Health One 9-1-1 response team staffed with specially trained firefighter/EMTs and case manager helps people with mental/behavioral health or substance use disorder, and non-emergency medical issues access services  

Since November 2019 launch 56 percent of those served by Health One were experiencing homelessness 

SEATTLE (April 13, 2021) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Fire Chief Harold Scoggins announced today the launch of a second Health One unit to expand regular service of the program to Ballard and the University District. The second unit begins operating on April 15 and will be staffed with a team of two specially trained firefighter/EMTs and a case manager from the Human Services Department Aging and Disability Services Division.  

The team will serve people with non-emergency 9-1-1 calls with issues like substance abuse, non-emergency medical issues and a need to access services. Health One continues to focus on providing alternatives to transporting individuals to hospital emergency departments.  

“Seattle has pioneered community safety initiatives like Health One. As we continue to reimagine public safety, we will expand civilian public safety alternatives like Health One that sends a firefighter and social worker to a 9-1-1 call. This next year, we will continue to scale Health One to neighborhoods across Seattle,” said Mayor Durkan. “Our Seattle Fire Department has led the way in serving our community in new ways, and their work is connecting more people to the right resources in our community.”  

With a second Health One unit becoming operational, the program will add Ballard and the University District to its primary service area which also includes the downtown core and Capitol Hill neighborhood. The units can deploy City-wide at the crews’ discretion, and will further reach clients in South Seattle and SODO neighborhoods with the first unit. The second unit will be located at Fire Station 2 in Belltown and operational from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The program now allows for full weekday operations between the two units. Health One is dispatched through SFD’s Fire Alarm Center by calling 9-1-1 and cannot be contacted by members of the public directly.  

“Health One is now, more than ever, an integral part of Seattle’s crisis response system. Last week I experienced first-hand how an immediate response by a team of case managers and firefighters better connects individuals with necessary care and services,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, Chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee. “The expansion of Health One to include a second unit today, and a third unit later this year, means that more behavioral health calls can be redirected away from an armed police response to individuals and providers better capable of assisting individuals in need.” 

“We know we need to expand our response to people experiencing homelessness and distress on our city streets and so I applaud the Durkan Administration for expanding this pilot program that combines firefighters and case managers from our Human Services Department to prevent more expensive and dangerous situations throughout Seattle,” said Councilmember Alex Pedersen who represents District 4, which includes the University District neighborhood. “Our shared goal in the University District and throughout Seattle is a more effective intervention that proactively links each person who is in crisis on our streets to the essential mainstream services they need rather than reacting and sending them to expensive visits to emergency rooms or, worse, the criminal justice system.” 

“The expansion of Health One to Ballard will bring the right first responders to many 911 calls in our community. When Health One is not available we respond with a Fire Engine, a Medic One, a Police Officer, an AMR, and a short stay in the Emergency Room without meaningfully addressing why 911 was called in the first place,” said Councilmember Dan Strauss, who represents District 6. “Health One creates lasting solutions for the people they respond to because the two firefighters and case manager triage the individual and connect them with the resources they need to remain stabilized after the 911 response. Health One creates efficiencies in our 911 response system and reduces the number of 911 calls placed because they provide upstream solutions.” 

In 2019, 42 percent of SFD’s medical calls were deemed “low acuity” calls, many of which were related to social service needs including homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol use and chronic medical issues. Prior to the launch of Health One in late 2019, low-acuity calls dispatched an SFD unit and generally resulted in no action or a non-emergency transport by an ambulance provider to a hospital’s emergency department. In 2020, only 19% of clients seen by the Health One unit resulted in transport to a hospital. The other clients served required on-scene services from Health One, referral to support services or transport to an alternative non-hospital setting.  

“Fifty-six percent of the clients served by Health One in 2020 reported they were experiencing homelessness. From a 26-year-old man looking for a shelter bed to a 92-year-old woman with mobility needs to a 44-year old man with an opioid use disorder, this program has proven to safely and effectively provide services to those who need it most, including our unhoused population. Members staffing these units have received specialized training and always respond with patience and compassion when interacting with clients. We look forward to launching our second unit into service, and expanding our primary service area,” said Fire Chief Harold Scoggins.   

“The Seattle Human Services Department has been a partner in the Health One program since its launch and we are pleased to partner in the further expansion of this important program. Pairing services with frontline emergency responders helps us provide the right level of care for people in need. By expanding this nationally recognized model, we ensure that more people—in more neighborhoods —will get the help they need when they need it. Thank you to the Seattle Fire Department and Mayor Durkan for their leadership on this program,” said Helen Howell, HSD Director. 

In addition to urgent care, referral and transport resources utilized by the program include primary care, next-day appointments, connection with behavioral health organizations, referral to city-contracted homeless outreach providers and shelters, case management within SFD’s High Utilizer and Vulnerable Adult programs, and more. In addition to standard emergency medical services equipment, the vehicle is also equipped with outreach supplies including food, beverages, and clothing for unsheltered clients.  

“Expanding this service is a crucial step in delivering more appropriate care for individuals suffering on the streets of our business districts. We’re excited to host a Health Two response unit in the University District and to see 9-1-1 response shifting to a more service-based model with caseworkers joining first responders on calls.” Don Blakeney, Executive Director of The U District Partnership.

“Seattle Fire Fighters have been responding to and caring for vulnerable members of our community for decades but the Health One program gives us the tools and resources we need to help solve the particularly complex issues many of our neighbors are facing,” said Kenny Stuart, President of Seattle Fire Fighters Union, IAFF Local 27. “Seattle Fire Fighters are excited to see this program expand so we can provide the help these patients need while still maintaining our ability to provide life-saving fire and rescue services when every second matters.” 

The City’s Emergency Response Interdepartmental Team, which consists of SFD, Human Services Department, Seattle Police Department, and Public Health Seattle-King County, continues to assess how the City can best address the needs of the people who most frequently utilize the City’s emergency response system, and how interventions might mitigate challenges faced by emergency responders when engaging with frequent utilizers.   

SEATTLE – Seattle Fire’s Acting Captain Brian Wallace was selected by the Seattle Mariners as their Hometown Hero for the April 3 game against the San Francisco Giants. Brian and his family attended the game and he was honored by the players and crowd during the fourth inning for his critical role in the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Acting Captain Wallace is a hero who distinguished himself through his leadership in mobilizing COVID testing and now helping ensure that vaccines are reaching underserved communities. Thanks to his efforts, we are edging closer to the day when we can beat this virus. The Mariners are proud to spotlight the efforts of our frontline workers who have done so much to help our community respond to the pandemic.” said John Stanton, Seattle Mariners Chair.    

Hometown Heroes is a season-long tribute to the first responders, health care professionals, grocery workers and others on the front lines who have helped our community through the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, the Mariners will honor a Hometown Hero during the fourth inning of every game.    

“Acting Captain Wallace has been on the frontlines of this pandemic from the start. His incredible work to create a nation-leading COVID-19 testing program that one in three Seattleites have relied on and launch Seattle Fire as the first EMS vaccine distributor in the state has been invaluable. Acting Captain Wallace, Chief Scoggins, and the entire team at Seattle Fire continue to save lives every day, and I couldn’t think of a more deserving Hometown Hero,” said Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. 

“We are so honored to have one of our own selected by the Seattle Mariners as their Hometown Hero for this weekend’s game against the Giants. Acting Captain Wallace has gone above and beyond for the Seattle community during this pandemic, and has been at the helm of our department’s community testing and vaccination programs. With each vaccine dose administered, we are helping to make our community feel safer,” said Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. “Attending Mariners games in-person again is also a reminder that there continues to be hope on the horizon and we are one step closer to getting through this pandemic. And lastly, congratulations to the Mariners on the big 4-0 WIN!”   

Brian began his career with the Seattle Fire Department 15 years ago as a firefighter-EMT, and for the last ten years, has worked as a firefighter-paramedic. Prior to working for Seattle, he served as a firefighter-EMT for the City of Bellingham for three years, which totals 18 years of working in the fire service.  

When the pandemic first hit, Brian was tasked with leading the efforts to stand up a testing site for first responders, conducted by first responders. When more testing kits became available, he transitioned to taking the lead on operating the City’s four fire-department operated community testing sites, which to date have conducted more than 690,000 COVID-19 tests on members of the public. When the Seattle Fire Department became the first fire and EMS agency in the state of Washington approved to administer vaccines, Brian helped to develop the fire department’s Mobile Vaccination Team program to begin serving the City’s most vulnerable populations with the limited supply of vaccine. Soon after, he was tasked with transitioning two of Seattle’s community testing sites in Rainier Beach and West Seattle to also serve as fixed vaccination sites. To date, Seattle Fire has administered nearly 45,000 doses of the vaccine.  

“Being recognized at this game was both an enormous honor and a welcome taste of life on the other side. If we can all continue to play it safe by wearing masks and getting vaccinated, we will all experience more moments like this. My son James got to be at his first game ever – a big Mariners win!” said Acting Captain Brian Wallace.  

The Seattle Fire Department is actively looking for single-family dwellings scheduled for demolition to help secure live-fire training for our newest Seattle firefighters on May 3-6, 2021. We are also open to discussing the use of duplex and apartment buildings on a case-by-case basis. The project must have a demolition permit in hand, and the owner would need to allow access to the structure a week ahead of the training for set-up.

If interested, please fill out our intake form online and email it to SFD_inservicetraining@seattle.gov. Questions can also be directed to this email address.

LINK TO INTAKE FORM

Live-fire training is an opportunity for our new fire recruits to work with our company officers and face real fire scenarios in a controlled setting. This experience is vital to the development of new recruits as these fires act as a final evaluation of what they have learned over the past 12 weeks of training. The training focuses on fire attack, teamwork and communication.

SEATTLE – After a busy morning with a 2-alarm fire in south Seattle and building fire in Capitol Hill, Seattle firefighters responded to a third major fire in West Seattle just after 6:30 p.m. on April 3. Calls came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting flames and black smoke showing from the roof of a six-story mid-rise apartment building at the 3200 block of SW Avalon Way. When the battalion chief arrived on scene, she upgraded the response to a 2-alarm, to bring in additional resources from other areas in the City.

Engine 32 arrived first on scene and put a strategy in place to get water on the rooftop decking that was burning. The building’s rooftop standpipe connection was found to be inoperable, so crews instead utilized the standpipe connection on floor 6. A ladder truck also extended it’s aerial ladder to the roof, and a handline was brought up through the building and connected to the aerial. By quickly applying water on the fire, firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the floors below and contain it to the rooftop. The fire was extinguished within approximately 45 minutes.

Residents inside of the structure were instructed to shelter in place, as there was no fire found on the floors below. However, ten units on the sixth floor sustained water damage, and were unable to be reoccupied. Firefighters utilized tools and equipment carried on apparatus to help remove as much of the water as possible. The American Red Cross was contacted for residents who did not have another place to stay and luckily, there were no reported injuries.

April 4 UPDATE: Fire investigators have ruled the cause of the fire “undetermined” due to multiple possible ignition sources. Total estimated loss is $500,000 from fire damage to the roof and heavy water damage on roof and top floor.

SEATTLE – Just after 3 a.m. on April 3, the Fire Alarm Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting smoke and flames visible from a mid-rise new construction building at the 2300 block of S. Plum St. Engine 30 from the Mt. Baker neighborhood arrived first on scene and established command, and called for a defensive fire attack. Deputy 1 arrived on scene shortly after, and upgraded the response to a 2-alarm, bringing in additional firefighting resources from the City.

Crews utilized hand lines and ladder pipes to apply water on the fire from various directions, and eventually moved to a transitional fire attack and then to the interior. Two 5-6 story buildings were connected together through a U-shape design, and the fire had spread throughout the building on the lower floors. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from engulfing the two structures, and continued to apply water for over two hours, putting out hot spots.

While crews were working towards extinguishment of the 2-alarm fire, the bell hit again, this time for a fire in the Capitol Hill neighborhood at the 300 block of Bellevue Ave. E. Firefighters arrived on scene at 4:30 a.m. and reported smoke and flames from the top story and roof of the unoccupied structure. They conducted a primary search and did not find anyone inside, and had the fire extinguished within 32 minutes.

The cause of both fires is still under investigation, and will be updated here once available. There are no reported injuries.

UPDATE for 2-alarm fire at 2300 block of S. Plum St: fire investigators have ruled this fire as “incendiary” (intentionally set). Total estimated loss is 3 million. Information has been referred to the Seattle Police Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad for a follow-up investigation.

UPDATE for structure fire at 300 block of Bellevue Ave. E.: fire investigators have rule this fire as “undetermined”. The building was scheduled for demolition, so the estimated dollar loss is zero. Per policy for undetermined fires, information on this incident has also been referred to the Seattle Police Department.

The Seattle Fire Department is actively looking for single-family dwellings scheduled for demolition to help secure live-fire training for our newest Seattle firefighters on May 3-6, 2021. We are also open to discussing the use of duplex and apartment buildings on a case-by-case basis. The project must have a demolition permit in hand, and the owner would need to allow access to the structure a week ahead of the training for set-up.

If interested, please fill out our intake form online and email it to SFD_inservicetraining@seattle.gov. Questions can also be directed to this email address.

INTAKE FORM: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/Fire/About/Acquired%20Structure%20Training/AST%207%20-%20Intake%20Form%20Live.pdf

Live-fire training is an opportunity for our new fire recruits to work with our company officers and face real fire scenarios in a controlled setting. This experience is vital to the development of new recruits as these fires act as a final evaluation of what they have learned over the past 12 weeks of training. The training focuses on fire attack, teamwork and communication.