Firefighters launched a rescue operation Tuesday after two window washers became stuck outside the upper floors of a high-rise building in downtown Seattle. Witnesses told KOMO News that the window washers were trapped outside the 29th or 30th floor of the CenturyLink building in the 1600 block of 7th Avenue.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2016 2:29:28 PM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS 29 Yakima

A one-time church building was set on fire in Brush Prairie, the third arson this week targeting churches in Clark County. The fire alarm at the one-time Bethesda Slavic Church, 11910 NE 154th, went off around 2 a.m. Sunday, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said. But the alarm was canceled when the “building’s responsible party” believed it to be a false alarm.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2016 9:37:07 AM - SOURCE: koin

A one-time church building was set on fire in Brush Prairie, the third arson this week targeting churches in Clark County. The fire alarm at the one-time Bethesda Slavic Church, 11910 NE 154th, went off around 2 a.m. Sunday, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said. But the alarm was canceled when the “building’s responsible party” believed it to be a false alarm.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2016 9:37:07 AM - SOURCE: koin

Imagine this.  A friend of yours calls and tells you about an exciting vacation package.  They admit it’s a bit different than other trips you’ve taken.  To start with, they can’t tell you where you’re going.  Nor can they be certain that you’ll arrive at your destination.  The trip will be fun, exciting, challenging, and to a degree dangerous.  Finally, they tell you that the trip starts tomorrow and you need to buy your ticket immediately...

By Alan M. Petrillo

A number of new pumps, foam systems, control units, valves and nozzles were among the products unveiled for firefighters and fire apparatus at FDIC International 2016.

W.S. Darley & Co. introduced three new engine mounted pumps: the 2-1/2AGE 37V-EFI, a medium-pressure, high-volume, gear-driven pump powered by a Briggs & Stratton 37-horsepower (hp) electronic fuel-injected gasoline engine; the 2-1/2AGE 40S, a medium-pressure, high-volume, gear-driven pump powered by a Subaru 40-hp V-twin air-cooled gasoline engine; and the HSE 250K 59HP, a single-stage centrifugal pump powered by a Kubota V2403M 59-hp turbo diesel engine.

Jason Darley, pump division accounts manager, says the company also introduced the Smart Control P, a new 4.3-inch digital control panel for portable and engine driven pumps that Darley says "will make the pumps more functional and high-tech," with start, stop, and throttle controls; digital water discharge pressure read out; engine rpm, temperature and hour meter; primer activation; and inlet and discharge pressure all in a waterproof design with dual control panels for operation in the cab or at the pump panel.

Waterous introduced its new Tellurus Digital Control System that Mark Severin, marketing and communications manager, says allows easy operation of the Waterous ONE STEP™ compressed air foam system (CAFS) with high ambient contrast ratio, enabling a firefighter easier readability in daytime sunlight and gloved operation in water-spray environments. Severin says that Waterous also will now offer its Aquis Foam Proportioner in 3- and 6-gpm models, which will have the additional feature of being able to produce Class B foam.

Hale Products unveiled four new products, including a SmartFOAM System, Shift Interlock Module, KP Pump series, and dual control panels. John Dinning IV calls the Class 1 SmartFOAM system "the first of its kind in the North American fire market" because of its intuitive user interface, advanced safety interlocks, fully configurable presets and data logging. The Shift Interlock Module integrates Class 1 electronics to Hale's G gearbox to increase firefighter safety, Dinning notes, ensuring shifts between road and pump mode can only occur with the apparatus is placed in neutral.

Hale's new KP Pump series  of mid and rear-mounted pumps includes a multipressure option, Dinning says, as well as being "the smallest and lightest offering on the market," while Hale's dual control panels for portable pumps allow the engine and throttle to be controlled from the pump or cab.

Task Force Tips introduced a number of new products, including a low-level floating strainer, low-profile ball intake valve, a series of fixed-gallonage Master Foam nozzles, and redesigns of its remote controlled nozzle actuators and monitor electronics enclosure.

Ziamatic Corp. showed several new products, including Quik-Mount saw blade holders and shelf brackets;