Who’s News
January 8, 2013
Skyline twins to dance at inaugural ball
Skyline High School sophomore twins Karishma and Aishwarya Mandyam will be performing the Bharatanatyam dance, an ancient classical dance art form of South India, in the rotunda during the Governor’s Inaugural Ball at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Capitol campus.
Fire destroys rural home near Issaquah, kills pets
January 6, 2013
NEW — 10:35 p.m. Jan. 6, 2013
Fire destroyed a home in unincorporated King County south of Issaquah on Sunday and left the resident’s pets dead.
Eastside Fire & Rescue crews responded to a blaze at 24415 S.E. 156th St. after noon. The rural home is about a mile from the nearest fire hydrant, so firefighters needed to call in water tankers to help douse the flames.
Crews extinguished the blaze and searched the home for occupants. The house was unoccupied during the fire, and the homeowner returned to the scene as firefighters battled the flames.
The homeowner told firefighters two dogs and a cat inside the home likely perished in the fire.
Firefighters called a King County Fire Marshal Services investigator to the scene. The agency is investigating the cause of the blaze.
Eastside Fire & Rescue extends application deadline for volunteer firefighters
January 4, 2013
NEW — 6 a.m. Jan. 4, 2013
Eastside Fire & Rescue needs volunteer firefighters to serve rural communities in rural King County, including Lake Joy, Maple Hills, Preston, Tiger Mountain and Wilderness Rim.
The agency needs energetic, community-minded men and women to assist in delivering emergency firefighting and medical services. Officials extended the application deadline to 5 p.m. Jan. 23.
EFR provides emergency services to about 119,000 residents spread across 190 square miles, from Issaquah to North Bend and from Carnation to Maple Valley.
Firefighters work from 15 stations — including 10 staffed by volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders. Volunteers carry pagers and respond if emergencies occur in their neighborhoods.
Fire damages Issaquah Highlands home
January 1, 2013
Firefighters responded to a house fire in the Issaquah Highlands just after 8 p.m. Dec. 27.
Eastside Fire & Rescue reached the empty home in the 1600 block of Northeast 24th Street at 8:22 p.m., five minutes after the call reached 911 dispatchers. Firefighters could see smoke and flames from the street, and worked to extinguish the fire in a second-floor bedroom and protect nearby residences.
Overall, eight units responded to the scene in the highlands neighborhood, and firefighters had the blaze under control by 8:43 p.m.
Public can comment on May Valley fire station proposal
January 1, 2013
The public can comment on the permit application for a planned Fire District 10 fire station in May Valley.
Plans call for crews from Eastside Fire & Rescue Fire Station 78, at 16135 S.E. 113th Place near Renton, to relocate to a modern facility at a more central location at Southeast May Valley Road and 207th Avenue Southeast after construction is complete.
Construction on the 10,000-square-foot fire station is expected to start next year. Meanwhile, residents can comment on the permit application to the King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review.
Issaquah fire station, hospital earn honors for energy efficiency
January 1, 2013
Issaquah is a hub for energy efficiency, after a fire station and a hospital in the city earned top honors in the same national competition for engineering and technology.
Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 72 and Swedish/Issaquah garnered first-place ASHRAE Technology Awards — a top recognition for innovative building design.
EFR Station 72 opened in 2011 as the most energy-efficient fire station on the planet. Swedish/Issaquah opened in July 2011, after planners spent years developing a “practical ‘green’” facility to dramatically reduce energy consumption.
ASHRAE — or the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers — plans to bestow the awards on honorees in January at a conference in Dallas. The organization announced the recipients Nov. 9.
Eastside Fire & Rescue seeks volunteer firefighters
January 1, 2013
Eastside Fire & Rescue is looking for male and female volunteer firefighters for the Tiger Mountain, Preston, Maple Hills, Lake Joy and Wilderness Rim communities.
Fire, emergency medical and special response services are provided from 15 stations, of which 10 are staffed with volunteer firefighters and EMS responders who carry pagers and respond when there is an emergency in their neighborhood.
Editorial
January 1, 2013
2013 goals are imperative for Issaquah
Our news staff and editorial board put their heads together each year to create a list of 2013 goals for the Issaquah area. Some are repeats from former years, but are still waiting to be accomplished.
Eastside Fire & Rescue closed station, cut staff in Issaquah
December 31, 2012
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
Eastside Fire & Rescue closed a fire station in Issaquah on Dec. 19 and reduced staff at another Issaquah fire station Dec. 14 as the agency’s overtime budget ran low.
The agency also closed a Sammamish fire station Dec. 16 for the same reason.
Officials closed Station 72, 1575 N.W. Maple St., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and reduced the staff at Station 71, 190 E. Sunset Way, to two firefighters from the typical three for six hours Dec. 14. The agency also shut down Station 81, 2030 212th Ave. S.E., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 16.
The closures and staffing reductions have become something of a holiday tradition at EFR. In recent years, the agency’s overtime budget has become a lightning rod and a target for partners seeking to tighten the belt on personnel costs.
Fire causes $30,000 in damage to Issaquah Highlands home
December 28, 2012
NEW — 11:20 a.m. Dec. 28, 2012
Firefighters responded to a house fire in the Issaquah Highlands just after 8 p.m. Thursday.
Eastside Fire & Rescue reached the empty home in the 1600 block of Northeast 24th Street at 8:22 p.m., five minutes after the call reached 911 dispatchers. Firefighters could see smoke and flames from the street, and worked to extinguish the fire in a second-floor bedroom and protect nearby residences.
Overall, eight units responded to the scene in the highlands neighborhood, and firefighters had the blaze under control by 8:43 p.m.
Firefighters estimated the damage at $30,000 overall — $20,000 for the structure and $10,000 for the contents damaged in the blaze. The fire did not cause any injuries.
