Last year West Valley Fire made plans to purchase a new Aeroclave decontamination machine to clean their fire trucks and equipment from any deadly disease such as H-I-V or Hepatitis. Fire Chief Nathan Craig says it comes down to the safety of the people in his department as well as the community, especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS News Yakima

A 15-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in connection with a fire in a Port Orchard middle school, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department. The boy was booked into a county juvenile detention facility on investigation of first-degree arson and second-degree burglary, the sheriff’s department said in a Facebook post.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 8:19:27 PM - SOURCE: Seattle Times

Voters in Grant County overwhelmingly approved the merging of fire districts 10 & 11 during the April 28 special election on Tuesday. The merger combines Royal City’s Fire Department with rural Othello’s fire department which responds to fires on land just east of Royal City between Pot Holes State Park and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 6:51:46 PM - SOURCE: iFiberOne

Face masks have become a necessity for many first responders, but they’ve taken some of the human touch out of the job for Cowlitz 2 firefighter/paramedic Eric Dearth. Masks shield facial expressions, so ambulance patients “don’t see our smile,” and calls have become more clinical, Dearth said. “Part of the job we take pride in is providing that humanity — giving someone hope, cheer, or just a kind conversation when they’re going through a bad situation,” Dearth said.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 6:48:50 PM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News

A break-in apparently led to a fire at a Port Orchard middle school early Wednesday morning. A burglary alarm went off at Marcus Whitman Middle School just before 5 a.m., according to officials with South Kitsap Fire. When police arrived, they found signs of a forced entry into the building and a fire burning inside.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2020 10:42:18 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000