Battalion 4 (NW Seattle) – Page 2

Firefighters rescue trapped woman and cat from burning home

May 24—Seattle Fire Investigator determined a house fire in the 600 block of NW 80th Street was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials on the back deck.

At 11:07 a.m. firefighters were called to the house for reports of a back porch on fire. When firefighters arrived they found the 2-story home with basement charged with smoke. Some residents evacuated when the buildings fire alarms sounded. A female in her 50’s was trapped in her 2nd floor bedroom and unable to evacuate due to the heavy smoke in the house. Firefighters from Engine Company 35 rescued the trapped female and her cat from the second floor room using a ladder. The woman was evaluated by medics and did not need further treatment.

It took fire crews 7 minutes to control the fire and 20 minutes to completely extinguish the flames. The damage was limited to the back porch, the kitchen and the siding of the group home. The damage estimate is $65,000 to the building and contents.

Due to the smoke and fire damage, residents were not allowed back into the home. The Red Cross was called out to assist 5 people displaced by the fire.

There were no injuries.

Car Drives Through North Seattle Restaurant

Photo Courtesy of Josh Trujillo SeattlePI.com

April 24- Seattle Firefighters responded to a North Seattle restaurant after a car plowed through the front window of the business.

At 11:17 a.m. a 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting a car into a building in the 13500 block of Aurora Avenue North with a person possibly trapped. The driver told authorities that he was parking the car when he stepped on the gas instead of the brake and ran into the restaurant. The 3 people inside the car were able to safely evacuate on their own.

The restaurant was closed at the time of the crash. A female worker was in the back of the building but was uninjured.

The crash shattered the front window and door but did not cause significant structural damage. A tow truck was able to pull the car out of the restaurant.

Early Morning RV Fire Causes $5,000 in Damage

February 24—Seattle Fire Investigators determined the cause of an early morning RV fire in Ballard was accidental, caused by a burning candle inside the coach.

At 2:31 a.m., multiple 911 callers reported hearing an explosion and then a fire in the RV that was parked on NW 45th Street and 6Th Avenue NW. When firefighters arrived they found the two occupants of the motorhome has safely evacuated. Because everyone was out of the burning coach, firefighters went defensive, meaning they fought the flames from outside if the RV. It took 8 minutes for firefighters to get the fire under control and 13 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

The burning RV caught a telephone/power pole on fire. Power lines were directly above the burning motorhome which caused a hazard for firefighters.

AMR transported both occupants of the RV to HMC after they suffered minor burns to their hands.

Fire investigators determined there was no evidence of an explosion just a fire inside the RV. The damage estimate is $5,000 to the motorhome.

Man Rescued After Being Trapped 18 hours in Rail Car

February 4—Seattle Firefighters rescued a 25-year-old man trapped in a void space on a train car this morning.

Around 8:15 a.m., walkers along the Burke Gillman Trail heard a man screaming for help in the 6200 block of Seaview Avenue NW. The good Samaritans called 911. When firefighter arrived, they found the patient head first down a narrow steel chute. The man’s head was popping out through the bottom of the chute underneath the train. The man’s feet were popping out of the top of the chute. The patient explained he was trapped in this confined space for 18 hours.

It took about two minutes to free the man. Eventually firefighters were able to carefully lift the man up by his legs to get him out of his precarious position. The man did not have any visible injuries. Medics transported him to Swedish Ballard to be evaluated.

The dry goods rail tanker car was located on a short section of track that was used for railcar storage.

Queen Anne/Interbay Fire Station Open House Saturday January 31, 2015

Community invited to check out Seattle’s newest and most sustainable fire station

Fire Station 20 hosts an open house 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015

SEATTLE – The Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27, invite the community to check out Seattle’s brand new Fire Station 20, located at 2800 15th Ave. W. in the west Queen Anne neighborhood during an open house from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.

“The new station allows for an improved and safer work facility for the firefighters,” said Interim Fire Chief Michael E. Walsh. “We welcome the community to stop by and check out the features of this new fire station and also learn more about the public safety protection the firefighters provide on a daily basis.

Fire Station 20 is set to become the most sustainable fire station not only in Seattle, but in the entire state of Washington. The station meets the 2015 energy reduction guidelines of the Architecture 2030 challenge, and its materials and features will earn enough points for LEED Platinum certification.

“Seattle is known worldwide for its environmental leadership. City policy mandates LEED Gold for new construction, and we’ve gone well beyond that with this new fire station,” said Mayor Edward Murray. “This remarkable achievement supports my vision for Seattle, as we continue to push the boundaries, seeking innovative and creative solutions to ensure the most efficient use of resources – our natural resources, as well as taxpayer dollars.”

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, is the U.S. Green Building Council’s certification program recognizing best-in-class green building strategies. While the City of Seattle facility is not the first in the state to earn LEED Platinum status, the points expected for Fire Station 20 will outnumber the only other station with platinum status, making it the “most sustainable.”

The station’s sustainable features include ultra-low flow plumbing fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and efficient irrigation systems, infiltration garden filters, LED light fixtures, ground source heat pump and a rooftop solar panel array. The station also features a recovery system for heat exhausted from the building and an energy management and control system to maximize efficiency.

Also installed at the fire station is a free-standing sculpture titled “Wind and Water,” commissioned as part of the city’s public art program. Created by Los Angeles artist Rob Ley, it features long strands of stainless steel tubing, welded together to create an abstract representation of wind and water. The public art program specifies that 1 percent of eligible city capital improvement funds be set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks in a variety of settings.

Fire Station 20 will house Engine 20 and a crew of four firefighters. The new facility features an extra apparatus bay, so it can accommodate an EMS unit if needed in the future.

The new station was designed by Schacht Aslani Architects of Seattle, and the contractor is Forma Construction Company. Construction on this $10.2 million project began in July 2013 and was completed in December 2014. During construction of the new station, firefighters stayed in their existing facility. Fire Station 20 is one of 32 neighborhood fire stations being upgraded, renovated or replaced through the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy, which was approved by Seattle voters in 2003. Fire Station 20 is located at 2800 15th Ave. W., Seattle.