FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Beezley—344-4609 The Volunteer Participates in Weekend Water Rescue The East Jefferson Fire Rescue Marine 16 unit, The Volunteer, played a central role in the water rescue of four people on Sunday, July 11. At approximately 8:45 pm, EJFR was dispatched to assist a disabled vessel north of Fort Worden’s Point Wilson.  The Volunteer responded, with EJFR members Bill Hunt, Ryan McAllister, Stuart Macrae and Larry Weathersby on board. The vessel in distress, a 13’ fiberglass power boat, had lost power and was floating on an ebbing current westward out of Admiralty Inlet.  The rescue effort was hampered by  winds gusting above 30 knots and 8-10’ swells in the Inlet. The Volunteer eventually located the drifting boat approximately two and a half miles north of Point Wilson.  On board were two women , aged 31 and 28 and two children aged 16 and 13.  The boat was without power and had only one oar and no personal floatation devices. The rough seas prevented the fire boat from coming alongside the drifting vessel, so lines were thrown to it.  After the lines were improperly affixed to the steering wheel and various parts of the boat, causing it to be towed from the stern, The Volunteer’s crew made the decision to cast off the line to prevent possible capsize. At that point Roger Slade from Vessel Assist arrived on the scene.  After assessing the situation, he was able to approach the drifting vessel from leeward, come alongside, and offload the four occupants. Although cold and somewhat panicked, all occupants denied further medical attention. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Beezley—344-4609      Early Evening Fire Destroys Port Hadlock Home No Injuries Reported PORT TOWNSEND—East Jefferson Fire Rescue (“EJFR”) responded to a residential structure fire at 7:57 p.m. on Friday, June 11.  The fire was located in a single-family residence in the 100 block of A Street in Port Hadlock.  The house was empty at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. The first official on the scene was Jefferson County Deputy Jesse Picard.  Deputy Picard was patrolling nearby when a man walking along the road flagged him down.  The man gestured toward the burning house and Deputy Picard noted heavy flames coming from inside the home on the left side.  He kicked in the front door of the smoke-filled house and called out but found the home empty. Firefighters from East Jefferson Fire Rescue and Indian Island Engine 91 arrived to find the house fully engulfed in flames and immediately adopted a defensive strategy to contain the fire.  The firefighter’s efforts were hampered by the unavailability of nearby fire hydrants.  After estimating that he would need at least 3,000 feet of hose to reach the nearest hydrant, Deputy Chief Ted Krysinski called for additional water tenders and began routing their water supplies through a primary pumper.  The double-wide manufactured home, built in approximately 1978, also had three asphalt shingle roof layers under a final steel layer.  The numerous roofing layers hampered firefighter’s efforts to quench the fire by holding the heat within the home.  Deputy Chief Krysinski finally resorted to injecting chemical foam into the hose water, which helped suffocate the flames. The owners of the home stated that they had left the house at approximately 5:30 p.m. to go to dinner.  They didn’t have any idea what could have caused the fire.  EJFR fire investigator Kurt Steinbach was on the scene and was conducting an investigation into the cause of the blaze.  The owners of the home had a recreational vehicle parked in the front yard and planned to stay there for the foreseeable future. According to Deputy Chief Krysinski, the house was completely destroyed.  He planned to leave a fire watch overnight.  To learn more about East Jefferson Fire Rescue, log on to www.ejfr.org. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Beezley—344-4609  EJFR Participates in Safe Kids Pierce County Program Partnership with McDonald’s Rewards Child Helmet Usage PORT TOWNSEND—East Jefferson Fire Rescue (“EJFR”) plans to participate in Safe Kids Pierce County Safe Rider Citation 2010.  The program is designed to reward children who wear helmets while bicycling with a treat from McDonald’s restaurant. Through the program, uniformed personnel from EJFR will distribute “Safe Rider Citation” cards to the parents of children they see wearing helmets while bicycling.  The cards not only commend the child for safe behavior, they also entitle the child to one free reduced-fat vanilla ice cream cone from the McDonalds located at 310 W. Sims Way in Port Townsend. This is the seventh year of the Safe Rider Citation program and the first with McDonald’s as a corporate partner. According to the Children’s Safety Network, bicycle injuries and deaths affect children and young people more often than any other age group. In 2005, 44 percent of nonfatal bicycle injuries occurred in children and youth age five to 20. Young cyclists are more likely than adult cyclists to die of head injuries, most of which are caused by motor vehicle collisions. Among children and youth age 0 to 19 in 2000, head injuries accounted for 62.6 percent of bicycle fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis reports that “…in 2005, 30 percent of the pedalcyclists injured in motor vehicle crashes were 14 years old or younger.” EJFR Assistant Chief Steve Craig agrees with the importance of supporting this program in our community, saying “it’s a wonderful opportunity to provide kids who are doing the right thing with an immediate reward.  We know that the child who receives an ice cream cone will remember that moment the next time they’re hopping on their bike, and will be more likely to strap on their helmet.” ###