Below are just a few of the calls the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to for the week of October 12-18, 2020. VRFA firefighters responded to a total of 269 calls for service during this week. 182 were aid calls, 10 were fire calls, and 77 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 10,468 calls. This is a .05% decrease from 2019 (10,518 calls). Total aid calls in 2020 so far are 7,678 (-1.7% compared to 2019’s 7,809). The number of fire calls is up by 3.7%, with 2020 having 366 calls and 2019 having 353. The number of other calls is also up (2.9%), with 2020 currently at 2,424 calls compared to 2019’s 2,356.

911 Calls for Service

Fuel Spill: (Lea Hill) On Monday, October 12 at 9:26 a.m., firefighters responded to gasoline leaking
from a crack in the fuel tank of a classic Dodge Challenger. Firefighters captured the gas by using
buckets, preventing further spillage. A tow truck was requested to the scene to help mitigate the
issue by siphoning gas from the tank into approved containers.
Auto Accident: (Auburn) On Tuesday, October 13 at 4:30 p.m., firefighters assisted an adult male
passenger complaining of pain and the inability to extricate himself from a car involved in a T-bone
accident. Firefighters extricated the man and transported him and the driver to a local hospital for
further evaluation. The driver of the other vehicle declined transport.
Residential Fire: (Lea Hill) On Tuesday, October 13 at 10:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a home
for an odor investigation. The resident had been running his generator due to the power outage.
The exhaust pipe of the generator was too close to the residence and caused a smoldering fire
that got into the wall. Firefighters opened up a section of the wall of the garage to get to the
smoldering fire that was inside the wall.
Motor Vehicle Accident: (Pacific) On Wednesday, October 14 at 5:05 p.m., firefighters responded
to a single vehicle accident blocking lanes of traffic on SB Hwy 167. Firefighters arrived to create
a safety corridor, assess patient injuries, and stabilize the vehicle. There was one occupant of the
vehicle with minor injuries and her vehicle sustained moderate damage to the front end, including
airbag deployment. The patient remained on scene and was driven home by family members.
Aid Call: (Auburn) On Friday, October 16 at 8:51 a.m., firefighters responded to a mid-20’s male
who accidentally shot himself in the leg. The patient was shot in the thigh and had fractured his
femur. Paramedics treated the patient and then he was air lifted to Harborview Medical Center.
Cell Phone Fire: (Lea Hill) On Friday, October 16 at 8:49 p.m., firefighters responded to report of a
phone on fire in an apartment. Firefighters arrived to find a resident had extinguished the phone
and the phone was melted to the carpet. The resident said the fire started when she tried to replace
the phone’s battery. (This is why you shouldn’t sleep with your phone in your bed, especially if it is charging!)
Aid Call: (Auburn) On Sunday, October 18 at 6:54 p.m., firefighters assisted an elderly female that had a decreased level of consciousness. While firefighters and King County Medics were
evaluating her, she stopped breathing and had no pulse. Crews initiated CPR and IV treatments.
After a few minutes, the patient regained spontaneous circulation and was transported by medics
to MultiCare Auburn Medical Center for further treatment and evaluation.

Fire Investigations:

There were no new calls for service for the Fire Investigation Unit

C.A.R.E.S.

4 responses
16 referrals
6 new enrollments
6 enrollments closed

The above information was provided by the VRFA.

Note: The Auburn Examiner did not publish a VRFA Blotter for the week of October 5th or 12th. If you have questions about these weeks please email us at contact@auburnexaminer.com.