Cigarette ignites apartment fire in North End Retirement Community

Incident Date:  11/20/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 6414 N. Park Wy
Incident Type:  Apartment Fire

Narrative:  At 10:34 AM Firefighters from station 1,2,4,9,13,14 and 16 responded to a reported apartment fire in an independent living retirement community.

The first arriving company found fire and smoke showing from the balcony area of a second floor apartment in a large multi-family dwelling unit. Operationally, crews attacked the fire with handlines, while other firefighters organized search and rescue efforts to check multiple apartments on multiple floors to assure that no one was trapped in the fire or in harms way.

The buildings fire protection system assisted with the positive life safety outcome in this incident;  the fire alarms provided early notification to the tenets of the danger, and the sprinkler system activated helping contain the fire to the apartment of origin.

Three people were evaluated by paramedics for injuries and released at the scene.

The cause of the fire was an improperly discarded cigarette igniting combustibles material resulting in an estimated $30,000 damage to the building and its contents.

 

Requests for Service - October 2013

TFD Incidents by Initial Dispatch Type

TFD - Incidents	October	2013 (YTD)	2012 (YTD)
Fire	70	1,209	1,363
Emergency Medical	2,743	26,909	26,709
All Other (e.g. hazardous conditions, search and rescue, automatic fire alarms)	461	4,567	5,323
Total	3,274	32,585	33,395

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Protecting People, Property & the Environment

Unattended candle ignites house fire on S. 37th Street

Incident Date:  11/4/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  1201 S. 37th St.
Incident Type: House Fire

Narrative:  At 9:34 p.m., Firefighters from stations 2,4,7,8,9,11 and 17 responded to a reported house fire. The first arriving engine company found smoke and flames showing from the basement of the 1 1/2 story approximately 5,000 square single family home functioning as a group boarding home.

Crews attacked the fire with handlines and conducted a thorough search of the structure to confirm no one was trapped in the blaze. Initial reports were that one occupant had reentered the house and was missing. However, it was eventually determined that all 11 occupants of the residence were able to escape without harm. A working smoke alarm is credited for alerting the occupants to the fire.

Firefighters also removed an unconscious cat from the fire, were able to resuscitate it, and reunite the pet with it's owner.

The Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance for those displaced in the incident.

The cause of the fire was an unattended candle igniting combustible materials resulting in an estimated $19,000 to the building and its contents.

 

Spotlight on Training - Mass Causality Incidents

When Firefighters arrive on-scene of an incident that has multiple patients, or more patients than emergency medical service resources, they will declare a Mass Causality Incident (MCI). Once an MCI is declared, the appropriate level of resources are deployed, and a definite and well coordinated flow of events occur: triage, treatment and transport. Triage is the initial process of determining the priority of patients based on the severity of their condition.

Firefighters honed their MCI skills today during a multi-company drill. The scenario: a car explosion rips though several vehicles, killing four people, injuring seven others, and trapping three patients in vehicles requiring specialized stabilization and extrication. Crews practiced all three phases (triage,treatment and transport) of an MCI in this exercise.
 

 

Set your clocks back, and check your smoke alarm batteries this weekend!

Tacoma Fire Department urges you to check your smoke alarm batteries when you set your clocks back for Daylight Savings time 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.

For best protection, it is recommended that you 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.

Combustibles too close to a heater started house fire on S. Wilkeson St.

Incident Date:  10/31/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  2106 S. Wilkeson St.
Incident Type:  House Fire

Narrative:  At 6:58 a.m., Firefighters from stations 1,2,4 and 9 responded to a reported residential structure fire.

The first arriving company found heavy flames and smoke showing from the back of the one story approximately 1,000 square foot house. Crews attacked the fire with handlines and searched the structure to confirm no one was trapped inside.

Working smoke alarms alerted the occupants to the fire, and all five were able to escape. Two occupants were evaluated and treated by paramedics and released on-scene. The Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance to the two adults and three children displaced in the blaze.

The cause of the fire was bedding too close to a baseboard heater ignited resulting in an estimated $38,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Combustibles near a baseboard heater spark house fire on South "K" Street.

Incident Date:  10/30/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 7843 S. "K" Street
Incident Type:  Residential House Fire

Narrative:  At 9:15 a.m., Firefighters from stations 1,2,7,8,9,11,15, 61 and 63 responded to a reported fire.

The first arriving company found heavy flames and smoke coming from a single story approximately 1,000 square foot house. Crews attacked the fire with handlines, ventilated the metal roof of the structure to release the heat and smoke, and conducted a search of the house to confirm no one was trapped inside.

The Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance for one adult and two children displaced in the incident. The cause of the fire was combustible materials near a baseboard heater igniting, resulting in an estimated $50,000 damage to the building and its contents.

When it comes to heater safety, remember to keep combustibles "three feet from the heat."