Report lays out needs of Camas-Washougal Fire Department

The first time Zach Goodman addressed the Camas City Council about firefighter safety was in March 2018, just a few weeks after a two-person Camas-Washougal firefighter crew had pulled a man and his dogs from a burning house. “I’ve got to say, I’m second-guessing my decision to live here because of the two-person engine crews,” Goodman, a 14-year career firefighter and Camas resident, told city leaders in 2018. “A community like Camas, that is so desirable, especially to families, also has to be safe.” That safety, Goodman and other firefighter professionals told city councilors in 2018, could only be achieved if city leaders took steps toward hiring enough firefighters to staff three- or four-person engine crews. “We can save so many lives with three, and certainly with four (firefighters on an engine), instead of two,” Goodman said in 2018.
Camas-Washougal Post-Record

Everett apartment reopens nearly 2 years after deadly arson

VIDEO: The Highridge Apartments reopened in north Everett nearly two years after a homeless man set fire to the complex. “We owned this property for a long time, and we knew this is where we wanted to be. And I didn’t have any interest in a random arsonist taking that away from us,” said Jim Addington, who has owned the property since 1999 with his wife. “That just didn’t sit well with me.” Tenants had to jump from the balconies to safety in the December 21, 2017 fire. “Now it’s all new, that’s the history that’s behind us,” Addington said. Forty-one-year-old William Matthews was sentenced to ten years in prison, convicted of arson and manslaughter. Elsie Flynn, 76, died on Christmas Day 2017 from the aftermath.
KOMO News 1000 AM and 97.7 FM. Seattle

Neighbors remember man killed when truck collapsed on top of him in northeast Spokane

The Spokane Fire Department has released new details after a man in northeast Spokane was crushed beneath a truck. The Department first responded to the call at 10:14 a.m. on Thursday, December 5. First responders arrived in four minutes and reported the man was trapped beneath a large commercial vehicle, pulseless and not breathing. Teams devised a plan to lift the vehicle improvising equipment and tools found at the scene to lift the vehicle enough to pull the man out. They did so within three minutes and immediately started advanced life-saving procedures. However, despite lengthy resuscitation efforts by paramedics, the man was declared dead at the scene. As a death investigation in Hillyard continues, we're learning more about the man who was crushed by a truck he was working on in his driveway.
KHQ-TV NBC 6

Lit cigarette sparks garage fire in Benton City

A lit cigarette is to blame for a garage fire in Benton City. Around 10:45 p.m, on Thursday, Benton County firefighters responded to a detached garage fire near 11th and Della Street. They later found out that the fire was sparked by a renter who was smoking while working in the shop. The Benton County Sheriff's Office explained that he had apparently put the cigarette down and forgot about it. The garage was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to put out the fire out before it was a total loss.
YakTriNews

Spokane Firefighters: Carbon monoxide scare at South Hill restaurant serves as important reminder

As we head into winter, we're at an even greater risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and people at a South Hill Restaurant learned that the hard way Wednesday night. Luna suffered a carbon monoxide scare Wednesday when firefighters responded to reports of a sick person -- then found unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide coming from a furnace. Assistant fire marshal Lance Dahl told 4 News Now the more you use the furnace or heater inside your home or business, the more you open yourself up to the risk of suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. "If it's gonna fail, it's gonna fail when it starts to be used more," Dahl said. "A lot of people decide that they're feeling great, everything's running great -- there's no need to see a doctor every year. Your home furnace or your home heating system is the same way."
KXLY-TV ABC 4

Kennewick police claim victory against firefighters in charity basketball game

Usually law enforcement and firefighters are on the same team, but that wasn't the case last night in the Tri-Cities. Kennewick police and firefighters faced off in a game of basketball at Southridge High School in order to raise funds for charity. It was a competitive game but at the end of the night it was the police that "took home the hardware." Kennewick police department posted a picture to their Facebook page, saying "in the end we are all winners as we were able to raise a lot of money that will be used to provide a Merry Christmas for some local kids."
YakTriNews

Fireboat responsible for oil spill in Seattle’s Elliott Bay, officials say

VIDEO: Crews worked to clean up an oil spill Wednesday morning in Elliott Bay near the Seattle Waterfront. At about 8 a.m., crews at Fire Station 5 found a small leak of waste oil from Fireboat Leschi, Seattle fire officials said. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, several gallons were spilled. Crews immediately secured the leak and several agencies responded. Blooms were placed around the sheen to contain and absorb the oil. The U.S. Coast Guard was at the scene leading the mitigation efforts, along with the Department of Ecology and Seattle Public Utilities. The Seattle Fire Department said it will investigate to determine how the leak occurred.
KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Spokane Fire Department endures challenging rescue to save victim of fall near Post Street Bridge

Spokane Fire Department rescue crews went through what they called "likely the most technical and challenging event faced by the team this year" in providing life-saving measures for a victim of an apparent fall after he ended up in the river near the Post Street Bridge. Around 1 a.m. Thursday morning, a passerby near the bridge reported hearing a man screaming for help, and spotted him on the edge of the Spokane River about 80 feet below. SFD says the man was in a complicated location at the bottom of a sheer cliff between the upper falls and lower falls of the river. A technical rescue team arrived and used spotlights to locate the man, who had been in the river and was suffering from hypothermia and assumed trauma from a fall. Crews provided blankets and gear for warmth as they set up for a the rescue.
KHQ-TV NBC 6

Washington Public Lands Commissioner stops in Kennewick to discuss wildfire fund proposal

A couple days after proposing a first-of-its-kind statewide wildfire fund, Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands made a stop in Kennewick on Wednesday to tour a local fire station and discuss the proposal. Commissioner Hilary Franz announced the proposal in Seattle on Monday to create the Wildfire Prevention and Preparedness Account. During her time in Tri-Cities, she was able to talk with Benton County Fire District #1 Chief Lonnie Click and get a tour of Station 160. "Part of the revenue that is generated through this plan would go to fire protection resources that are not just at the state level but also local fire districts that see increasing amount of wildfires," said Franz. The proposal would create a $63 million dollar fund that would have two, specific focuses: restoring forest health and giving fire crews the resources needed to keep fires small.
YakTriNews

Spokane County firefighters put out RV fire in Mead

A Mead man is displaced after his RV camper caught fire while he was inside sleeping Wednesday night. According to Spokane County Fire District 9 crews, the man woke up to flames inside his camper that was parked at the Alderwood RV Express off Newport Hwy. Crews arrived on scene and went right to work, making sure the fire didn't spread to any other campers in the area. Fire crews were eventually able to put the fire out, but the camper where the fire started is a total loss. Motor homes next door also took some heat damage. Fire investigators will work to determine the cause of the fire soon, but according to Spokane County Fire District 9 crews, the camper is destroyed and will likely impede the investigation.
KHQ-TV NBC 6

Follow-up: Despite Big Fire In Yakima, Picatti Brothers Open For Business

The owner of Yakima's Picatti Brothers says they're open for business despite a big fire that caused a $1 million in damage on Sunday. Doug Picatti tells KIT News the fire started in some pallets that were on an outside loading dock. The fire then spread to buildings that housed valuable electrical systems and panels that were either damaged by flames or by water from firefighters trying to douse the flames. Fire investigators from the Yakima Fire Department and from the federal office of the ATF have been working on the fire shortly after it was reported early Sunday morning. Picatti says they've been able to gather video of the alley where the fire started and investigators are hoping to gain information from the tapes to give them answers and possibly make an arrest. While no official cause has been found Picatti says he doesn't think it was an accidental fire.
NewsTalkKIT.com

Two people hurt in east Vancouver crash

A man suffered serious injuries in a car crash Wednesday night in east Vancouver. Police, fire and medical crews were dispatched at 6:48 p.m. to the intersection of Southeast 168th Avenue and Southeast 34th Street. A four-door car headed east on 34th Street turned left at the intersection, hitting a westbound four-door car, Vancouver Police Sgt. Pat Johns said. One driver’s legs were pinned after the car sustained heavy front-end damage. Firefighters used heavy extrication tools to remove the man, who was taken to a hospital in serious condition, Vancouver firefighter-spokesman Kevin Stromberg said. In the other car, a passenger suffered minor injuries, while the driver was uninjured, Stromberg said. Police are investigating the crash. Alcohol and drugs don’t appear to be factors, Johns said.
Vancouver Columbian - Metered Site