Every day, the Seattle Fire Department responds to emergencies where the patient is transported to a local hospital with injuries requiring blood. Unfortunately, while the need for blood remains high, local blood donation centers are seeing a drop off in blood donations due to the coronavirus outbreak and calls to stay home.

Donating blood is not a restricted activity at this time because of its critical importance. While most blood drives have been canceled by local blood centers, people can still donate by making an appointment.

Join the Seattle Fire Department and donate blood if you can. Donating blood is safe and is considered an essential service due to the importance of blood and plasma for our area hospitals.

Where to donate:

Bloodworks Northwest

American Red Cross

The Seattle Fire Department has received multiple 9-1-1 calls this year from concerned residents because of chirping carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. While it’s important to call 9-1-1 if your CO alarm is sounding continuously without stopping, a CO alarm that chirps every 30 seconds is not an emergency. It probably means your CO alarm has reached its end of life and should be replaced.

CO alarm life span

CO alarms have a life expectancy of around seven years. All CO alarms produced after August 1, 2009, have an end-of-life warning notification that alerts the resident that the alarm should be replaced. The CO alarm will beep every 30 seconds or display ERR or END.

If a CO alarm is at its end-of-life, replacing the battery will not stop the beep. Some CO alarms have a feature that will silence the signal for 30 days, but this will not solve the issue as the CO alarm will continue to beep after the 30 day period ends.

What people should know

In January of 2013, Washington State law (RCW 19.27.530) required CO alarms to be installed in new residences and in existing rental properties. Owner-occupied single-family residences, legally occupied before July 26, 2009, are not required to have CO alarms until they are sold or when a building permit application for interior remodeling is submitted.

Homeowners should consider replacing all CO alarms that were installed in or before 2013. A CO alarm that signals that it’s at the end of its life should be replaced as well.

Renters should notify property managers or landlords immediately if their CO alarm is beeping every 30 seconds indicating its end-of-life. They should also know that intermittent beeping CO alarm is not reason to call 9-1-1.

A CO alarm that beeps continuously without stopping could indicate that carbon monoxide is present. If you your CO alarm is sounding continuously and you have signs of CO poisoning such as dizziness, headache, vomiting or flu like symptoms, find fresh air and call 9-1-1 immediately.

More information on carbon monoxide alarm requirements

State Building Code Council’s Carbon Monoxide Alarm page.

Seattle Fire Department’s CAM 5121 Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements in Residential Occupancies

With greater numbers of people not eating out and cooking meals at home, it’s a good time to review and practice cooking safety. Unattended cooking is the main cause of home fires.

Please consider taking these precautions before and after using the stove and oven.

• Never leave the kitchen when frying, broiling or grilling food. If you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the stove or set a timer to remind you to check on the food.
• Keep all things that can catch fire away from the stovetop – oven mitts, towels, papers, food packaging, cooking utensils and groceries.
• Never use the stovetop as a counter or the oven to store items including pots and pans.
• Keep a lid or cookie sheet nearby when cooking with oil or grease in case a small fire starts.

If there is a fire:

• If a fire occurs in a pan on the stove, slide the lid over the pan to smother the fire. Turn off the stove and leave the pan covered until it completely cools.
• If the fire is large or has spread to other items, get out quickly. If possible, close the door behind you as you leave to keep fire from spreading to other rooms.
• Call 9-1-1 after you’ve left the house or building.

Learn more cooking fire safety.

A working smoke alarm is known to reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 50%. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, audible smoke alarms do not provide sufficient notification to alert a person to a fire. Fortunately, there are smoke alarms made for people who are deaf such as a smoke alarm with a flashing strobe light.

Seattle residents who are deaf may qualify for a strobe smoke alarm that plugs into an outlet. To qualify, a person must be deaf or hard of hearing and live in Seattle. Renters need permission from landlords before we can install them. There is no cost for the smoke alarm or installation.

Any Seattle resident who might be interested in a free strobe smoke alarm, should contact the Seattle Fire Department via email or by calling 206-386-1337.

Learn more about the Seattle Fire Department smoke/CO alarm program.

With the start of daylight saving time this weekend (2 a.m. Sunday, March 8), make sure you replace smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm batteries and test the alarms. The Seattle Fire Department recommends replacing batteries yearly or as needed.

Changing smoke and CO alarm batteries at least once a year is an effective way to reduce home fire deaths and CO poisoning. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly one-half  by providing an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape. Consider installing a long-life battery powered smoke/CO alarm to avoid yearly battery replacements.

Every home in Seattle should have the protection of smoke/CO alarms. The Seattle Fire Department can install 10 year long-life combination smoke/CO alarms free of charge in homes where the homeowner is either an older adult, living on a low income, or has a disability. If you live outside the city of Seattle, please contact your local Fire Department to request assistance.

To request a free smoke/CO alarm from the Seattle Fire Department fill out an online form or call (206) 386-1337 or email fireinfo@seattle.gov.

Learn more about smoke/CO alarms.

As we near the end of Black History Month, we wanted to take a brief look back at our own history and reflect on the struggles of our first black firefighters that compelled an association to advocate for the needs and interests of these members.

The Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association formed just over 50 years ago out of the need to support the small number of black firefighters working at the Seattle Fire Department. In 1959, the Seattle Fire Department hired its first black firefighter, Claude Harris. It would take eight years (1967) before the fire department hired more black firefighters. By 1968, black firefighters began meeting to support each other to confront the overt racism they faced at work. The hostility towards them would be the impetus in starting the Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association.

By 1970, the Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association had expanded and evolved from providing mostly recruitment and promotion support of black firefighters with the Seattle Fire Department to an organization that supported community-based groups and local leaders. The decision to engage community helped the Association to garner community support as it challenged discriminatory practices within the department. The Association also sought to give back to community members and organizations who had supported black firefighters over the years. Some of the activities in 1970 that the Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association members participated in were black community parades, Garfield High MLK Banquets and donations to local community and charitable organizations.

While it has been over 50 years since the Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association started, their work remains relevant and they continue to be active. Today the Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association provides recruitment and promotional support to the department and continues to participate in local parades. It also remains dedicated to assisting black firefighters and other marginalized groups and advancing equity within the fire service at the local, national and international level. The Seattle Black Fire Fighters Association is a member organization of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters and its historical and ongoing mission is to “Keep the Fires Burning for Justice.”

During times of celebration, there are common fire safety issues that all communities experience. Keep these safety considerations in mind this Chinese New Year and Vietnamese New Year (January 25).

Celebrations mean cooking and sharing food. Cooking related fires remain the main cause of fires during holidays and celebrations.

When cooking:

• Most fires start from cooking left unattended. Always use a timer when cooking and never leave the kitchen area, especially when cooking with oil.

• If a pot or pan is on fire, cover it with a lid or flat metal pan. Do not throw water on a grease fire.

If using incense and candles:

• Use battery powered candles instead of wax candles to be extra safe.

• Keep incense and candles away from drapes, pillows, bedding and anything that can burn!

• Burn incense or candles in a sturdy, heat resistant container.

• Put incense and candles out before leaving the room or before going to bed.

Smoke/Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms:

• Install smoke and CO alarms on every level of your home

• Smoke alarms should never be disabled. Use a dish towel to stop the alarm from beeping if cooking smoke sets it off.

• Test the smoke alarm by pushing the test button every 2 months. Replace battery yearly.

• When the smoke alarm goes off, that is the signal to follow the escape plan. Get out and call 9-1-1 from a safe location.

Fireworks & Firecrackers:

• Firecrackers are loud. Use earmuffs or earplugs, especially for children.
• Leave all fireworks activities to the professionals. Fireworks are not allowed in Seattle except for certain ceremonial purposes with a permit from the Seattle Fire Department .

When temperatures drop during the winter months, the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning increases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year approximately 50,000 people visit emergency rooms in the U.S. due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

With colder weather and snow in the forecast for the Seattle area , now is the time to make sure that you are taking precautions to prevent CO poisoning. The good news is that CO poisoning is preventable.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause severe illness or death. CO is found in all fires, as well as fumes produced by charcoal or gas. It is produced by cars and trucks, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges and heating systems.

Here are ways to prevent CO poisoning:

• Do not use items that produce CO inside your home or garage or outside an open window.
• Never use gas ovens to heat your home, even for a short time.
• If you use a fireplace or wood stove, make sure that chimneys and flues are in good condition and are not blocked.
• Never idle a car in a garage, even when the garage door is open.
• Keep vents and flues free of debris. Debris can block ventilation lines.
• Make sure you have CO alarms on every level of your home and outside of the bedrooms. Replace batteries yearly to ensure your CO alarm will work if needed.

If the CO alarm 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.

• Carbon Monoxide facts in many languages
• CO Poisoning Prevention Handout