Latest news with #CentralPierceFireandRescue
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pierce County voters decide whether to form one of the largest fire districts in WA
Pierce County voters have a big decision to make on Special Election Tuesday. They are deciding whether Central Pierce Fire and Rescue should become one of the largest fire districts in the state of Washington by merging with Graham Fire and Rescue and Orting Fire Department. Graham and Orting are currently independent fire districts. KIRO 7's crew went to Orting to talk to voters about their feelings on the potential merger. People who live there know how critical emergency response is for their community. The city is positioned dangerously close to Mount Rainier, and is prepared for the possibility of it erupting. That could trigger a lahar off the mountain and into this community. Michell Alfiere cast her ballot Monday morning at a ballot drop box in Orting. She says she is worried about the possibility of a merger. 'I'm definitely concerned about how quickly I could get services if I needed them,' she said. KIRO 7 spoke to another voter, Don Coats, about the idea. 'With a lahar, you've got 45 minutes. I heard it would be 50 feet deep of mud from that hill to that hill (pointing in different directions spanning the valley).' A volcanic flow could bury this valley, so residents want a say in how these services are managed. Coats does not favor the merger. 'I've lived here all my life, I feel like it should stay as it is.' Alfiere said she can see the benefit of joining forces. 'They've already been working together for six months or even a year,' she told KIRO 7. 'I feel like that's been improving services overall.' Fire Chief Dustin Morrow heads up Central Pierce Fire and says the merger will create a seamless emergency response for a community like Orting. 'It's forcing us, if I can say it that way, to drive out all the duplication to create efficiency,' Chief Morrow said. Orting schools have drilled for a volcanic eruption and would rely on the larger Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, assuming voters approve the merger. Chief Morrow said no firefighters would lose their jobs and no stations would close. 'Our intention is to add resources,' he said. The merger would mean Central Pierce Fire and Rescue would have a coverage area spanning more than 180 square miles and protect more than 300,000 residents. Chief Morrow said a merger would allow the closest unit to respond, rather than the closest unit in a district. 'Emergencies don't know geopolitical boundaries,' he said. 'When that lahar does hit down in that valley, you're going to see a response of magnitude, of our magnitude to deal with that issue.' He also said battalion chiefs and commanders would have a green light to immediately respond to a disaster in Orting and not have to deal with a mutual aid call. If one community signs off but the other doesn't it will result in a partial merger. That means if Graham votes yes but Orting votes no or vice versa only one locale would join with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Yahoo
It's a ‘Puyallup thing.' Horses stroll through town after equestrian adventure goes awry
It was shaping up to be a standard Saturday for a family of equestrians from Monroe, Washington, but a routine voyage to the farm sent them instead to the fair with the help of the police. The family was driving from their home in Snohomish County, about 30 miles northeast of Seattle, to Yelm, a rural town not far from the state capital. In tow was a white and gray animal trailer with three horses: Boris, Kenney and Atlas. After merging onto Route 512 near Puyallup, Atlas 'suffered a serious accident,' according to social media posts from the Puyallup Police Department. The horse somehow got a hoof and leg stuck and fell, Captain Jason Visnaw explained Saturday afternoon. The family exited the busy highway at the next chance, which took them to the parking lot of New Hope Resource Center off Pioneer Way and 5th Street Southeast in the heart of the city, which is also home to the Washington State Fair. They 'flagged down' a police car that happened to be driving by. They called 911. Atlas was 'in serious distress in the trailer,' police said. He couldn't move. Officers and firefighters from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene. They managed to pry apart the metal around Atlas's leg, but he needed immediate medical assistance. His fellow horsies couldn't tag along, but what to do with two such beauts in the middle of downtown Puyallup? The police had the quick thought to call the Washington State Fair, whose employees 'jumped into action and got a stable ready to receive Boris and Kenney,' according to the Facebook and X posts. With traffic guidance from officers and firefighters, one of the family members did as horse owners do: walked the horses through town and to the fairgrounds under a mile south. 'It was quite the sight to see and there were lots of smiles along the way,' police wrote about the surprise rodeo parade. Boris and Kenney nibbled on some lunch, compliments of the Fair. Atlas is being treated at a large-animal hospital in the area. Meanwhile, one of the responding officers, who is new to this force, expressed awe and perhaps some confusion at the whole affair. 'We told him it was a 'Puyallup thing,'' police wrote.
