Serving the cities of Yelm, Rainier, and surrounding unincorporated areas.
(360) 458-2799

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Summer is Here! Remember Safety!

Water Safety:
20409098_mThe weather is warming up! Remember to always wear a life jacket when out in the water. This includes activities like: Boating, rafting, tubing, floating, swimming, etc. Some other safety tips include:

  • Avoid alcohol when swimming or boating
  • Don’t swim alone or in bad weather
  • Learn CPR
  • Learn to swim and teach your children to swim
  • Supervise your children when they are in the water
  • Prevent sunburns – use plenty of sunscreen!

19828909_mGrill Safety:
Summertime means grilling time! Keep these tips in mind to make sure your summer grilling season stays safe and fun:

  • Grills are for outside only; Use in well-ventilated areas.
  • Keep grills away from deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches, kids and pets.
  • Check propane tank hose for leaks before use.
  • Always open propane grill lids before lighting.
  • Keep the fire under control; be ready to extinguish flames.
  • Never leave a grill unattended once lit.
  • Be careful with open flames: Never leave the area with an open flame. Extinguish before leaving.

Burn Ban Extended to Western Washington Effective Immediately!

DNR EXPANDS BURN BAN TO INCLUDE WESTERN WASHINGTON
Hot And Dry Conditions Increasing Fire Danger Statewide

Brush and debris on fire“OLYMPIA – With heat and drought rapidly increasing fire danger in western Washington, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is today expanding last week’s burn ban from DNR-protected lands in eastern Washington to include those west of the Cascades. The statewide burn ban will run from June 22 through September 30, 2015. “Westside forests are drying out and the outlook is for continued warm, dry weather,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark. “These conditions make it clear it’s time for a statewide burn ban.”

“The statewide burn ban applies to state forests, state parks and forestlands under DNR fire protection. It does not include federally owned lands such as national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges or other areas administered by federal agencies.”

Read the entire Press Release Here: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/News/Pages/2015_06_22_burnban_nr.aspx

Yelm Police Department’s “2014 Reserve Officer of the Year” – Reserve Officer Don Wilson

Yelm City Council Meeting
March 10, 2015 – 6pm

Reserve Officer Don Wilson

Yelm Police Department’s Reserve Officer Don Wilson receiving “2014 Reserve Officer of the Year” award. (left) Mayor Ron Harding, (center) Reserve Officer Don Wilson, (right) Police Chief Todd Stancil. Photo credit: Washington Media Services.

Reserve Officer Don Wilson was hired as a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Yelm in 2005. Since that time Wilson has donated more than 1,500 hours of his time to the city through his service with the Yelm Police Department. He currently holds a Level III Reserve Classification, which is the highest class available. This classification means that Wilson has put in enough hours and attended enough training that allows him to operate as a solo patrol unit while working with other full-time officers.

One memorable event during his time of service includes Wilson responding to a traffic collision on Yelm Avenue that involved two vehicles striking one another in a head-on collision. Wilson immediately provided CPR and first aid that resulted in successfully saving the victim’s life. For his heroic actions, Wilson was presented with a life saving award.

Aside from working with the Yelm Police Department, Reserve Officer Don Wilson works full-time with South East Thurston Fire Authority (covering the areas of Yelm, Rainier, and their surrounding unincorporated areas). Wilson has been employed with the fire department since 1993 and currently holds the position of Captain. It is estimated that he’s been involved with around 20,000 calls between his duties as a fire fighter and reserve police officer.

Congratulations to Reserve Officer Don Wilson on your award as the “2014 Reserve Officer of the Year!”

McGill Receives Citizen Life Saving Award

South East Thurston Fire Authority Fire Commissioner’s Meeting
March 10, 2015 – 7pm

 

Seconds Do Count!

Horst’s House Burning to the Ground

Jake Horst's House Fire

Jake Horst’s house continuing to smolder after burning through the night.
Photo used with permission by Michael Wager, Publisher, Nisqually Valley News.

mark-lee-jacob-sadie_web

Chief Mark King (left) presents Lee McGill (center) the Citizen Life Saving Award for saving the life of his neighbor Jacob “Jake” Horst (right) and his dog Sadie. Photo credit:  Washington Media Services.

Lee McGill Receives Citizen Life Saving Award for his heroic acts saving his neighbor, Vernon Jacob “Jake” Horst, in a house fire.

During the evening of February 3, 2015, Lee McGill noticed that his neighbor Jake Horst’s house was on fire. In a true act of bravery and selflessness, McGill broke Horst’s bedroom window and climbed in the burning house. The smoke was so intense that McGill could hardly breathe or see. He managed to find Sadie first, Horst’s loyal small black speckled dog. After passing the dog to safety, there was an explosion inside the living room, which forced another door open. It was then that McGill saw the faint outline of Horst’s legs as he lay unconscious on the floor.

McGill grabbed Horst and hoisted him through the broken window to the waiting arms of Thurston County Deputy Sheriff Sean Chatterton. With seconds to spare, McGill climbed out through the bedroom window just as the entire room exploded into flames.

Horst was treated at the scene by South East Thurston Fire Authority EMT’s and Paramedics receiving a life-saving tracheotomy. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he spent three weeks. Horst has since made a full recovery, except for a slight cough and sore throat.

The fire was so intense, it took nearly three hours to bring the fire under control. An estimated 100,000 gallons of water were used. Even so, the house continued to smolder through the night. McGill returned to the house the next morning to help responders remove the house’s metal roof using Horst’s backhoe. Only then were fire fighters able to put out the remaining hot spots. Units from S.E. Thurston Fire Authority, Lacey Fire District 3, Bald Hills Fire District 17, East Olympia Fire District 6, and Tenino Fire Department responded with six engines and five tenders along with two paramedic units.

FIREFIGHTERS PASS OUT HALLOWEEN CANDY TO KIDS ACROSS YELM

Firefighters from S.E. Thurston Fire Authority passed out candy on Halloween night, across the City of Yelm. To the delight of hundreds of children, an Engine and a Brush Truck were staffed with both career and volunteer firefighters, who volunteered for the evening.

The evening allowed an up-close encounter with both of the rigs and firefighters, as kids were encouraged to sit in the engine for a view many will remember for the rest of their lives.

“I had a teenager tell me this was her best Halloween ever, as she sat in the front seat of our Engine,” said volunteer firefighter Erika McInnis, who spent the evening in an Engine driven by career firefighter Lieutenant Ann Holeman. ” It was great to share the experience with kids and families across our community and I hope they are inspired to become firefighters too.”

Holloween Picture

The Fire Department Teams up with McDonalds

SE Thurston Fire Department Teams up with the Yelm McDonalds and raises money for the Ronald McDonald house in Seattle. The Ronald McDonald house is a “home away from home” for families so they can stay close to their hospitalized child at little or no cost. The cost to stay at the Seattle house is $25.00 per night and the money raised by SE Thurston Fire Department and Yelm McDonalds will cover that cost.

County, City Emergency Coordinators Discuss Plans, Outcomes When Disaster Hits

Posted: Friday, May 2, 2014 3:30 pm
by Steven Wyble
swyble@yelmonline.com

Read it here: http://www.yelmonline.com/news/local_news/article_6e956b80-d249-11e3-b530-001a4bcf887a.html

Steven Wyble / Nisqually Valley News

Steven Wyble / Nisqually Valley News

When preparing for an emergency, the first thing you need is a plan.

That’s according to Andrew Kinney, the emergency management coordinator for Thurston County.
Kinney spoke at Yelm’s Triad Arts Theater on Monday as part of the theater’s Alpha Centauri lecture series. Kinney was joined by Yelm Police Chief Todd Stancil, who is the city’s emergency management director. Stancil was joined by Yelm Public Works Director Ryan Johnstone.

Kinney — who said he has worked as a geographer for 36 years, including as a researcher for the Environmental Protection Agency — touched on a variety of environmental hazards that could potentially affect Thurston County: flooding, winter storms, volcanoes, solar flares, landslides, mudflows, heatwaves, tornados, wildfires, windstorms and earthquakes.

Kinney said the most common hazards in our area are short-term; the kinds of hazards its recommended people be prepared to weather for up to 72 hours: floods, winter storms, wildfires and windstorms.
Should we be worried about the potential disasters in the area?

There are hazards all across the country, Kinney said. People should learn what the hazards in their area are and prepare for them.

“I’ve been in every state in the U.S., seen a lot of great stuff — I choose to live here despite all those hazards,” he said.

Develop a plan and know what to do, Kinney said. Don’t drive over water in a flood — driving over flooded roadways accounts for most of the deaths during floods, he said. Keep a pair of shoes under your bed so you can walk over broken items after an earthquake. Establish an emergency contact who lives out of the area. Know how to turn off gas, water and electricity.

Stancil focused his presentation on how the city of Yelm prepares for potential disasters.
In addition to participating in Thurston County’s emergency management board, the city of Yelm has its own emergency management board that meets monthly. Stancil said it’s comprised of himself as emergency director, the mayor, the chief of Southeast Thurston Fire Authority, the city’s building official and the city of Rainier mayor.

“Our main purpose, our main mission, is how do we work as a city to still provide a service during a disaster or emergency? And it’s really quite scary when you start to consider what could happen and you look at how many of us are actually left or able to get here to help,” he said.

Stancil said the number often referenced is to assume that at least 25 percent of your staff won’t be able to come in to work.

“One of the things we do as a board is we look at who can we expect to be here, who is an essential staff, who isn’t essential staff, how can we continue to provide a service to the residents?”

Fuel — specifically, how the city can fuel its emergency vehicles during a disaster — is one example of an issue considered by the board, he said. None of the fueling stations in the city have backup power.
“When the power’s out, there is no fuel here,” he said.

The city has partnered with Yelm Community Schools to use the fuel station it uses for its buses, he said. In addition to partnering with schools, the city has partnered with local churches and the Nisqually Valley Moose Lodge for emergency services, he said.

One church is in the process of becoming a Red Cross-certified shelter, he said, meaning it meets certain criteria set forth by the Red Cross.

The schools are currently the city’s designated shelter, but that can be a problem if they don’t have power. The only school that has a backup generator is Lackamas Elementary, he said, which is about eight miles out of the city limits.

One unique program the city has developed for emergencies is the creation of a vulnerable citizens registry, Stancil said.

The registry is made up of vulnerable citizens the city will check on in the event of an emergency. They may call before or during an event, or visit them in person if they aren’t available over the phone, he said.

Stancil said he remembered a windstorm that left the city without power for seven or eight days. They received a call from an elderly woman who lived just outside the city limits who said she had a water leak.

When the public works department arrived in the house, they discovered the woman, who was in her 80s, lived by herself, and was on oxygen, was tolerating temperatures in the low 50s.

She had firewood stacked, but didn’t know how to start the fire, he said.

The public works department built her a fire — just before the electricity came back on.

“It really made us wonder, really made us concerned, like, how many of these people are out there that will not ask for help?” Stancil said. “A lot of people don’t want to go to a shelter. They don’t want to leave their home and go to a shelter with strangers.”

About 40 residents are on the registry. Most have been signed up by a relative, Stancil said.
Stancil said one aspect of disasters that often gets overlooked is recovery. The city of Oakland, Calif., took more than 10 years to recover after the 1989 earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay area, he said.

The question for Yelm is, if the city had to spend one or two years recovering from a disaster, how would it do that? Where would the city get the people needed to help with recovery?

“We’re pretty good at being prepared … and then dealing with the storm, what to do during the storm,” he said. “As far as recovery, that’s really where it gets expensive over time because really we’re pretty thin on resources.”

Stancil said the city’s sewer system needs power to run and in a power outage lasting more than a day or two, the sewer system starts backing up, requiring the city to bring in trucks to pump out the sewer system.

The city usually gets power back on before people living outside the city; the people living in the city start inviting their friends without power to come over and shower or use their bathrooms.

“The sewer system can’t handle it,” Stancil said. “They get backed up.”

People can hook up their holding tanks to a generator, but Johnstone cautioned that people should make sure they know how to hook up the generator correctly.

Yelm’s public safety building, located at 206 McKenzie Ave., is the city’s emergency operations center, Stancil said. The building, which has a generator, was completed in 2008 and designed so all city functions can be performed there.

Is there Someone At the Fire Department?

Dear Chief Mark King~

Whenever I try to call the fire department no one answers. Having had interaction with the fire department for various reasons over the past several years, it seemed someone was always there to answer the door or pick up the phone. Recently that has not been the case. Why? I know the fire department is staffed all the time with firefighters and office staff.

Anonymous ~

Dear Anonymous,

Like many other businesses and individuals the S.E. Fire Authority (SETFA) has experienced an unprecedented drop in revenue. SETFA’s first obligation is providing an efficient and effective response to fire and emergency medical calls. As a result of dropping revenue, the Board of Fire Commissioners made the difficult decision to lay off four administrative personnel, allowing SETFA to keep all uniformed staff responding to 911 calls.

When calling SETFA, please leave a message with your name and phone number (speak slowly and clearly). When stopping by the station, please ring the doorbell if the front door is locked. If available, someone will answer the door. In an emergency, CALL 911 immediately. When firefighters are on duty, their responsibility is responding to 911 calls, ensuring a state of operational readiness, training, and conducting life safety inspections.

SETFA will continue to review and prioritize expenditure of tax payer’s funds ensuring we maintain the highest possible level of fire and emergency medical services.

Chief Mark King ~

S.E. Thurston Fire Authority Kicks Off Food Drive

food-drive

 

By the Nisqually Valley News

Southeast Thurston Fire Authority’s Yelm and Rainier fire auxiliaries kick off their annual holiday gift and food drive for families in need.
The fire authority is seeking the following donations: gifts for boys and girls of all ages, canned or nonperishable food items, like-new clothing, toys and games, like-new coats of all sizes and travel-size shampoo and soap.

Volunteers are also needed to wrap and pick up items Dec. 17-19, and to hand out baskets on Dec. 21. People who would like to volunteer can call Kathie Schleis at 360-280-0941.

Donations can be dropped off at fire stations at 12506 133rd Ave SE in Rainier and 709 Mill Road SE in Yelm.

Monetary donations can be mailed to Rainier Fire Auxiliary PO BOX 777, Yelm WA 98597

Read it here: http://www.yelmonline.com/news/local_news/article_2d5e4d76-66a6-11e3-8f59-0019bb2963f4.html