Fire rips through 4-plex on South "M" Street

Incident Date:  11/14/14
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 4109 S. “M” St.
Incident Type:  Apartment Fire

Narrative: At 3:30 am firefighters from stations 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 11 responded to a reported apartment fire.

The first arriving company found heavy flames showing from the front of the three-story approximately 4,900 square foot four-plex. Crews mounted an aggressive interior attack with handlines and searched the building to confirm that no one was trapped inside. As the threat of a possible roof collapse mounted, the Incident Commander transitioned to a defensive strategy, deploying an overhead master stream to extinguish the well-entrenched fire on the top floor and roof.

All occupants were able to escape without harm and the Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance to the five adults and three children displaced in the blaze.

The cause of the fire appears accidental and may have been caused by an improperly discarded cigarette. The area of origin was the second floor porch. The building is likely a total loss.

MVA at S. 12th & S. Union Ave

Incident Date: 10/31/14
Issuing Officer: Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: S. 12th St. and S. Union Ave.
Incident Type: MVA

Narrative:  At 6:02 pm firefighters responded to a reported motor vehicle accident at the intersection of S. 12th and S. Union Ave.

The first arriving crews found a multiple car accident with one vehicle into a power pole. The incident commander upgraded the call to a mass casualty incident bringing additional resources to the scene.

Operationally, crews isolated the scene to protect people from the damaged power pole and lines and assessed and transported six patients from the scene with non-life threatening injuries.

 

 

Fall back on sound advice - time to change your clock and check your smoke alarm batteries!

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 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.

Requests for Service - September 2014

TFD Incidents by Initial Dispatch Type

TFD - Incidents	September	2014 (YTD)	2013 (YTD)
Fire	127	1,175	1,191
Emergency Medical	2,827	25,753	24,166
All Other (e.g. hazardous conditions, search and rescue, automatic fire alarms)	469	4,160	4,059
Total	3,423	31,088	29,416

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Protecting People, Property & the Environment

Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill - October 16, 2014

Since earthquakes may happen anywhere you work, live, or travel, Tacoma Fire Department stresses the importance of being prepared and practicing how to protect yourself during a quake.

At 10:16 a.m. on October 16, 2014, millions across the country will practice the survival skill of “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

The goal of the drill is to prevent a major earthquake from becoming a catastrophe for you, your organization, and your community. Why is this drill important? As with anything, to act quickly you must practice often. You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an earthquake before strong shaking knocks you down, or something falls on you.

Best of all - everyone can participate!

CPR Sunday 2014 - thanks for attending!

Thanks to the 741 citizens who learned the life saving skills of CPR this weekend at CPR Sunday! We appreciate your commitment to helping make our community safer. If you were unable to attend but would still like to learn CPR, we also offer two standing classes a month. Visit our CPR webpage for additional class times and locations.

Have you registered yet? CPR Sunday almost here!

CPR Sunday is an annual community event offered free-of-charge to anyone interested in learning the basic life-saving skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). On the second Sunday in October each year, participants are taught the fundamentals of CPR and then given the opportunity to practice with CPR manikins and Automated External Defibrillators (AED). 

CPR Sunday will be held Oct. 12, at Foss High School, 2112 S. Tyler St. in Tacoma.

In order to secure your preferred class time please pre-register at http://www.cprsunday.net/registration.php.

What Attendees Can Expect

• More than 50 certified Basic Life Support instructors
• 1 1/2 hours of classroom training and 1 hour of hands on training
• Four class options: 8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM, or 2 PM
• Practical training with CPR manikins and AED's.

What Attendees Will Learn

• What happens when you call 9-1-1
• Patient assessment
• One rescuer adult/child/infant CPR and obstructed airway
• Automated external defibrillator use
• Foreign body airway obstruction management
• Essentials of a home first aid kit
• CPR-related information/reminder list for home and wallet

Note - this class is "Citizen Level CPR" and does not meet the Washington State Health Care Provider Level card requirements.