When the West Seattle Bridge closed for major repairs in 2020, the West Seattle peninsula was made more isolated than usual, raising concerns about emergency services quickly reaching its sprawling neighborhoods. So the Seattle Fire Department added an extra ladder company at Station 37 in Roxhill and a medic vehicle at Station 26 in South Park, using overtime wages to help support the units during the bridge’s 2 1/2-year closure.
- PUB DATE: 11/29/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Seattle Times - Metered Site

Washington State troopers (WSP) are investigating a deadly collision that occurred at the intersection of Trent and Pines in Spokane Valley around 2:25 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. According to new information from the Spokane Valley Fire Department, fire crews arrived at the scene to find two crashed vehicles blocking all eastbound lanes of Highway 290 at Pines.
- PUB DATE: 11/29/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

Firefighters on Vashon battled heavy flames that engulfed a north-end residence on the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 25. There were no injuries to firefighters or people in the home, but the home sustained very heavy damage, said Fire Chief Matt Vinci. According to the home’s owner, Kim Cronin, the fire destroyed all the contents of her house, with nothing remaining salvageable.
- PUB DATE: 11/28/2022 1:18:00 PM - SOURCE: Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Last week, nearly $1.4 million of federal funds were announced for Southwest Virginia communities, HeraldCourier.com reported. All but $52,500 will go to Smyth County agencies with the largest proportion going to the town of Marion, the report said.

Marion will use the money to buy two significant pieces of equipment for key operations: a $1,018,000 loan to buy a new fire truck and a combination $254,000 loan-grant to buy a sanitation truck, according to the report.

In September, Marion’s town council voted to replace Marion Fire-EMS’s Engine 1, a 1996 truck that was bought used. The truck was becoming unreliable, the report said.

Marion expects to get the new pumper truck, which will have a 750-gallon water tank, in April 2025, the report said.

Arvada Fire Station No. 9, the first newly-built fire station in the city in more than 40 years, is up and running, DenverPost.com reported.

The 12,128-square-foot station will serve the quickly-growing Candelas neighborhood and should improve response times in northwest Arvada, the report said.

Growth within the city and an upward trend of increasing calls for emergency services convinced fire officials that the $6.2 million firehouse is a necessary investment, according to the report.

Station No. 9, the first new station in the Arvada Fire Protection District since 1979, is outfitted with a fire engine — No. 59 — and a wildfire brush truck but has space to grow, the report said. Four firefighters, including a paramedic and an EMT, staff the firehouse in 48-hour shifts with three crew rotations, serving an area that has grown to house about 4,500 residents.

A station grand opening was held October 8.