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News and events from the Seattle Fire Department

Firefighters Rescue Man Trapped in Hole

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Firefighters used multiple tools to stabalize the cement around the patient.

Firefighters used multiple tools to stabilize the cement around the patient.

At 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, firefighters responded to a report that a man had fallen and may have been injured next to the Washington Street Public Boat Landing at the intersection of South Washington Street and Alaskan Way South. When firefighters arrived they found a 60-year old male who fell approximately 10 feet into a hole after a section of cement collapsed underneath him. Firefighters reported that the fill dirt around the patient and large sections of remaining overhead concrete were both unstable. A Heavy Rescue response was requested, which includes Seattle Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team.

The patient told firefighters that he was not hurt.  Firefighters worked in a coordinated effort to stabilize the soil and the concrete using ladders, wood, separators, air bags and rope. They drilled a bolt into one piece of unstable concrete and tied it to a nearby pole so that if the slab of cement were to break it would not fall down on the patient.  When the hole was stabilized, two firefighters entered the hole and cut off the patient’s backpack and shirt sleeve which were pinned down by a large slab of cement.

Once the patient was free, he was put in a rescue harness. The aerial ladder on a ladder truck was extended over the sidewalk and used to raise the patient out of the hole. The man was complaining of minor back pain and was transported to Harborview Medical Center for further evaluation.

The patient was extricated using an aerial ladder attached to a rescue harness.

The patient was extricated using an aerial ladder attached to a rescue harness.

Seattle Fire Department Names First Female Assistant Chief

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Susan P. Rosenthal, a 29-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department was promoted to Assistant Chief in early May, making her the highest ranking woman in the Department’s history.

In her new position, Rosenthal serves as the Assistant Chief of Administration, overseeing the Fire Alarm Center, Human Resources, Finance, Services, and Information Technology.
 
Since August, 2003, Rosenthal worked as the Deputy Chief of Communications at the Department’s Fire Alarm Center where she managed a staff of firefighter/dispatchers who answer over 100,00 emergency calls per year. Prior to that, Rosenthal served as one of the Department’s Safety Officers and as an Operations Division Battalion Chief.
 
Rosenthal was among the first group of women to serve as firefighters for the City of Seattle when she joined the Department in 1980. During her career,  Rosenthal rose through the ranks of Firefighter, Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief.

Rosenthal is a member of the City’s Race and Social Justice Change Team. She has volunteered as a Safety Chief at Camp Blaze, a national leadership camp for young women who want to experience a career in the fire service.

Chief Susan P. Rosenthal with Mayor Nickels

Assistant Chief Rosenthal with Mayor Nickels

 
Assistant Chief Rosenthal poses with a group of women in the Seattle Fire Department.

Assistant Chief Rosenthal celebrates with other women in the Seattle Fire Department

Ground Broken for New Fire Station 37

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Mayor Nickels, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and others break ground.

Mayor Nickels, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and others break ground.

On Tuesday, May 12, Mayor Nickels, Fire Chief Gregory Dean, firefighters assigned to Engine 37 and West Seattle neighbors gathered to break ground on the site of the new Fire Station 37. The new station, will be located on the southeast corner of 35th Avenue SW and SW Holden Street and is just a few blocks down from where the current station sits. Engine 37 will respond to emergencies from the current station until construction is complete on the new station, which is estimated to take about a year.

The new Fire Station 37 will be seismically reinforced and will expand from 4,000 square feet to more than 9,000 square feet. More room at the station is important for several reasons. First, it gives firefighters room to safely decontaminate their gear from the toxic materials they are exposed to when responding to fire and medical emergencies. Second, it means the station will be large enough to accommodate modern firefighting equipment. The current Station 37 was built in 1925, when fire engines were smaller and now, when the Engine 37 backs into the station, there are a only a few inches of clearance on either side.

The new station is part of the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy. More information on this project and other fire station projects going on around the City is available on the Fire Facilities Webpage.

An artists rendering of the new Fire Station 37.

An artist's rendering of the new Fire Station 37.