Nine Seattle, WA Local 27 members have been medically treated and released after responding to what could have been a deadly incident. But, by following the proper training procedures no one was seriously hurt.
At approximately 1:00 a.m., March 9, Local 27 fire fighters were dispatched to a possible natural gas leak in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. They immediately heard the gas hissing outside the building, determined where the leak was occurring and called Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to turn off the gas.
While waiting for PSE to arrive, they noticed a light on in one of the building’s businesses and recognized it as a potential ignition point. But before, they could take any further action, the building exploded. Following protocol, one fire fighter called in a Mayday.
“Our members know it is important to treat all of these incidents as potentially hazardous situations,” says Local 27 President Kenny Stuart. “For this incident, our members followed their training and department protocol, and that kept everyone safe.”
After the explosion, 70 more Local 27 fire fighters responded to the incident and worked hard to put out the flames. It took several hours to ensure the fire ground was secure.
