VIDEO: Logan Schneider thought his day was done on his family's cherry farm last week when it was really just beginning. "Looking at what happened, I don't know how we both got out," he said. Logan was riding a tractor in the orchard about 12 miles north of Wenatchee last week when a helicopter hit overhead powerlines and landed on top of him.
- PUB DATE: 7/14/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A cell tower caught fire overnight in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Reports of the fire came in around 3:30 a.m. Thursday at 12th Ave South and Dearborn Street. The flames are out now and damage to an AT&T cell tower is apparent. Seattle fire crews said they don’t know what sparked the flames, but a cell-tower fire is uncommon.
- PUB DATE: 7/14/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

An oil tank fire on Cole Creek Road Tuesday morning was a double downer, as a Natrona County Fire District engine en route to the scene was hit by a tow truck.

The engine was struck at an intersection along the Yellowstone Highway, though no injuries were reported, reports oilcity.news.

A press release regarding the fire states:

“Coal Creek Oil Tank Fire

“July 12, 2022, Shortly before 9:00am, Evansville Fire & EMS along with Natrona County Fire Protection District units were dispatched to the end of Coal Creek Road for the report of an oil tank on fire. While en route, units saw a column of heavy black smoke and requested additional engines for water supply. Due to the location, Converse County Fire Department resources were also requested. Upon arrival, crews found an oil tank fully involved with fire, and noted the location to actually be in Converse County. Engine 12 immediately began hazardous materials fire suppression tactics while Brush 12 monitored the area for extension of the fire into the surrounding grasslands.

“Due to the stable atmosphere of the morning and large amount of smoke being produced, smoke could be seen as far away as Paradise Valley in Casper, prompting many calls into Casper Public Safety Communications Center.

“In all, Evansville Fire Department responded with two structural engines, one brush truck, and a Chief officer. Additional resources from Natrona County Fire Protection District, Bureau of Land Management, Converse County Fire Department, Natrona County Sheriffs Office, Converse County Memorial Hospital, Wyoming Life Flight and many others responded. The success of this incident is a a true testament to the interoperability of agencies within Wyoming.

“Due to the location of the fire, for additional inquiries please contact Converse County Fire Department.”

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.