VRFA Blotter: Firefighters and WSDOT Prevent Injury From Real World Mario Kart Power-Up

VRFA Calls for Service

• Wires: (Auburn) On Monday, September 19th at 9:31 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of wires over the roadway. Firefighters found a phone line hanging on the sidewalk and secured the loose phone line to a tree. The crew working on the phone lines were notified.

  

  
  

• Oil Spill: (Auburn) On Tuesday, September 20th at 1:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a report of vehicles losing control due to a possible oil spill. Firefighters arrived to find a local highway interchange with an approximately 100-foot oil slick. Firefighters used cones to redirect traffic to avoid the slick. WSDOT was called out to sand the area. Fortunately, no one was injured.
  (Bananas and turtle shells people, not oil slicks! Dang.)
  
• Brush Fire: (Algona) On Tuesday, September 20th at 1:41 p.m., firefighters initially responded to a two-car vehicle rollover accident on West Valley Highway. On location, firefighters found a fast-moving brush fire on the western slope of West Valley Highway and no vehicle accident. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and protected a small residential home. There were no injuries reported and only minor property damage. The fire was determined to have been caused by a vehicle driving on 3 tired wheels and shooting sparks from the rim of the 4th wheel into the roadside grass.

  Brush Fire: (Lakeland Hills) On Wednesday, September 21st, at 8:02 p.m., firefighters responded to a 40’x40’ brush fire adjacent to a roadway. Crews extinguished the blaze and ensured the area would be free of hot spots and any potential recurring events.

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• Aid Medic: (Lakeland Hills) On Friday, September 23rd at 11:24 a.m., firefighters responded to an unconscious male found in respiratory distress. The patient was treated and transported by firefighters and King County Medic One Paramedics to MultiCare Auburn Medical Center ER.

• Motor Vehicle Accident: (Auburn) On Saturday, September 24th at 2:41 p.m., firefighters responded to a single vehicle rollover accident on the onramp from westbound SR 18 to northbound SR 167. Firefighters assessed and treated four patients on scene. All patients were transported to MultiCare Auburn Medical Center for further treatment and evaluation.

• Brush Fire: (Auburn) On Saturday, September 24th at 11:10 a.m., firefighters responded to a 50’ by 50’ brush fire behind Mt. Baker Middle School at a homeless encampment. Firefighters arrived to find a refrigerator that had been full of flammable liquids, fully involved in fire in the center of the burned area. The fire was extinguished and is under investigation.
  (Pretty sure that’s not what goes in a fridge, but OK)

• Residential Fire: (Auburn) On Sunday, September 25th at 11:59 a.m., firefighters responded to a residential fire that had also spread to the trees near the house. Firefighters arrived and knocked down the fire on the house, while also containing the fire on the hillside next to the house. Due to the steep hill firefighters had to set up a rope system to lower down a firefighter to completely extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control and investigated by a VRFA fire investigator

VRFA Fire Investigations

On Wednesday, September 14th, a fire occurred in an apartment unit at Megan’s Court Apartments. The Fire was contained to a single unit. The fire investigation determined the cause of the fire was from unattended cooking.

C.A.R.E.S.

• 4 referrals
• 2 new enrollment
• 3 enrollments closed
• 5 total patients enrolled

The Community Assistance, Referrals, and Education Services (CARES) program: each CARES response vehicle is staffed 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. by firefighters 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.

The above information was provided by VRFA. Any notations included in parentheses should be considered opinion/commentary for entertainment purposes only.