Between April 20 and April 26, the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to 157 calls for service, among them the following:
April 20
Vehicle fire: 11:21 a.m., (Auburn). Valley Com dispatched firefighters to a van fire in the 1900 block of East Main Street. Firefighters arrived to find a mini van parked at the curb with the female driver outside. The woman said that while driving, she had noticed smoke coming from the area of the dash board near the radio. The smoke stopped when she shut off the ignition. Firefighters disconnected the battery to prevent further damage. The driver had the vehicle towed.
April 21
Service call: 6:56 p.m., (Auburn). Valley Com dispatched firefighters to a gas station in the 300 block of 8th Street Southeast for a report of possible gasoline spill. On location, firefighters contacted a boat owner who had accidently pumped 70 gallons of gasoline into his bilge tank. They had him move the boat away from the pumps and disconnect the trailer from his truck. Firefighters pulled a precautionary firefighting hose line. A private contractor then pumped the bilge into barrels for disposal.
April 22
Diesel spill: 3:08 a.m., (Pacific). Valley Com dispatched firefighters to a trucking company on Stewart Road and a reported diesel spill. At the location, firefighters found that a section of pipe on a 10,000 gallon diesel fuel tank had failed, spilling about 150 gallons of diesel into a cement-walled containment area. Another quantity of diesel had saturated an adjacent gravel area. Firefighters quickly staunched the flow of fuel from the tank; fortunately, the spilled fuel was well away from any storm drains or other sensitive areas. VRFA personnel worked with representatives from the trucking company to notify both a private cleanup company and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
April 23
Aid call: 10:20 a.m., (Auburn). Personnel responding to a report of a man complaining of chest pain in the 700 block of 15th Street Southwest found the Boeing Fire Department already working on him. VRFA crews helped King County Medic One to stabilize the man, then King County Medic One transported him to Auburn Regional Medical Center.
April 24
CPR: 4:50 p.m., (Auburn). Valley Com dispatched firefighters to help an unconscious patient. On arrival, firefighters started CPR while King County Medic One paramedics began advanced life support procedures. After a lengthy resuscitation, the patient regained a pulse and Medic 6 transported him or her to ARMC.
April 25
Short of breath: 7:19 a.m., (Auburn). Responding to a report of somebody with shortness of breath, firefighters saw a man lying on the floor with an elevated breathing rate. The patient had had a bout of diarrhea that triggered a panic attack. Firefighters calmed the man and sent him to ARMC via American Medical Response (AMR) for possible dehydration secondary to diarrhea.
April 26
Aid Call: 4:01 p.m., (Auburn). Firefighters responded to a report of injuries from an assault in Southeast Auburn. Upon arriving, firefighters found a 65 year-old man with a cut above his eye. Personnel treated the patient, and AMR transported him to ARMC for further evaluation.
