Every home should have working smoke alarms. If the alarm sounds you may have less than a minute to get outside or to a safe place to call 911.

Test your smoke alarms monthly and if your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, replace them.

Install smoke alarms:

• In every bedroom
• Outside each sleeping area
• On every level of the home
• including the basement

The Seattle Fire Department can provide and install free smoke alarms for owner-occupied homes in the city, when the home-owner is a senior or is living on a low income or has a disability. Call 206-386-1337 or email fireinfo@seattle.gov or online for more information.

SEATTLE – The Seattle Fire Department will gather to honor Seattle Fire Captain Craig Aman, who is among the 103 firefighters nationally being memorialized for line of duty deaths in 2018.

The local ceremony coincides with the 37^th Annual National Fallen Firefighter Memorial weekend held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. During the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial weekend, firefighters from around the country pay tribute to those courageous firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The event will take place in front of the Seattle Fallen Firefighters Memorial, which honors all Seattle firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The memorial was inspired by the four firefighters who died in the 1995 Mary Pang Warehouse Fire.

Rich in firefighter tradition, the ceremony will begin and end with the presentation of colors by the Walter Kilgore Memorial Honor Guard. The Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums band will play several musical selections and there will be short speeches by Mayor Jenny Durkan, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, Local 27 President Lieutenant Kenny Stuart, Local 2898 President Deputy Chief Tom Walsh and Fire Department Chaplain Joel Ingebritson.

What:             2018 Fallen Firefighter Memorial

Who:              Seattle Fire Captain Craig Aman will be added to the memorial

When:             Friday, Oct. 5 from 9-9:30 a.m.    

Where:           Fallen Firefighter Memorial, Occidental Square

SEATTLE – On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Seattle Fire Department, in partnership with the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) will kick off Fire Prevention Month with Seattle Fire Day – a fun day learning about fire safety, past and present! Admission to the first floor of the museum will be free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visitors will have the opportunity to:

• Tour antique fire trucks, a modern day fire engine, ladder truck and SFD fireboat
• Watch demonstrations of firefighters in full gear
• Engage in fun fire safety activities with the Seattle Fire Department
• Watch a fire rescue dog in action
• Try on firefighting gear
• Participate in hands-on history
• Listen to firefighter story time
• Enjoy a craft center

For a complete schedule of Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Month activities, including Firefighter Story Times with the Seattle Public Library, visit seattle.gov/fire.

• What: Seattle Fire Day
• When: Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Where: Museum of History and Industry – 860 Terry Ave. N.

SEATTLE – On Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, the Fire Alarm Center received a peculiar call from community members in the Fremont neighborhood. Crews from the Fremont and Queen Anne fire stations (Engine 9 and Ladder 6) responded to the scene to find a cat who had wedged himself between two garages, in a space about 4-inches wide. Neighbors had heard the cat howling and went out to see what had happened. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to remove the cat. Firefighters worked for over an hour using special tools, and were eventually successful in rescuing the cat from between the cement structures. The cat was unfortunately in bad shape once he was removed.

A couple of days later, firefighters at the Fremont station received a surprise visit from “Wally” the cat, his owners, and neighbors who helped at the scene. They were happy to see Wally alive and well, and in good spirits. It’s no coincidence that the Fremont Fire Station’s patch is of a black cat, that looks very similar to Wally.

Media interested in interviewing firefighters or the cat’s owners/neighbors, can contact Seattle Fire’s Public Information Officer via email at sfdpio@seattle.gov.

SEATTLE – On Sept. 13, 2018, just after 5 a.m., the Fire Alarm Center received a call about a townhouse fire in the Wallingford neighborhood. Crews reported seeing a column of smoke from the 4200 Block of Winslow Pl. N. on the way to the incident. When units first arrived, they reported heavy black smoke and flames from all floors of the middle unit of a three-unit townhouse. The three-story townhouse was under construction.

Engine 9 from Fire Station 9 in Fremont, arrived first on scene, and quickly began applying water on the fire. Crews laid hose lines and used deck guns to work towards extinguishment. Due to the middle unit being fully-involved, crews had to fight the fire defensively from outside of the structure. Two additional engines were requested to assist with firefighting efforts. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire and were able to stop it from spreading to nearby homes in close proximity. The fire was completely extinguished in 75 minutes.

Fire investigators ruled the cause of the fire as undetermined. Total estimated loss to the structure is $400,000.

Local 27 President is joined with longtime friend and MDA support, Amber, at the announcement

Seattle – Look for Seattle Firefighters this week as they take to the streets to collect money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Fill-the-Boot campaign. Seattle Firefighters will be at these five locations to accept donations between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, 12, 13 and 14:

• 15th Ave. NW and NW Market St.
• Rainier Ave. S. and S. Ferdinand St.
  

  IAFF Local 27 joins representatives from the MDA at an event to announce this year’s campaign

• Roosevelt Way NE and NE 50th St.
• California Ave. SW and SW Alaska St.
• 925 Alaskan Way (waterfront by Fire Station 5)

Want to donate but you don’t carry cash? You can write a check or go online to the MDA’s website and donate directly via this link.

The MDA is a major contributor to neuromuscular disease research, treatment and innovations in care for dozens of diseases, including muscular dystrophy and ALS. These diseases attack the muscular system, taking away physical strength, independence and ultimately shortening an individual’s lifespan.

The Local 27 Seattle Fire Fighters Union and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) have been partners for more than 60 years. Last year, the community contributed more than $20,000 in Local 27’s campaign to support the MDA. This year we hope to top that amount! We thank you for your support!

SEATTLE – At 8:42 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2018, the Fire Alarm Center received a call about two people in distress in the water near Harbor Island. When crews arrived on scene, they received reports that a man had seen a person in the water in need of medical assistance, and jumped in to help him. Firefighters later learned that the man who jumped in to rescue the patient is a worker at Terminal 18. The patient was working on a cargo ship, and the circumstances which led to him being in the water are unknown to the fire department.

Prior to the arrival of Seattle Fire crews, a private boat picked up the two individuals, and Terminal 18 crews used a crane to hoist them on to the shore. Medics immediately began life saving efforts and transported the patient in critical condition to Harborview Medical Center. The patient is estimated to be approximately 30-years-old.

The Seattle Fire Department extends our appreciation to the man who jumped in to save the patient, and to the private boat owners for stopping to help. If it weren’t for their coordinated life-saving efforts, the outcome may have been different.

SEATTLE – Seattle Firefighters responded to two structure fires on August 10.

The first fire occurred just after 9 a.m. at 14th Avenue and East Spruce Street. The Fire Alarm Center had received a call about a fire in a residential home, and upon arrival, crews saw that it was a boarded up structure. Firefighters fought the fire from outside of the structure until it was deemed safe to enter. Once inside, firefighters searched all floors of the structure and reported there were no occupants inside. The fire was under control within 30 minutes and no injuries were reported. Fire investigators ruled the fire as accidental, and determined it started on the exterior of the southeast corner. Total estimated loss is $20,000 due to five vehicles sustaining heat damage. The building is scheduled for demolition, so there was no dollar loss to the structure.

The second fire occurred just after 6 p.m. in the Greenlake neighborhood at the 7500 Block of Sunnyside Avenue East. A 9-year-old boy named Caleb was riding his scooter in the area when he saw smoke coming from the attic and alerted his dad. His father then ran into the home, and got all of the occupants out of the house safely. Due to the fire being in the attic space, the occupants were unaware the home was on fire. Crews had the fire under control within one hour of arriving on scene. There were no reported injuries to members of the public or firefighters. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Seattle Fire Department thanks Caleb for his observation and fire safety skills, and his parents for their quick actions in alerting the occupants of the home.