Redmond Fire Tells Their Story

This is one of Mayor Birney's most informative videos on City operations, in this case the Fire Department. It includes engaging interviews with staff and amazing statistics.  

I can most relate to Fire Marshall Todd Short's interview.  He's responsible for fire prevention.  One of his duties is "proper addressing." 

Thirty-five years ago, I almost lost my  rental to a kitchen fire. The tenant was toasting pop tarts. The fire crept behind the oven; smoke took over the whole upper level. The fire fighters said they had a terrible time finding the house. Several engines drove all around looking for the road and street sign.  Once there they did an excellent job extinguishing the fire. Even though the temperature readings were okay, they put an axe to the sheetrock behind the stove to look for evidence of fire. Yikes. I was really impressed and thankful when they blew out the smoke with a powerful fan.  

Okay, it was time for trouble-shooting. I looked for the street signs next to my rental. Three close-by streets form a Y leaving no street sign next to my house.  We didn't have a Fire Prevention Marshall back then so I called CM Richard Cole who incredibly drove to my rental, and looked at the roads and signs. It wasn't long before Public Works installed proper signage.  Thank you Richard!

One last experience:  Last year my neighbor told us her house had a mild "burn" smell.  We called the Fire Department and soon three firefighters arrived. They were very thorough. One of them spent a very long time looking at the furnace...it may have been Mr. Short.  Turns out the filter hadn't been changed for years. She was told to buy a new furnace.  They said calls like this are very common in the Fall when folks start-up their furnaces.  They fanned out the smell!  Great customer service!

-- Bob Yoder, 3/14/2022