March 2, 1980. The news story mentions that "the building was destroyed in a 1980 blaze that also killed a firefighter." But the short mention is only a piece of the story... Robert Hanna (47 y/o) was the firefighter that was killed in the arson fire. He was the Captain on Ladder 7 and... had 22 years with the department. He lived with his wife, Carolyn, and had three sons. The fire remains an open investigation with the SFD.

Captain Hanna was one of 65 firefighters fighting the first four-alarm fire in thirty years in Spokane. The Zukor Building had been "fully involved" with fire when the first companies arrived. The firefight had de-escalated and in overhaul when the accident took place. Firefighter Bob Green and Captain Hanna were in the bucket of Ladder Tower 7 directing a water stream into the smoldering ruins when the front of the building collapsed, hitting them with heavy falling debris from above. Captain Hanna was hit by a piece of the cornice and fatally injured. Firefighter Green was hospitalized with severe back injuries. Captain Hanna was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital accompanied by his son, Firefighter Robert Hanna, where he died from his head injuries. Captain Hanna's son remains on the Department today and serves as a Deputy Chief. Bob Green also remains on the SFD as a Battalion Chief. Both men serve in leadership positions and represent the epitome of professionalism and commitment to the SFD's mission. Spokane lost a true hero on March 2, 1980 - That is the rest of the story.

You can read more on SFD's other Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) at http://www.spokanefire.org/departments/fallen/default.aspx

Happy 90th Birthday Betty White !

Happy 90th Birthday Betty White, and thank you for your continued support of the Fire Service (and our friend Smokey Bear)...

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

Winter Safety Reminder

Incident #:  n/a
Date of Incident:  1/20/2012
Issuing Officer:  Lisa Jones / Fire Marshal

Narrative:
Winter Weather Safety Tips . Shovel snow away from fire hydrants and storm drains. . Park on the side of the street with odd-numbered addressing. . Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or power strip. . Always place fireplace embers outside, away from the house, in a metal container with a lid. . Read the back label on your smoke detectors to find their exact date of manufacture. Replace any detector that is more than ten years old. . Install at least one photoelectric smoke detector on each level of the home because it will sound the alarm in a smoldering fire from ten to forty minutes faster than the more common ionization detector. . If the power goes out, use flashlights rather than candles for temporary lighting. . Never bring a barbecue inside a house to warm a room or cook a meal. The resulting carbon monoxide gases can seriously poison or kill everyone in the home. . Never use an oven to heat the house. You risk a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. . Install at least one carbon monoxide detector outside the sleeping areas in your home. Current snow and slush conditions create extra challenges for everyone, including emergency responders. Spokane Fire Department asks residents to help keep their neighborhood fire hydrants clear of snow and ice in order to prevent additional delays in the event of a fire. Narrow streets that are further obstructed by cars and snow berms can prevent fire trucks and ambulances from gaining access. The City's Stage 2 Snow Declaration requires that Citizens park only on the odd side of the street in all residential areas. Keeping snow and slush clear from curb cuts and sidewalks helps with access and flooding problems due to clogged water drains at intersections. Winter conditions can increase the number of fire dangers and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. Using extra vigilance toward home, family and neighborhood safety will help keep Spokane SAFE.

Cause:
n/a

Damage:
n/a

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

North Battalion Apartment Fire

Incident #:  201202022#
Date of Incident:  1/16/2012
Issuing Officer:  Battalion Chief Bill Donahoe

Narrative:
On Monday, January 16, 2012 at 02:19, seven Companies of Spokane Firefighters, four Engines, two Senior Ladders, one Heavy Rescue under the direction of Battalion Chief's Donahoe and Moline responded to a reported Apartment Fire at 3004 North Lincoln. The Dispatcher reported that the female resident, who had called 911, was still in the apartment with her dog. Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire showing out of a first floor window of the two story Apartment Building. Crews were quickly assigned to attack the fire, search for possible victims, and ventilate the structure. The Ladder Company completing the search in the involved apartment located the female resident and her dog in the heavy black smoke. They both were rescued from the fire, the female was transported to a local Hospital for smoke inhalation and unfortunately the dog did not survive. The fire was quickly knocked down with crews remaining on scene into the morning overhauling the fire. The five unit Apartment Building has had the utilities shut down until repairs can be completed. The residents are being assisted by Red Cross. No injuries to Fire Fighters or other residents were reported.

Cause:
The cause of this fire remains under investigation by the Spokane Fire Department's Special Investigation Unit.

Damage:
There was extensive fire damage to the first floor apartment along with smoke damage to the first and second floor. There was also water damage to the basement apartment unit.

# Firefighters Responding: 22

Dollar Loss: $100,000.00

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

Construction trailer fire

Incident #:  2012001174
Date of Incident:  1/9/2012
Issuing Officer:  Battalion Chief Jones

Narrative:
Monday January 9th 2012 at 11:57 AM eight Companies of Spokane Firefighters, five engines, two ladders, and one heavy rescue under the directions of Battalion Chiefs Jones, and Haworth responded to a reported fire at 1411 E Mission. The first arriving company was Spokane Ladder 2 they reported heavy flame involvement to a construction trailer. Spokane Ladder 2 set up command and made assignment to in coming companies. The fire was quickly extinguished with hose leads from Spokane Engine2 . There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.

Cause:
This incident is currently under investigateion by menbers of the Spokane Fire Department's Special Investigation Unit.

Damage:
Loss of the construction trailer and contents.

# Firefighters Responding: 22

Dollar Loss: $45,000

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

Get the tree out of your home today!

Incident #: 
Date of Incident:  1/8/2012
Issuing Officer:  AC Schaeffer

Narrative:
Dry Christmas Trees are extreme fire hazards. The SFD encourages you to remove and recycle your natural Christmas Tree as soon as possible. In the City of Spokane, convenient service is available with your weekly rubbish collection, or at special drop-off locations. For those living in the City of Spokane... Recycle at Home: The Waste Management Department offers free curbside pickup for its customers Tuesday, Dec. 27 through Friday, Jan. 20. Once the decorations are removed, residents can place their fresh-cut trees at least three feet away from the refuse cart. You can recycle their Christmas Trees by following 3 easy steps: 1 .REMOVE ornaments, decorations, tinsel and stand; 2. CUT the tree in pieces if taller than 6 feet in height; and 3. PLACE the tree pieces three feet away from their trash bin on their regularly scheduled garbage pickup days No Curbside Collection?: Bring Your Tree to a Drop-off Site! trees taller than 6 feet should be cut in half. Also, trees taken to these facilities are subject to a $5 minimum charge for clean green disposal; they will be composted. For more information, call the Recycling Hotline at 625-6800. - Waste-to-Energy Facility, 2900 S. Geiger Blvd. - Spokane Valley Transfer Station, 3941 N. Sullivan Road. - North Side Transfer Station, 22123 Elk-Chattaroy Road

Cause:
N/A

Damage:
N/A

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

Laboratory Fire and Evacuation

Incident #:  2012000430#
Date of Incident:  1/4/2012
Issuing Officer:  Battalion Chief Bill Donahoe

Narrative:
On Tuesday January 3rd at 22:26, 7 Companies of Spokane Firefighters, 4 Engines, 2 Senior Ladders and 1 Heavy Rescue under the direction of Battalion Chiefs Donahoe and Moline responded to a Laboratory Fire at 3525 North Regal. The first arriving Ladder Company reported moderate smoke emitting from the roof of the tall one story commercial building. Companies were assigned to locate and extinguish the fire, ventilate the roof, and evacuate the employees. The fire was found in a roof mounted auto clave unit and extinguished within 20 minutes. There was no extension of the fire and no involvement of Hazardous Materials in the Laboratory. Approximately 100 employees were successfully evacuated and later returned into the uninvolved portion of the building. The laboratory specializes in immunotherapy and contract manufacturing and should be back in operation today. No civilian injuries or firefighters were reported.

Cause:
The Spokane Fire Department Special Investigation Unit has determined the cause to be an electrical failure of the autoclave unit.

Damage:
Damage was confined to the Auto Clave Unit.

# Firefighters Responding: 24

Dollar Loss: $10,000.00

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

Early Morning Historic Residence Fire

Incident #:  2012000167
Date of Incident:  1/2/2012
Issuing Officer:  AC Schaeffer

Narrative:
On January 2, 2012 at 06:52AM, 8 Companies of Spokane Firefighters, 2 Senior Ladders, 5 Engines, 1 Heavy Rescue under the direction of Battalion Chiefs Green and Jones, responded to a Structure Fire at 506 West Sumner on Spokane's South Hill. Initially, a single Engine was dispatched to an automatic residential alarm. Engine 9 from the lower South Hill's Fire Station arrived within minutes and reported smoke showing from the upper floors of the 87-year old historic mansion. The incident was upgraded to a "working fire" as over 28 Spokane Firefighters quickly descended upon the three-story home for what was confirmed by first arriving resources as a quick moving fire in the second and third floors. Because of the building's compartmentalized construction and its complexity in design, the fire was able to gather energy and create violent fire behavior as it consumed combustibles in bedrooms and hallways. Great lengths were taken to keep this Spokane area landmark and historical content safe from extensive damage. Thanks to an aggressive fire-attack, coupled with skillful work by ladder companies, Firefighters were able to fully extinguish the fire in just one hour. There were no occupants in the residence at the time of the fire and no reported injuries to firefighters as a result of this incident.

Cause:
Firefighters successfully confined the fire which limited damage to predominately the northwest sections of the second floor.

Damage:
The exact cause remains under active investigation by SFD's SIU. Dollar loss and damage estimates were not yet available.

# Firefighters Responding: 28

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

SFD Media Release - For more information on this release please call (509)625-7002

3 year old injured at first fire of year

Incident #:  2012000052
Date of Incident:  1/1/2012
Issuing Officer:  Craig Cornelius / Battalion Chief

Narrative:
On January 1, 2012 at 05:46 AM 6 Companies of Spokane Firefighters 4 Engines, 1 Senior Ladder, 1 Heavy Rescue and two Battalion Chiefs responded to a reported structure fire located at 707 E. Illinois Ave. Firefighters under the direction of Lt. Darryl Wisniewski from Station 2 arrived within 4 minutes to find heavy smoke and fire showing from the rear of the home. The fire was upgraded to a working fire and an additional ladder and engine were added to the incident. Lt. Wisniewski made immediate contact with the family living at the home and verified that everyone was accounted for and out of the structure. The family's 3 year old daughter sustained heavy burns to both of her legs. The child and parents were immediately transported to SHMC by ambulance. Pre-connected hoselines were advanced into the front of the home to confine the flames to the rear portion of the structure and extinguish it on both floors where it was burning. Initial visibility inside the home was poor for the firefighters advancing hoselines and searching. Both ladder companies at this incident were deployed to provide for ventilation. A coordinated effort of firefighters knocked the fire down and brought its progression under control within 20 minutes. The extensive fire damage and its investigation will keep firefighters on scene for a good portion of the morning following up with the fire's final extinguishment. The 3 year old fire victim is currently being treated for extensive 2nd and 3rd degree burns. The cause of this fire is still under investigation at the time of this media release. Additional information will be made available when the investigative process is complete.

Cause:
At the time of this media release, investigators are still working at the fire.

Damage:
Heavy damage to rear portion of the home's fisrt and second floor.

# Firefighters Responding: 27

Dollar Loss: $75000

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002