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| For more information about anything presented in these media releases, please contact AFD Public Affairs: | | Phone: 267-4999 | | |
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Articles from
October 2008
East Anchorage Fire Displaces Family
Shortly after 7:00 pm on Wednesday, October 29, AFD Communications received a 911 call from the residents 510 Peppertree Loop reporting a structure fire. Twelve units from the Anchorage Fire Department were immediately dispatched to the two-story, single family home. Engine 6 was first to arrive and called a working fire while directing incoming apparatus from Stations 3 and 14 to establish a water supply and pull fire lines. The fire was burning in a second story bedroom and venting through a window to the attic of the home. Thermal imaging cameras from Truck 3 and Engine 6 assisted in locating hot spots in the attic and eaves. While smoke damage was present throughout the home; fire damage was limited to the room of origin and adjacent attic and roof areas. The fire was called under control within 30 minutes.
There were three residents home at the time of the fire. They noticed a slight smell of smoke just prior to smoke alarms sounding. The working smoke detectors hard wired into the electrical system of the home resulted in the immediate and safe evacuation of the residents. Damage is estimated at $100,000. The fire originated in a bedroom on the second floor of the home; the cause is currently under investigation.
Contact Jennifer Klugh Collins for more information at 317-9929.
October 21, 2008
A Mountain View family lost 3 family pets this morning, in addition to serious fire damage to their home in the area of Hoyt and McPhee Streets in Mt. View.
At approximately 8:40 AM today, passersby called 911 reporting smoke coming from a small single family home in North Mt. View. 12 Anchorage Fire Department units responded to find smoke and flames coming from the lower windows of the two story home. The fire was quickly extinguished and Red Cross was called to assist the residents. No injuries were reported, however the family's dog, cat and bird were lost to the smoke.
Fire Investigators report the fire started in the basement from an overheated extension cord that had been constricted by storage and other combustible material. The weight of the materials pinched the extension cord and caused the copper wires inside to overheat and ignite the rubber insulation. They determined that there was about $50,000 damage done to the home which was under renovation. The family had both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors properly installed in the home.
The Anchorage Fire Department would like to remind everyone that extension cords should never be placed under area rugs or carpet, or strung through doors or windows where they can be pinched or compacted. Heavy items and furniture should never be placed on extension cords. When extension cords are pinched or compressed, fires can occur with devastating consequences. With the holidays upon us, extension cords will be in use and extra precautions should be taken to use them safely.
Press Release
10.20.08
Extrication Demonstration at Wendler Junior High
Firefighters from Anchorage Fire Department Station 4 will be performing an extrication demonstration for Wendler Junior High students on October 21st.
The demonstration will begin with an assembly at 9:40 am where firefighters will discuss safe driving, choosing whom to ride with in a vehicle, and the consequences of unsafe vehicle operation. In addition, firefighters will stress the importance of education for success in future careers. They will highlight the skills necessary for a career in the Fire Service and relate those to skills students are currently developing. They will also give an overview of a typical day in the life of a firefighter. The program will then move outside where the extrication will begin around 10:00 am. During the demonstration, fire department members will show the capabilities of hydraulic rescue tools to disentangle an entrapped victim of a vehicle involved in an accident, including procedures used to protect fire fighters during an extrication.
For more information, please contact AFD Station 4 Senior Captain Michael Davidson at 230-4960.
Two Fires Displace Families
Anchorage fireman were kept busy over the past 12 hours responding to two separate home fires, both displacing their residents. No injuries were reported in either fire, details to follow.
At 8:49 p.m. last evening Anchorage Fire Department 911 Dispatchers received a call from a person at 911 E 10th Avenue reporting a fire in the residence. The building is a 9 plex and the fire began in a lower unit bedroom. All occupants had safely evacuated the structure. Twelve units were dispatched.
Engine 1 from the Downtown Firehouse was first on location within a few minutes and called a working fire. Engine 1 initiated a fast attack in Unit #2 finding moderate smoke and fire in a bedroom. Additional arriving units assisted with ventilation and water supply. The fire was called under control in about 10 minutes.
Damage was contained to the one bedroom in the unit estimated at $1,000. The cause of the fire is unknown, and remains under investigation. Red Cross representatives responded to provide assistance for 2 adults and 2 children displaced from the fire unit. All other occupants were able to return to their apartments.
The second fire was reported just after midnight at 12:29 a.m. in the Glencaren Mobile Home Park at 2221 Muldoon Rd., Space 737. Two neighbors called 911 and reported smoke and fire coming from the double wide home. Twelve units were dispatched to the fire.
Engine 6 from the Patterson/Debarr Firehouse was first to arrive and called a Working Fire 60% involved. Engine 6 crew initiated a fast interior attack as additional arriving units established a water supply and assisted with other fireground duties. The fire was brought under control in just over 20 minutes.
The resident safely evacuated the structure prior to the arrival of fire apparatus. Fire officials believe the blaze began in a front bedroom, and during an interview with the resident it was mentioned a candle was left burning unattended in the room. The fire caused an estimated $75,000 in damage to the home. Red Cross officials responded to the scene and will be assisting the one occupant displaced by the fire.
Press Release
10.14.08
Contact Jennifer Klugh Collins 317-9929
Fall Wildfire Mitigation Projects
The AFD Wildfire Mitigation Office will continue projects in the coming weeks at two locations: Campbell Park near Piper Street and Chugach State Park near Oceanview Road in Indian. Alaska Division of Forestry firefighters will be working on both of these projects.
Wildland fire rehabilitation will occur in Campbell Park; the site of the July 2nd Piper Fire that scorched 10 acres. Trees that were partially destroyed during the fire will be removed and burned in slash piles. This will reduce fuel in the case of another wildland fire and remove hazard trees have partially burned. Illegal campfires are often reported in this area. AFD and MOA Parks have been thinning forests in this area for several years to limit the spread of these fires into residential areas. The site will be seeded to a native grass to prevent tall reed grasses from spreading and creating an additional fire hazard. Because this site surrounds Campbell Creek, an anadromous fish stream, crews will take extra care to support vegetation near the stream.
Beginning, October 13, Indian Forest Health Protection work will occur in Chugach State Park near the trailhead at the end of Oceanview Road. This is a continuation of a project began in 2007. A recent spruce bark beetle epidemic in the area has caused significant tree mortality throughout Indian Valley. Crews will be cutting dead and dying spruce trees while also thinning out densely growing conifers to reduce the fire hazard and support forest health.
Smoke will be present in these areas during burn operations. All burn piles will be monitored by firefighters and extinguished at the end of each day.
Quick action by firefighters keeps wind driven structure fire from spreading to adjacent homes
Shortly before 6:00 am this morning, AFD Communications received multiple 911 calls reporting a structure fire at 7706 Delridge Circle. Truck 12 was first to arrive; they were already in the area on another call and arrived at the single family, two story structure within minutes. The home was heavily involved in fire on both floors and a vehicle in the driveway was also engulfed in flames. First arriving crews from immediately called a working fire and began a search for occupants on both floors of the home.
The Truck 12 captain reported heavy wind gusts were feeding the fire, making exposure protection to adjacent homes especially critical and difficult. During a search of the first and second floors of the home, firefighters were unable to locate any occupants. While Truck 12 crews were completing their search, Engine 12 arrived and quickly pulled a hose line. Due to heavy fire involvement, firefighters began a defensive attack of the fire from the exterior of the structure. Wind-driven flames threatened adjacent homes, who were at significant risk for ignition due to flame exposure. Quick action by firefighters prevented all but minor damage to the surface of the exterior siding of these nearby houses.
There were no injuries reported, however one cat is currently missing. The Red Cross is providing lodging for the occupants of the home. Damage is estimated at $250,000. The area of origin is believed to be located in the garage, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Contact Jennifer Klugh at 317-9929 for more information.
Mayor Opens Landfill And Wood Lot To Address Fallen Trees
Early Snow and Winter Wind Leaves Path of Debris
After an earlier than usual snowfall and high winds throughout the Anchorage bowl, Mayor Mark Begich today announced an emergency temporary opening of wood lots to address the excess of fallen trees and branches in Anchorage and Eagle River neighborhoods.
“Homeowners on the Anchorage Hillside have reported as many as 100 spruce trees downed on a one acre lot and it’s important that we address the problems caused by the wind storm,” said Mayor Begich. “By reopening area wood lots, we can help residents clear their lots and reduce the potential for greater fire danger next summer.”
“Very often the trees that fall down over the winter are out of sight and out of mind, but they still create a problem in the spring. The number of deadfalls from this storm have made a routine springtime fire threat infinitely worse,” said Fire Chief Craig Goodrich.
The Anchorage Wood Lot is located at C Street and 100th Avenue and will open Saturday morning at 9 a.m. with daily operations from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and remain open through Sunday, October 19. The lot will then close for the remainder of the winter. The charge is $8 per pickup load or $6 per yard.
The Eagle River Lot at the Anchorage Regional Landfill will open Saturday morning at 8 a.m. It is closed on Sunday, but will open again on Monday, October 13 at 8 a.m., It will remain open daily from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. until October 18 and is free to the public. Guidelines for disposal are same as those in place for the wood lot this summer.
Anchorage Fire Department and American Heart Association CEO Breakfast
The Anchorage Fire Department and the American Heart Association have joined forces to promote a city-wide CPR initiative called The Big Wild Heart of Anchorage. This Friday, October 10, a CEO breakfast will kick off this initiative at the The Hotel Captain Cook, Endeavor Room, 7:00am – 8:30am.
The Big Wild Heart of Anchorage is a community-based CPR training program designed to increase the number of citizens trained to respond to a cardiac event; thus improving the outcome of sudden cardiac arrests. Those who learn CPR can be trained in as little as 30 minutes on realistic mannequins, and can take an online course to earn a credentialed card that meets most OSHA requirements for the workplace. Since most cardiac events occur in the home; the workplace is the ideal place to increase lay citizen training, because the likelihood of performing CPR will be on someone you know and love.
At the breakfast, Ed Lamb, CEO for Alaska Regional Hospital, Michael Levy, MD, and Craig Goodrich, Anchorage Fire Chief, will speak with community leaders to increase awareness of the initiative and its importance to improving sudden cardiac arrest outcomes in Anchorage. These community leaders will be encouraged to support employer based CPR training, with a goal to train their entire workforce over the next 10 years. Guests include Carol Comeau, ASD Superintendent, Former Governor Wally Hickel, and Beverly Wooley, Director of the Division of Public Health with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Two Anchorage stories of survival will be told with awards being presented to three lay rescuers who were involved in the lives saved.
For more information or a list of attendees, please contact Suzanne Sands,
American Heart Association Director of Government Affairs and State Health Alliances
(907) 727-2969
Anchorage Fire Department Press Release
10.03.08
Station 12 Addition Groundbreaking
Mayor Mark Begich and Fire Chief Craig Goodrich invite you to the groundbreaking of the new addition to Fire Station 12 at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 6. Station 12 is located at 7920 Homer Drive and serves Midtown and South Anchorage. This busy firehouse has responded to a total of 2,118 emergency calls between January 1 and October 1, 2008. Of those calls, 1,423 resulted in hospital transport by Medic 12, accounting for 11 percent of all Anchorage Fire Department medical transports.
This extensive remodel of Station 12 consists of the design and construction of a new, two-story 2,172 SF ambulance bay and three firefighter dorm rooms. This remodel will provide much needed sleeping quarters and additional office space for firefighters. The emergency generator system has also been upgraded thanks to a $250,000 state grant, resulting in improvements to the back-up power system for Station 12 and the AFD Communications Center where 911 calls are taken and emergency responders are dispatched. Also part of the remodel includes additional parking and landscape improvements, resulting in improved protection of Little Campbell Creek.
“These much needed improvements to one of the busiest fire stations in Anchorage will improve both the working conditions of our firefighters and protection of nearby wetlands,” Mayor Begich said. “The construction at Station 12 and the upcoming Anchorage Fire Training Center project have been made possible thanks to voter-approved bonds in conjunction with funding from the state.”
Mayor Begich will also highlight plans for the upcoming Airport Heights Fire Training Center project.This project consists of the construction of a new 20,702 SF Practical Application Building and improvements to the existing fire rescue tower and classroom building.
For more information on this event, please contact Jennifer Klugh Collins at 317-9929.
4018 Scenic View Drive
At 01:58 on Friday, October 3, Anchorage Fire Department received a call reporting smoke and fire visible on the second story of this single residential home. Twelve units were dispatched to this location. Engine 14 was the first in engine calling a working fire with the roof 50% involved. Engine 14 quickly pulled a fast attack and the second in engine staged at the hydrant.
The roof and ceiling will need to be replaced estimating damages approximately $75,000.00. The cause of the fire was believed to be from unattended smoking outside on the deck. There were no injuries reported, but two adults and two children have been displaced. Red Cross assisted in finding a place for this family to stay.
Two Perish When Cessna Crashes Near Merrill Field
At approximately 11:40 am on Wednesday, October 1, AFD Communications received a 911 call reporting a small aircraft had struck a building and then crashed near 9th & Orca Street, which borders Merrill Field. The caller stated the small Cessna was on the ground and engulfed in flames. When first Anchorage Fire Department crews from Stations 1 and 4 arrived, firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the flames while avoiding the snapped power lines surrounding the wreckage. The building sustained structural damage but did not catch fire.
Two passengers perished in the crash. Witnesses report the Cessna departed from runway 25, which runs east to west. The plane made an abrupt dip towards the south and then collided with the vacant building. There were no injuries to bystanders on the ground. The investigation is now being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board and any further updates on the crash itself will be released through their agency. The names of those who perished are being withheld until next of kin has been notified.
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