Pair of Northeast Tacoma Fires Overnight

Incident Date:  3/4/14
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  2602 64^th Ave NE
Incident Type:  Residential Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 6:51 pm, Firefighters from stations 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 and 16 responded to a reported house fire.

The first arriving company found flames and smoke showing from the roof of the single story 1,140 square foot house. Crews commenced an aggressive interior attack with handlines, ventilated the structure and conducted a search to confirm no one was trapped inside. Firefighters were forced to withdraw from the structure as the roof began to collapse, but were eventually able to contain the blaze.

 

One patient was evaluated for injuries and released at the scene. The cause of the fire was undetermined, resulting in an estimated $95,000 damage to the building and its contents.

Incident Date:  3/4/14
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  3219 49th Ave NE
Incident Type:  Apartment Fire

Narration:  At 10:08 pm, firefighters from stations 1, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, and 17 responded to a reported apartment fire.

The first arriving company found flames showing from an upper unit apartment in the two-story 3,400 square foot four-plex. Firefighters attacked the fire with handlines, vertically ventilated the building, and searched the apartments to confirm all occupants had escaped safely.

The Red Cross was requested for relocation assistance for the seven occupants displaced from the fire (all four-units).

The fire originated in a utility room that housed two hot water heaters and resulted in an estimated $150,000 dollars damage to the building and its contents.

Request for Service Report - January 2014

TFD Incidents by Initial Dispatch Type

TFD - Incidents	January	2014 (YTD)	2013 (YTD)
Fire	72	72	96
Emergency Medical	2,769	2,769	2,792
All Other (e.g. hazardous conditions, search and rescue, automatic fire alarms)	414	414	475
Total	3,255	3,255	3,363

HTML Tables

Protecting People, Property & the Environment

Operation Warm - Firefighters Coats for Kids

Tacoma Firefighters proudly distributed 200 coats to area head start children this week. Part of the national Operation Warm campaign with the International Association of Firefighters, the goal of the program is to provide new warm coats to those most in need.

Firefighters raised $6,000 to purchase the 200 American made coats, and spent two days visiting four Tacoma Elementary Schools making deliveries.

“This is our first year participating in this charity and it has been a great opportunity to give back to the community,” said Tacoma Firefighters Local 31 president Ryan Mudie. “We really got a kick out of all the big smiles and really excited kids – we put the coats right on their backs.”

National Burn Awareness Week, February 2-8, 2014

National Burn Awareness Week (Feb. 2-8), is a great reminder to parents and caregivers that fire is just one cause of burn injuries - children can also be seriously injured by hot foods and beverages, heating appliances, hot pots and pans, electrical currents and chemicals. Of particular emphasis this year is the prevention of scald injuries.

According to the American Burn Association and Shriners Children’s Hospital, about 95 percent of scald burns (which are caused by hot liquids, steam or foods) occur in the home. Scalds are the most common burn injury among young children and one of the leading causes of accidental death in the home for children under age four. U.S. hospitals treat an estimated 16,000 children under five for scalds every year.

Here are some recommendations to help prevent scald injuries.

• Install anti-scald devices on water faucets and shower heads
• Use knob covers on faucets
• Create “kid free zones” in the kitchen near the stove
• Reduce water temperature - the maximum recommended residential water temperature is 120° F (48° C)

Additional resources:
NW Burn Foundation
Center for Disease Control
Safe Kids

GO HAWKS!

GO HAWKS! From your fans at Tacoma Fire Department.

Firefighters battle house fire on David Ct. E. in Fife

Incident Date:  1/29/14
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  2407 David Ct. E., Fife
Incident Type:  Residential Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 7:19 pm, Firefighters from Stations 1,2,8,9,11,12 and 14 responded to a reported residential house fire.

Initially dispatched as a single engine company response, the first arriving company found heavy smoke and flames showing from the approximately 1,200 square foot one-story house. The incident commander quickly upgraded the incident to a full fire response, bringing additional resources on-scene to battle the well-entrenched blaze. Crews mounted an aggressive interior attack, ventilated the structure, and conducted a search to confirm no one was trapped inside the vacant house undergoing renovation.

Fire investigators were unable to determine the cause of the fire that appeared to have started in a bedroom area. Damage estimates are $160,000 to the building and its contents and the house is considered a total loss.

Tacoma Fire Department Awarded $3.4 Million SAFER Grant

The Tacoma Fire Department has received notification that they have been awarded $3.4 million from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. The grant would provide funding for up to 20 existing front-line firefighter positions for two years. 

According to Fire Chief Jim Duggan, should the City Council accept the award, the department would hire and train the new firefighters this spring. In accordance with the grant’s requirements, the new firefighters would replace firefighters who have recently retired or who have officially notified the department they will be retiring later this spring.

“The grant allows us to hire new firefighters, but does not add new firefighter positions or expand our current deployment model,” said Duggan. “While the grant does not provide funding to re-open the station that was closed as part of the 2013-14 budget process, it is a significant step toward maintaining our current staffing levels into the 2015-16 biennium.”

The SAFER grant is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.