Thanksgiving Safety Reminder

Thanksgiving is the peek day for home cooking fires across the nation. According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. firefighters responded to roughly 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment on Thanksgiving 2007. The Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) would like to encourage you to add the following cooking safety tips to your Thanksgiving recipes this holiday.

Cook with Caution
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Keep all combustibles away from the cooking devices.
• Keep children away from the cooking areas to reduce the risk of burns and fires.
• Do not wear clothing with loose sleeves while cooking.
• Ensure that you have a fire extinguisher and a working smoke alarm on each level of your home.
• Remember to handle, prepare and cook food safely.

Finally, check out the following information from the Underwriters Laboratory regarding deep fat frying turkeys and turkey fryers. There are so many hazards related to these devices, the UL won’t certify any turkey fryers for use and TFD strongly recommends you do not use them.

TFD Media Release - Rope Rescue

Incident Date: 11/19/09
Issuing Officer: Joe Meinecke 253.255.3260
Incident Type: High-Angle Rope Rescue
Incident Location: 4500 -5000 block of Marine View Drive near Herron Ridge Dr NE

Narrative: At 10:17 a.m. Thursday November 19th 2009, Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) responded to a reported vehicle over an embankment in the Herron Ridge area off of Marine View Drive in North East Tacoma.

After assessing the location of the vehicle, the first arriving companies quickly called for a technical rescue operation. Approximately 21 firefighters and command staff conducted a High-Angle Rope Rescue (due to the very steep slope) using a Stokes Stretcher to rescue one patient from the vehicle.

The patient was transported to a local area hospital.

Focus on Fire Safety - Home Heating Equipment

According to the National Fire Protection Association home heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February, In fact in 2006, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 64,100 reported U.S. home structure fires, with associated losses of 540 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries, and $943 million in direct property damage. Given these sobering statistics, the Tacoma Fire Department encourages you to check your heating systems and watch how you heat as winter approaches.
Chimneys
Make sure your fireplace and wood stove have a clean chimney.
Portable Heaters
Remember, keep combustibles three feet from the heat.
Furnaces
An annual inspection is key.
Barbeque's and carbon monoxide poisoning
Never use a barbecue indoors for heating due to winter storms and extended power outages.

Residential Structure Fire

Incident Date: 10/29/09
Issuing Officer: Joe Meinecke 253.573.2588
Incident Type: Residential Structure Fire
Incident Location: 2329 South “L” Street
Probable Cause: Curling Iron
Damages: $75,000
Injuries: None

Narrative: At 6:04 a.m. Thursday October 29th 2009, 7 companies of Tacoma Firefighters – 5 Engines, 1 Ladder, and 1 Medic Unit responded to a reported residential structure fire at 2329 South “L” Street. The first arriving units found smoke and flames showing from a second floor bedroom.

Crews attacked the fire with hand lines, conducted primary search and rescue and used a Thermal Imaging Camera to check for fire extension and hot spots once they had the main fire contained. The occupants (2 adults & 4 children) escaped unharmed and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

UPDATE: Fire investigators have determined that the cause of the fire was a curling iron next to combustible materials, resulting in an estimated $75,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Smoke Alarms...

Tacoma Fire Department would like to remind everyone to take a few moments to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms this weekend.

Smoke alarms most often fail because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries, so maintenance is a simple and effective way to protect your family and reduce home fire deaths.

According to the Washington State Fire Marshal, 82 percent of fire deaths in our State occur in homes without working smoke alarms and the peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. - when most families are sleeping.

For best protection, it is recommended that people install alarms utilizing both (ionization and photoelectric) technology and ones that have long life 10 year lithium ion batteries.

Visit the United States Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association for additional information regarding smoke alarm types, installation, maintenance and safety.

Spotlight on Safety...

Narrative: On Saturday, October 24th, Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) presented an informative class on boat and marina safety to liveaboard residents and boats owners at the Foss Harbor Marina. Boat fires are particularly dangerous and a fire on one boat can turn quickly turn into the loss of numerous boats or even a whole marina. Participants at today's class learned about:

*The proper use of marine-approved cord sets.
*Smoke Alarms and CO2 detectors.
*The proper use of portable Fire Extinguishers.
*General Fire and Life safety precautions.

The Fire Boat Commencement was also on scene and provided tours of one of our most unique pieces of firefighting equipment. Visit the US Coast Guard for additional information about boating safety.

Commercial Structure Fire Update

Incident Type: Commercial Structure Fire
Incident Location: 220 S. 27th Street
Probable Cause: Undetermined
Damage Estimates: $45,000 Building $35,000 Contents
Injuries: None

UPDATE: Fire Investigators have concluded that the cause of today's fire at the Teamsters Hall & Offices at 220 S. 27th St. is undetermined. The damage estimates for the building and contents is approximately $80,000.