EVERETT — The Everett City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the fire department to fine care facilities that call for non-emergency lift assists.
Lift assists occur when first responders are called to a scene to pick up a person who has fallen to the ground and needs to be lifted back to a seat or bed. Licensed care facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities where trained medical staff are present, are required by law to be able to perform actions like lift assists, Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco previously said.
The law does not apply to registered adult family homes or individuals calling 911 for help on their own. The fire department will only issue fines against a license care facility if an on-scene incident commander finds there is not a medical emergency as part of the lift assist request, according to the ordinance.
The new law is not intended to be a new source of revenue, rather an incentive for care facilities to keep enough staff on site to perform non-emergency actions, DeMarco previously said.
The city of Tacoma approved a similar law in 2018.
The Everett Fire Department will visit affected care facilities — a total of about 15 throughout the city — through the end of the year to educate them about the new law. The department will begin imposing the fines at the start of 2026.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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