Moses Lake firefighters were back out on Wednesday to the marsh area behind Safeway after a fire was started in a homeless encampment. Fire Marshal Derek Beach said crews have responded to outside fires in the same area along Wheeler Road five times in less than a week. The five fires have burned a total of about 20 acres.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2022 3:22:00 PM - SOURCE: iFiber One News Radio

Alexandria firefighters say the city and its mutual-aid neighboring partners were left unprepared last week, but the Alexandria Fire Department and city officials say otherwise, reports alxnow.com.

The International Association of Firefighters Union 2141 said via Twitter that the city had only two fire trucks and no rescue apparatus in operation.

“**Public Safety Announcement** Currently Alexandria only has 2 trucks and 0 rescue apparatus in operation in the ENTIRE City – with none in the entire eastern half of the city. The safety of the public and our members shouldn’t be put uneccesarily [sic] at risk. FULLY FUND AFD!!”

**Public Safety Announcement**
Currently Alexandria only has 2 trucks and 0 rescue apparatus in operation in the ENTIRE City – with none in the entire eastern half of the city.

The safety of the public and our members shouldn't be put uneccesarily at risk.

FULLY FUND AFD!!

— IAFF Local 2141 (@IAFFLocal2141) July 7, 2022

The report says that the department issued this statement:

“The Alexandria Fire Department maintains state-of-the-art frontline and reserve apparatus fleet. These apparatus are specialized vehicles that can require repair from time to time. On July 6, a heavy rescue squad vehicle required a repair that was completed in a day and a half and then was back in service. During this time, another reserve vehicle was placed into service. A ladder truck went out of service for repair on July 7 and was back in service on the same day. During that time a reserve vehicle was placed into service until the ladder truck was repaired. At no time was there a safety risk to our residents or city personnel.

“The department uses National Fire Protection Association Standards to meet service demands. Regionally, we also share automatic and mutual aid capabilities to maintain public safety within the region, in which various jurisdictions rely on each other for calls for service. The department continues to evaluate the growth of the city and make deployment adjustments to address the community’s needs.”

One Alexandria firefighter who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the heavy rescue squad vehicle was replaced by an empty reserve engine, which only had hoses, according to the report. The firefighter added that, as such, the new truck couldn’t serve as a true fire truck.

City officials say the department didn’t skip a beat.

Read more about the situation here.

Multiple homes are threatened and at least one has been completely destroyed in a fire in Yakima Wednesday. Firefighters responded to reports of the fire at approximately 12:10pm. Crews found one home fully engulfed in flames and a nearby home threatened. Help from other fire departments as far away as Toppenish was called in due to the size and intensity of the blaze.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2022 12:45:00 PM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS/CW+ 29 Yakima

A fire late Monday night ripped through the Nicholson Volunteer Fire Department station 2, reports WLOX.

There’s video from a bystander showing the interior of the facility engulfed in flames.

The building, located at Jackson Landing and Huey Stockstill roads, was severely damaged, though no injuries were reported, officials say.

In addition to the station, two fire engines and a brush truck, as well as other equipment, were damaged, according to the report.

Five nearby fire departments responded to the fire. Officials are still investigating the cause.

This Webcast will review the types of aerials available today–ladders, platforms, tractor-drawn aerials, water towers, rear mounts, and mid mounts–including pros and cons and operational differences. The class will review some of the important concepts of aerial operations including positioning for rescue or fire attack, stabilization issues, understanding your load capacities, and override and emergency lowering procedures. It will look at a number of aerial device failures and offer some training ideas for teamwork and operator skills.

LOUIS SCLAFANI

LOUIS SCLAFANI has been a member of the Pinellas Park (FL) Fire Department for 30 years. He held the position of shift district chief for 19 years and was training chief for three years. He is an instructor with St. Petersburg College. He was Florida Fire Instructor of the Year in 1994. He has an A.S. degree in fire administration from St. Petersburg College.