Below are just a few of the calls the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to for the week of August 31-September 6, 2020. VRFA firefighters responded to a total of 268 calls for service during this week. 192 were aid calls, 17 were fire calls, and 59 were categorized as other. Other calls include water rescues, HazMat calls, and ladder requests.
Year to Date our Valley Professional Firefighters have responded to a total of 8,798 calls. This is a 2.5% decrease from 2019 (9,026 calls). Total aid calls in 2020 so far are 6,520 (-2.9% compared to 2019’s 6,715). The number of fire calls is down by 9.1%, with 2020 having 291 calls and 2019 having 320. The number of other calls is also down (0.2%), with 2020 currently at 1,987 calls compared to 2019’s 1,991.
This Week
To give insight into the activity of this week, VRFA took 66 calls in a 24 hour period between Monday and Tuesday, 42 of those calls being dispatched between 6:30 pm to 7:00 am. Seven calls for mutual aid to both South King Fire & Rescue and Mountain View Fire & Rescue were received. 20 crew members were on answering these calls.
New COVID-19 Testing Site in Auburn
This week VRFA joined fellow King County fire agencies in kicking off one of two new COVID-19 testing sites in South King County. Located off of C St SW GSA property (2701 C St SW, Auburn, WA 98001), the site will be open Monday-Saturday 9:30 am-4:30 pm. Register for appointments at the Auburn location,
Four VRFA Wildland Firefighters returned home from California as part of the King County Strike Team that was assigned to the LNU Complex fire in Napa. A VRFA Battalion Chief has been deployed as a health specialist to the Dolan Fire in California.
911 – Requests for Service
- Commercial Fire: (Kent) On Tuesday, September 1st at 4:04 a.m., firefighters responded to a
commercial fire at Binford Metal Recycling in Kent. Ladder 331 assisted with defensive fire
operations. - Electrical Fire: (Pacific) On Tuesday, September 1 at 11:15 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a
suspected fire in a residence. Firefighters arrived to find no fire and the cause of the smoke was
from a company testing city sewer lines. Firefighters confirmed no fire had occurred and talked to
the resident about the testing and a possible plumbing problem that allowed the smoke into the
home. - Motor Vehicle Accident: (Lakeland Hills) On Wednesday, September 2 at 10:42 p.m., firefighters
responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision. Personnel arrived and found a vehicle on the
sidewalk up against a tree. The driver of the vehicle had minor leg pain that did not require hospital
treatment and he was released to Auburn Police custody. - Aid Call: (Auburn) On Thursday, September 3 at 3:09 p.m., firefighters assisted a middle-aged male
complaining of a head injury. The patient was involved in a high-speed vehicle accident on Highway
18 and was transported to St. Francis Hospital by private ambulance. - Apartment Fire: (Auburn) On Friday, September 4 at 12:50 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire
alarm sounding in an apartment building. Upon arrival, firefighter noticed black smoke coming from
a first-floor apartment. Firefighters upgraded to a commercial fire response. Firefighters
extinguished the fire and rescued one female patient from the fire unit. The patient was transported
to MultiCare Auburn Medical Center by private ambulance. - Aid Call: (Auburn) On Saturday, September 5 at 6:41 p.m., firefighters responded to an adult male
stuck in a chair frame in seizure. The patient was extricated from the chair and examined by
firefighters. King County Medics transported the patient to MultiCare Auburn Medical Center for
further evaluation. - Residential Fire: (Lea Hill) On Sunday, September 6 at 7:52 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire
in a bedroom of a two-story home. Firefighters quickly extinguished the small fire, and the cause is
under investigation by VRFA fire investigators, and Auburn Police.
Fire Marshal’s Office
Fire Marshal statistics for the week were not available at time of release due to a computer outage at the fire marshal’s office.
C.A.R.E.S.
The Community Assistance, Referrals, and Education Services (CARES) is a joint program between VRFA, King County Emergency Medical Services division South King Fire & Rescue, Enumclaw, and Mountainview Fire and Rescue departments. Each CARES response vehicle is staffed 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. by one firefighter from each department and a social worker. The CARES unit is sent on less emergent calls in non-transport capable vehicles to provide basic patient evaluation, assistance, specific basic life support treatment on scene, and arrange for transport if medically necessary. CARES also referred patients to community services where needed.
- 5 responses
- 17 referrals
- 4 new enrollments
- 5 enrollments closed
The above information was provided by Valley Regional Fire Department.
Last updated 9/10 9:06am