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News and events from the Seattle Fire Department

A body is found at scene of missing diver

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February 19—Tonight a body has been discovered in the waters off an Alki park. The body was found in approximately 80 feet of water, 200 yards offshore from where a missing diver was last seen earlier in the day.

Around 6 p.m., the body was discovered by volunteer divers. A volunteer diver in her 50’s had a mask problem and suffered a medical condition after ascending quickly during the recovery process. Firefighter Paramedics from Medic 32 transported the female diver to Virginia Mason Hospital. The facility as Virginia Mason has a Hyperbaric chamber.

The search for the diver began earlier in the day. At 11:02 a.m. dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a diver emergency 100 yards from shore. A man in his 20’s was diving with an instructor and two other divers in about 100 foot depth of water. As the group was heading back to shore the diver quickly ascended. When others reached the surface they did not see him. The instructor waved to shore to have people call 911.

Earlier in the day, Seattle Fire Department Technical Rescue Unit Divers, the Marine Response Unit Fireboat Leschi, Seattle Police Department Harbor Patrol Unit and SPD Diver searched for nearly 90 minutes for the missing diver today off Seacrest Park in West Seattle. The units were assisted by a Coast Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard Rescue Boat.

The dive instructor says the missing diver is experienced with more than 50 dives.

Seattle Fire Paramedics Rush Injured Crane Operator to Harborview Medical Center

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February 16 – Seattle Fire Paramedics transported a crane operator to Harborview Medical Center after he rode a falling crane into the water. At 12:37p.m., a 911 call came into the Dispatch Center reporting a 40 ton rail crane had fallen into the water with the operator inside. The call came from the 1800 block of 16th Avenue SW. Workers from the shipyard were able to pull the man out of the crane cab and load him into a boat.

Firefighters from Ladder 7 took the patient from the boat to the shore where Medic Unit 32 was waiting. The operator reported the crane fell approximately 50 feet into the water and the windshield of the cab exploded inward.

Paramedics transported the male in his 40’s to Harborview Medical Center with in serious condition. His injuries are non-life threatening.

Seattle Firefighters and Technical Rescue Team Free Trapped Patients in I-5 Crash

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February 14–Seattle Firefighters and the Department’s Technical Rescue crew saved three patients trapped in a wrecked car along Southbound I-5 and 65th Street. The car was a part of an accident along the freeway after a semi-truck rolled over onto a freeway onramp.

At 11:08 a.m. dispatchers received a 911 call reporting the accident. Firefighters arrived to find the driver of the semi-truck had been pulled out of his vehicle. Also, firefighters found three patients trapped inside a convertible car.

Using saws, cutters and spreaders firefighters removed the car’s roof off and popped off the car’s door. Firefighters were able to pull the female driver out of the car, and load her into a Medic Unit. The male front seat passenger and a male back seat passenger were also rescued out of the car. The entire rescue took about 15 minutes.

The driver of the semi-truck, a male in his 50’s was transported to Harborview Medical Center by Medic 31 in serious but stable condition.

The 19-year-old female driver of the car was transported by Medic 16 to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

Medic 18 transported the 22-year-old male front seat passenger to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

AMR transported the backseat passenger, also a 22-year-old male to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries.

Technical Rescue Team Rescues Trapped Driver in Crushed Car on 4th Avenue Bridge

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Ladder 7 Technical Rescue Team

February 2—Seattle Fire Department Technical Rescue Team rescued a woman who was trapped inside her crushed car this morning. The 911 call came in at 6:45 a.m. reporting a driver trapped in her small car along the 4th Avenue Bridge.

When firefighters arrived then found a female driver trapped underneath the dashboard of the crushed Mazda Protégé after it had collided head-on with a trash truck. Firefighters from Ladder 7 used saws and other tools to cut off the car’s roof, lift the dashboard and steering wheel and to cut off the door in order to extricate the female patient. It took 15 minutes to complete the rescue.

Medics rushed the female patient to Harborview Medical Center with life threatening injuries. An AMR ambulance transported a second patient, a 33-year-old male garbage truck driver to Harborview with non life-threatening injuries.

Seattle Police Department investigated the cause of the crash.

Technical Rescue Crew Rescues Construction Worker

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Photo Courtesy John Odegard

October 12— Seattle Firefighters along with the Technical Rescue Team rescued a construction worker pinned between a wall and a piece of drilling equipment.

Around 1:30 p.m. dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call about the male in his 20’s trapped in a pit at the 700 block of Marion Street. When firefighters arrived, they found the man dangling 6 feet off the ground and stuck between a concrete shoring wall and a large drilling apparatus. The man was conscious and alert and talking.

Construction crews say the drilling apparatus chain broke causing the apparatus to lurch forward trapping the worker between the machine and the wall of under-construction parking garage.

The construction worker was freed by maneuvering his body around the steel equipment. The worker suffered head trauma and injuries to his ankle and leg. Medics transported the patient to Harborview Medical Center.

Stuck Window Washer Thankful for Rescue by Seattle Fire’s Department Technical Rescue Team

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July 14-The Seattle Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team saved a window washer caught dangling 65 feet from the ground. A few minutes before noon, firefighters were called to McCaw Hall located in the 300 block of Mercer Street in Lower Queen Anne to find the man dangling by a safety harness about 15 feet from the top of the building.

The window washer told fire crews that he slid out of a seat and fell about 9 feet before his safety harness caught him. The man, who was in his 30’s, told fire personnel he was stuck about 20 minutes before somebody heard his cries and called 911.

The Technical Rescue Team responded with Ladder 7. While one team of firefighters went to the roof and prepared to rescue the man from above, another crew from Ladder 7 raised the ladder and was able to reach him from the ground. Firefighters found the window washer tangled up in his ropes. Once untangled, the window washer was able to climb down the fire truck ladder. Paramedics found the man to be shaken up but uninjured.

Once safely on the ground. The window washer thanked the fire department for rescuing him.

Heavy Rescue Unit Saves Women Trapped Between Her Car and Garage

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July 5- Shortly after midnight, firefighters were called to a home located on the 6000 block of 52nd Avenue South for a women trapped between her car and her garage.

When firefighters arrived, they found a woman in her 60’s with her foot wedged between the door of her car and the side of her garage. Apparently, the woman was unloading items from her car when the accident occurred. The driver was getting out of her driver’s side door when she accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the car to lurch forward and wedge her foot between the door-well and the side of the garage.

It took about 20 minutes for the Heavy Rescue Unit to use a chain saw and cut a hole in the side of the garage, freeing the woman. The female patient was conscious, breathing and able to speak to paramedics. She was transported to Harborview Medical Center with a leg injury.

Firefighters rescue man trapped in 15-foot deep trench

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Seattle Firefighters worked for forty-five minutes to rescue a construction worker  trapped in a trench after the wall he was working on in the front yard of a Magnolia home collapsed and buried him waist deep. Firefighters from the Department’s Technical Rescue team used shoring materials, ladders, and wood to stabilize the 15- foot deep trench. Seattle Public Utilities supplied a vactor truck and worked closely with firefighters to vacuum the dirt and sand out from around the patient until he was free. The man communicated with firefighters throughout the rescue and was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Firefighters communicated with the patient throughout the rescue.

Firefighters communicated with the patient throughout the rescue.

Seattle Public Utilities supplied a vactor truck which was used to vacuum dirt out from around the patient.

Seattle Public Utilities used a vactor truck to vacuum dirt out from around the patient.

 

A look at the trench after the patient was rescued. The wall on the left side of the photo collapsed and buried the patient waist deep.

A look at the trench after the patient was rescued. The wall on the left side of the photo collapsed and buried the patient waist deep.

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.