Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, No Phone Number Available
Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 9:10 a.m.
Firefighting capability has been restored to Spokane Fire Station 9, fulfilling a Fire Task Team recommendation.
A third firefighter per shift has been added to the station. The addition gives the crew the ability to respond quickly with the necessary resources – an engine or a rescue – based on the information provided by the caller.
The Fire Task Team spent several months last year studying how the City provides fire and emergency medical services. This is one of their recommendations.
Demands for service from the Spokane Fire Department are changing. About 85 percent of calls to the Spokane Fire Department are for medical-related needs, including automobile accidents.
That number continues to grow. Non-emergency calls have risen about 13 percent year to date while life-threatening medical calls are up 2 percent.
That's one of the reasons why earlier this month the Alternative Response Unit pilot program, another Task Team recommendation, was extended.
