VIDEO: The 36th annual International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial ceremony returned to Colorado Springs Saturday. Approximately 8,000 guests were in attendance for the first of the event since the pandemic began. “The inability to be together took its toll on all of us," IAFF President Edward Kelly said.
- PUB DATE: 9/19/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRDO-FM 105.5 Colorado Springs

A building fire in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood shut down two blocks of traffic on First Avenue Monday morning. Seattle fire said that just after 6:30 a.m., a fire was reported in a building off Cherry Street and First Avenue. Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kristin Tinsley said the fire started on the second floor of the building above a 7-Eleven store.
- PUB DATE: 9/19/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

A weekend fire drove dozens of people out of a motel in Bremerton, and authorities said they believe an arsonist is responsible. Early Sunday morning, a two-alarm fire broke out at the Midway Inn on Wheaton Way. Officials said firefighters helped some of the 50 people inside reach safety. They also said some of the evacuated people needed medical attention.
- PUB DATE: 9/19/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

The Goat Rocks Fire has been burning in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest since a lightning strike on Aug. 9. It grew rapidly in size beginning on Friday, Sept. 9, and has now grown to more than 3,000 acres, though firefighters have reported that better weather and containment efforts have largely kept the blaze in check about 1 and a half miles from Packwood.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2022 5:00:00 PM - SOURCE: Centralia Chronicle

Tulsa opened its first brand-new fire station since 2006 on Saturday, KTUL.com reported.

After two years of construction – and many more years of planning – Fire Station 33 is finally ready to serve the rapidly expanding East Tulsa area, the report said. A city official said the station’s location is no coincidence.

Tulsa’s border with Broken Arrow is right down the road from Fire Station 33. The two towns currently have a cooperative agreement because Tulsa fire engines cannot respond to calls in the area quickly enough. The new station will transform that agreement from a dependency to a mutual benefit.

Fire Station 33 is equipped with top-notch amenities for living and working. Tulsa firefighters work 24-hour-long shifts, so fire stations must strike a work-life balance, the report said.

The building boasts the largest gym of any city station (firefighters must work out during their shifts), a sizeable industrial-grade kitchen, and a massive laundry facility meant solely for washing protective equipment, according to the report. There are communal areas, study rooms for promotion exams, and two locker rooms.

Tulsa Fire Department officials said the station was specifically designed to foster camaraderie. The building’s layout encourages firefighters to share communal spaces with others. The beds in the sleeping quarters are separated only by a half-height wall on one side, with pairs of beds facing each other.