For many of us, our pets are members of our family and the loss of a pet in a fire can be devastating. It is important to remember that you may have less than a minute or two after the smoke alarm sounds to get out of the house. Because many pets will hide out of fear, taking time to search the house for them can mean the difference between life or death. Leaving pet rescue to firefighters can help keep your family safe from fire’s harm.

A Firefighter’s Duty

A firefighter’s priorities are to rescue you and your family, and to minimize the damage to your home and property. However, firefighters will do their best to find and rescue any animals found in the home. The Fire Department is equipped with the pet-sized oxygen masks and tanks needed to help resuscitate your pet, if necessary. If you are unable to take your pet out with you, the best thing you can do is to let the first firefighter on the scene know that there is a family pet inside. Keep a picture of your pet with you, show the firefighter and tell him or her your pet’s name.

What Can You Do?

When you test your smoke alarm once a month, see how your pet reacts to the sound of the smoke alarm. Do they stay close to you or do they run and hide? This will tell you how they might respond in an actual emergency when the smoke alarm is activated.
If your pet is within reach and you can secure them quickly and without putting yourself at risk, try to cage or put a leash on your pet and evacuate together. If your pet is resisting or trying to hide, here are a few things you can do to make rescuing your pet easier:

Large animals: If possible, put your pet in a room and shut the door to keep more smoke from entering the room and help prevent smoke inhalation. Get out of the house and tell the first firefighter on the scene where your animal is located. Some large animals that are very scared might attack the firefighter or make it harder for them to be rescued – if you can crate these animals in a less smoky environment, do so.

Small animals: Many pets will run and hide under beds or in closets. If you know where they’ve gone, shut the door to that room and tell the first firefighter on the scene where your animal is located. If your pet carrier is accessible, and you can grab your pet easily, place him or her inside and get out of the house. If your car keys are accessible and your car is parked out of harm’s way, your car can be used to secure pets until you can inform the first firefighter on scene.

Practicing home fire drills – not only with your family but with your pet – can also ensure quickly getting to safety. Practice this from every part of your home, and know two ways out from each room.

Medical Emergencies

If 911 has been called because of a medical emergency, secure your pet in a crate or closed off room. This will help prevent your pet from getting too stressed, getting lost, or attacking emergency crew. If you can, call someone to come take care of your pet.

For More Information

Contact:
Seattle Fire Department
fireinfo@seattle.gov
www.seattle.gov/fire

The homeowner called 911 at 12:07 p.m. to report that the fire from his BBQ grill spread to the back deck and to the wall of his house. When firefighter arrived, the homeowner had knocked down the fire using a garden hose.

The fire was caused when radiant heat from the BBQ caught the grill cover on fire which spread to the exterior wood-shake wall of the house.

There were no reported injuries.

Every year, the Seattle Fire Department responds to fires caused by outdoor grilling. With the arrival of Spring and warming temperatures, the potential for an increase in grilling fires is much higher.

Here are some safety precautions to prevent grilling-related fires:

1) For gas grills, make certain the hose connection is tight and check the hoses for leaks. Turn the grill and fuel cylinder off immediately after grilling.

2) For charcoal grills, avoid adding lighter fluid after the coals have been lit. Always place coals in a metal container with a tight lid after they have cooled for 48 hours.

3) Never leave gas or charcoal grills unattended while cooking.

4) Always use your grill outdoors and never barbecue in an enclosed area because carbon monoxide can accumulate and be deadly.

5)Set-up your grill in an open area at least 10 feet away from buildings, overhead combustible surfaces, dry leaves and brush.

6) The Seattle Fire Department recommends the use of one-pound propane cylinders as the least hazardous fuel source for outdoor grills.

The use of barbecues in single family homes, apartments and condominiums is not regulated by current Washington State law. However, apartment building owners and condominium associations, through lease agreements and owner’s association rules, may still prohibit or restrict use of barbecues.

April 8-Seattle Fire Investigators determined an early morning fire at a Ballard multiplex residential building was an accidental fire caused by unattended candles.

At 4:38 a.m. the Fire Alarm Center received multiple 911 calls of flames shooting from the apartment building located in the 2300 block of NW 62nd Street. Engine Company 18 arrived to find flames pouring out of the front door and window of the single story building and exposing to nearby units.
All ten units of the complex were evacuated. Firefighters were able to contain the flames to just one unit and prevented them from spreading to adjacent units. It took firefighters nearly a half hour to completely extinguish the flames.

The lone occupant of the unit that was on fire evacuated with her dog before firefighters arrived. The female patient in her 50’s was treated and transported to Harborview Medical Center by Medics for second degree burns to her head. The dog was uninjured and is being taken care of by a neighbor.

The damage estimate is $150,000 to the structure, $50,000 to the contents and $10,000 of exposure damage to a neighboring unit and the resident’s minivan.

All the residents except for the fire unit were allowed to reoccupy their units.

Each year candle misuse causes thousands of residential fires in the U.S. and results in hundreds of millions of dollars in property loss.

The Seattle Fire Department Public Education Unit has these safety tips for handling of candles:

• Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.

• Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.

• Place lighted candles where they won’t be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.

• Keep burning candles away from items that can catch on fire such as furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper, etc.

For more candle safety tips – visit: http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/brochures/candles.pdf

Earlier this week a fire from an overheated electrical extension cord caused significant damage to a Seattle residence. Fires caused by overloaded circuits and overheated extension cords increase during the winter months.

Here are a few tips to prevent fires caused by overloading outlets and cords:

• Avoid using extension cords and plug adapters. Extension cords are designed to provide a temporary power source.
• Make sure extension cords are not tacked to walls, run under rugs, or through doorways.
• Utilize power strips with internal circuit breakers instead of extension cords to prevent overheated electrical extension cords.
• Consider having a licensed electrician add an outlet if needed.
• Never use an extension cord with a portable heater.
• If an appliance produces heat (like toasters, rice cookers, coffee makers, kettles, portable heaters, irons, etc.) unplug it when not in use.
• If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.

Photo Courtesty Fire Buff John Odegard

Photo Courtesy Fire Buff John Odegard

January 27-A Seattle Fire Investigator determined a top floor apartment fire on Capitol Hill was caused by a mattress placed against an electric baseboard heater. The electric heater ignited the mattress.
At 10:54 a.m., multiple 911 calls came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting a fire on the top floor apartment of a building in the 400 block Belmont Avenue East.

Capitol Hill Engine 25 arrived first to find light smoke coming from the a 4th floor apartment. Ladder Company 10 initiated a search and rescue operation. Firefighters found a female resident of a 4th floor apartment with singed hair and suffering from mild smoke inhalation. AMR transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center for an evaluation.

It took approximately 20 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

The fire investigator estimates structure damage at $15,000 and content loss at $30,000.

The Seattle Fire Department’s Public Education Unit advises residents to keep all combustible materials at least a foot away from baseboard heaters. For more information on heater safety, you can click on this link.

http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/brochures/homeHeatingSafety.pdf

Link to website: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/neighborday/

Fire Stations scheduled to be Open.

Waterfront Fire Station 5 925 Alaskan Way

Highpoint Fire Station 11 1514 SW Holden Street

Greenlake Fire Station 16 6846 Oswego Place NE

University District Fire Station 17 1050 NE 50th Street

Ballard Fire Station 18 1521 NW Market Street

Queen Anne Fire Station 20 3205 13th Avenue West

Phinney Ridge Fire Station 21 7304 Greenwood Avenue North

Roanoke Fire Station 22 901 E. Roanoke Street

Bitter Lake Fire Station 24 401 N 130th Street

Capitol Hill Fire Station 25 1300 E. Pine Street

South Park Fire Station 26 800 South Cloverdale Street

Rainier Valley Fire Station 28 5968 Rainier Avenue South

Mount Baker Fire Station 30 2931 Mount Baker Blvd S.

Northgate Fire Station 31 1319 N. Northgate Way

West Seattle Junction Fire Station 32 3715 SW Alaska Street

Rainier Beach Fire Station 33 9645 Renton Avenue South

Crown Hill Fire Station 35 8729 15th Avenue NW

West Seattle Fire Station 37 7700 35th Avenue SW

Hawthorne Hills Fire Station 38 4004 NE 55th Street

Lake City Fire Station 39 2806 NE 127th Street

Fire Station 41 2416 34th Avenue West

Cooking-related fires are the number one cause of home fires.

Safety Precautions

• Do not leave cooking unattended on the stove. A serious fire can start in just seconds.

• Keep the stove and oven clean. Butter, oil and other greasy foods left on the stove can catch fire.

• Keep children and pets away from the stove while cooking.

• Keep items that can catch fire, such as dishtowels, paper or plastic bags, at least three feet away from the range top.

• Never use the stove or oven to heat your home. Double-check the kitchen before you go to bed or leave the house.

If a fire starts in a pan, turn off the stove and carefully cover the pan with a lid or another pan. Do not move it until it is cool.

And finally, use timers when cooking and make sure your smoke alarms work.

CO poisoning can happen any time of year, however, CO poisoning incidents tend to increase during storm-related power outages. Following a 2006 windstorm, 250 people were treated for CO poisoning in the Puget Sound area and eight died, all from either burning charcoal briquettes inside their homes or from improper use of gasoline-powered generators.

Here are ways to keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.

1. Do not burn charcoal or use gasoline generators indoors, including the garage.

2. Never use gas ovens to heat your home, even for a short time.

3. If you use a fireplace or wood stove, make sure that chimneys and flues are in good condition and are not blocked.

4. Never idle a car in a garage, even when the garage door is open.

5. If you use gas or oil appliances, make certain carbon monoxide alarms are installed on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area.

If the CO detector sounds, turn off any heating appliance and open windows to get fresh air. Call 911 if you experience CO poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, or headaches and move to fresh air immediately. If you suspect an appliance is the source, call a qualified technician to fix the problem before restarting the appliance.

To learn more visit the following web sites:

- http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/disaster/carbon-monoxide-english.aspx-

http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/brochures/carbon%20monoxide.pdf

For holiday fire safety information, visit the Seattle Fire Department’s Holiday Fire Safety site at:
http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubEd/holiday/default.htm

The initial 911 call came in at 5:09 a.m. reporting a fire in a home located in the 9000 block of 16th Avenue SW. Engine Company 11 arrived to find flames coming from the single-story home. Those flames were exposing to houses on both sides of burning structure.

Firefighters had to cut through the boards to make their way inside the basement. The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes.

The fire investigator found evidence the home was being used for transient habitation.
The damage estimate is $151,000.