The Edmonds Fire Department (EFD) was dispatched to 103 calls in and around Edmonds the week of March 17-23, which brings this year’s call volume to 1,157. Medical crews evaluated 75 patients; fire crews responded to 28 incidents.
Vehicle extrication
On March 19, a two-car collision at 236th Street Southwest and Highway 99 required extrication, or removal, of an injured passenger. The patient was transported to Harborview Medical Center.
Three EFD firefighters/EMTs are currently attending a vehicle extrication academy in a “train-the-trainer” capacity. Upon completion, they will be qualified to teach vehicle extrication techniques to other EFD crews.
Members of the Puyallup Fire Extrication Team, which ranked in the top ten at the 2006 national extrication competition, are academy instructors. The King County Training Officers Association collected 50 cars, buses, and trucks for the annual training event.
The advanced, two-day course targets staff that has a basic knowledge of vehicle extrication. Participants learn to assess risks, stabilize the car and incident, and access and disentangle patients. Other subjects include vehicle construction, tool knowledge, and hybrid awareness.
The academy concludes with a scenario-based drill involving several cars that have run under and jammed beneath a full-size, semi-tractor trailer.
Fire responses
Fire crews responded to a variety of fire- and smoke-related calls this week that involved public restrooms, shrubs, a box of trash, and a report of fire in the park at Emerald Hills.
The biggest fire, however, was a training burn in Shoreline. EFD firefighters teamed with Shoreline Fire Department crews to practice firefighting skills on a house donated for a live-fire burn.
Training with a neighboring fire department presents opportunities beyond working together to put out the flames in case of a large incident. Each agency becomes familiar with their counterpart’s crews and equipment, and firefighters and officers experience multi-agency command and control equipment and systems.
Overall, firefighting operations are similar in all departments, but subtle differences do exist. Discovering and accommodating unique characteristics in a controlled environment is crucial; there is no room for error on the emergency ground.
Battalion Chief Don White, EFD’s Training Officer, emphasized the importance to train under the most realistic conditions possible, while maintaining safety under strictly monitored conditions.
Call for help
On May 20, please vote in the EMS Levy Lid Lift restoration election. For more information, please call 425-771-0215 or visit edmondsfire.org.
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