Snohomish County Fire District 1

A 5-year-old girl is at a Seattle hospital with serious injuries after falling from a second-floor window of an apartment north of Lynnwood on Sept. 5.

Firefighters were called to the apartment in the 14500 block of Admiralty Way just after 7 p.m. The 5-year-old girl fell about 15 feet from a second-floor bedroom window and landed on hard dirt below. She was transported by medics to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries.

“The screen was still in the window with the bottom corner popped out where the girl fell through. Screens can't support the weight of even a small child," said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

She said this is the third window fall involving a young child that District 1 firefighters have responded to this summer. "We urge parents of young children to exercise caution when the weather is warm and windows are open," Hynes said.

Fire District 1 offers these safety tips:

* Adult supervision is key. Unattended children run the greatest risk of falls and injuries, so the best first step is to watch children as they play.

* Keep furniture that children can climb on away from windows.

* Whenever young children are around, close and lock windows. If you need ventilation, open windows children can't reach.

* Do not depend on window screens to prevent children from falling. Screens can easily give way under a child’s weight.

* Consider installing window guards. Be sure that these guards meet new federal standards for escape in the event of a fire. Window guards can be found at hardware stores and at stores such as Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-US.

Snohomish County Fire District 1 is seeking nominees to fill an expected vacancy on its Board of Fire Commissioners. The board is responsible for defining the fire district’s long-term vision and for adopting policies to be implemented by administrative staff.

Nominees must be registered voters who live within the boundaries of Fire District 1 (unincorporated areas south of Everett and north of Lynnwood and Edmonds including Eastmont, Hilton Lake, Pioneer Trails, Silver Firs north of 148th, Martha Lake, Lake Stickney, Lake Serene, Picnic Point, Norma Beach, Esperance, Hilltop and Mariner).
 
Interested candidates will need to submit an application and a letter of interest by Aug. 31 to Marsha Moore, executive assistant to the Board of Commissioners, Snohomish County Fire District 1 Headquarters, 12425 Meridian Ave., Everett WA 98208. For more information, contact Moore at (425) 551-1200 or mmoore@firedistrict1.org

The vacancy is expected because Commissioner Brian McMahan has announced his plans to resign Sept. 30. At a meeting earlier this month, he told his fellow board members that he anticipates moving to a house outside the boundaries of Fire District 1, which would make him ineligible to continue to serve as an elected commissioner. McMahan has served as a commissioner for more than 12 years. Any candidate appointed to replace McMahan would have to stand for election in the fall 2011 to retain the seat and serve the four years that will remain in McMahan’s six-year term.

Fire District 1 is the largest provider of fire and emergency medical service in Snohomish County, with 12 fire stations staffed around the clock to serve a population of more than 225,000. In addition to serving unincorporated communities within Fire District 1’s boundaries, the department also has long-term contracts to provide service to the cities of Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.

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A 4-year-old boy is recovering at Stevens Hospital tonight after nearly drowning in a swimming pool at a Mountlake Terrace apartment complex this afternoon.

Firefighters responded at 4:33 p.m. to a report of an unconscious child in the pool at the Northern Lights Apartments in the 4400 block of 212th St. SW. The boy’s father pulled the boy from the water, immediately started CPR and the child had regained consciousness by the time firefighters arrived.

“Paramedics believe the father’s quick action helped save the boy’s life. The boy was breathing, but still very pale when firefighters arrived,” said Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1, which provides fire and emergency medical service in Mountlake Terrace. “Also, we had very quick medic response. Our medics were on the scene within four minutes and had the boy at Stevens Hospital just 13 minutes after the 9-1-1 call was placed.”

The boy and his family had been visiting friends at the apartment complex when the near drowning occurred. The father told firefighters he had been in the pool watching the 4-year-old and an older child playing on a floating toy just prior to the incident.

“Drowning can happen in a matter of seconds as this case illustrates. The father went to the deep end of the pool to dive in. Before making his dive, he saw that both children were playing on the toy. He told firefighters he dove in and had his head underwater only a few seconds. When he surfaced, the 4-year-old was in the water and unconscious,” Hynes said.

Fire District 1 offers these water safety tips for parents of young children:

• Close adult supervision is key whenever children are in or around water. When there are several adults present and children in or near water, use a Water Watcher card to designate an adult as the Water Watcher to prevent gaps in supervision. While watching children near water, avoid doing things that could distract you such as talking, reading or talking on the phone.
• Put your child in a life jacket when playing in or near the water, on a dock or in a boat, raft or inner tube.
• In all types of water, stay within touching distance of your child at all times.
• Infant and toddler water classes promote water safety and play, but they do not replace supervision. Children are ready for swim lessons at about age four.
• Teach young children to wait for your “OK” before getting into the water.
• Choose areas with lifeguards for swimming and playing. Even with a lifeguard, you will need to watch closely.
• Water wings, rafts or plastic rings are not designed to keep swimmers safe. Never use them in place of a life jacket.

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