Bellevue is the fifth largest city in Washington and one of the fastest growing, with a fire department that has grown to meet the expanding needs of our community. We respond to approximately 20,000 incidents each year, 75% of them medical in nature.
The department maintains one of the highest cardiac arrest survival rates in world. One of a select few firefighting agencies with a Class 2 rating from the Washington State Survey and Rating Bureau, Bellevue Fire ranks in the top 1% of the 46,699 departments in the U.S., and is one of the top three in the state.
Smoke Alarms: Make them WORK for you!
As the longest-running public health campaign in our country, Fire Prevention Week has been observed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) since 1922, and was penned into national recognition in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge. Each year, fire departments across the nation use Fire Prevention Week as a catalyst to provide lifesaving education to work towards drastically decreasing fatalities caused by fire.
This year's theme is "Smoke Alarms: Make Them WORK For you!". And as simple as it sounds, it's vitally important. Three of every five fire fatalities occur in homes without WORKING smoke alarms. Don't let yourself or your loved ones become part of that statistic.
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
- Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
Visit the NFPA for more information on Fire Prevention Week and smoke alarms. And if you're REALLY into data (like us), watch this webinar on smoke alarms
PulsePoint life saving app
You know CPR and you've been trained how to use an AED. The PulsePoint app can make it easier for you to save a life with those skills. Launched by the King County Fire Chiefs Association and the Medic One Foundation, the app notifies registered PulsePoint users when someone nearby is in cardiac arrest and needs help.
The Medic One Foundation has details.