An early Sunday morning fire in Walla Walla has caused at least $200K in damages. Early Sunday morning, around 4 AM multiple Walla Walla area fire units responded to a report of a commercial building fire near the intersection of 12th Ave. and Rees Ave. Here is another view of the area. Upon arrival, according to Brendan Koch of the City of Walla Walla, crews found two commercial buildings as well as several cars parked at the location completely engulfed in flames.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2022 12:00:24 PM - SOURCE: KONA-AM 610 Kennewick-Richland-Pasco

The Rapid City Fire Department held a ceremony and blessing to welcome its new ladder truck into service. The ceremony included a traditional push-in, where the truck was pushed into Station 6 by members of the department, BlackHillsFox.com reported.

This tradition dates back to when fire trucks were horse-drawn carriages that, after being taken out, had to be manually pushed back into the garage, the report said.

The ceremony was long-awaited as the process to get the custom-built truck began in 2019. However, due to economic and supply issues, the truck was not received until this year. With the truck now in service, firefighters believe they will be better prepared.

It is the third ladder truck to be added to the department.

This is part of an age-old tradition. Firefighters have participated in the push-in ceremony dating back to the 1800’s, a fire official said.

An explosion at an Olympia marina Sunday afternoon damaged several boats and sent one person to the hospital. Investigators are looking into the cause of the explosion after the victim was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Firefighters with the Olympia Fire Department tweeted at 7:48 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2022 10:48:50 AM - SOURCE: My Northwest

In this week’s First Responders Spotlight, we head to a fire station that helped a couple stay together in the final years they had left, RochesterFirst.com reported.

Henrietta Fire District managed to provide a level of security and peace for John and Jodi Guiancursios, husband and wife, when emergencies arose, the report said.    

John Guiancursios was in failing health in the final years of his life, getting weaker and suffering from dementia, the report said.

Not wanting to live in a nursing home, John was able to stay in his Henrietta home, right across the street from the Erie Station Fire Department, part of the Henrietta Fire District. John would often collapse and have emergencies and Jodi would call the fire team for help, according to the report.

The fire department helped the Guiancursios as much as 20 times, the report said.

While John passed at 87, what these firefighters did for him and Jodi remains. The fire team wants to let everyone know they don’t just fight fires.

For more on this story, please go to RochesterFirst.com.