The Seattle Fire Department temporarily assigned an additional ladder truck and four firefighters to work in West Seattle during the construction of a new on/off ramp to the West Seattle Freeway. As part of the construction project, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will close the westbound 1st Avenue South on- ramp on May 17 which impacts the amount of time it will take for firefighters to cross the bridge to respond to emergencies in West Seattle.
Working in partnership with SDOT, the Fire Department came up with a plan to address the longer response times by placing an extra truck, Ladder 13, in service to ensure that neighborhoods in southwest Seattle continue to receive the same level of fire and emergency medical service throughout the construction project. The ramp portion of the project is expected to last 14 to 18 months.
SDOT’s project will fund the cost of operating and staffing the extra truck.
Ladder 13 is one of the Seattle Fire Department’s reserve fire trucks and will be housed at Fire Station 11 at 1514 Southwest Holden Street during the construction project. Modifications were made to the fire station, including an expanded kitchen and a temporary building with bunk rooms for the four additional firefighters who will work on Ladder 13.
The permanent ladder truck in West Seattle is Ladder 11, housed at Fire Station 32, located at 3715 Southwest Alaska Street.
