Bellevue is the fifth largest city in Washington and one of its 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.
Stage 2 Fire Safety Burn Ban in Effect
The Bellevue Fire Department, in cooperation with the King County Fire Chiefs and King County Fire Marshals Association, is instituting a fire safety burn ban, effective Sept. 9, 2022. All outdoor fires, including recreational campfires, cooking fires, and ceremonial fires, are prohibited until further notice due to critical fire weather. At this point, use of barbecue grills is still permitted in King County.
The Stage 2 burn ban is in response to the fire safety Red Flag Warning issued today by the National Weather Service covering all of King County and the Puget Sound Region. For questions or concerns, please contact Bellevue Fire Prevention (425-452-6872 or Fire_prevention@bellevuewa.gov).
Permitted Burns and Outdoor Fires
If a burn ban is not in place, recreational fires -- small outdoor fires made for pleasure, warmth, cooking or ceremonial/religious purposes -- are allowed. These fires must be in permanent firepits three feet or less in diameter, two feet or less in height and a minimum of 25 feet from any structure or combustible material, including decks and fences. Chimeneas and portable firepits/fireplace must be 15 feet from any structure or combustible materials and used to manufacturer instructions.
In Bellevue, open burning, as well as the burning of yard debris, construction materials or trash is never allowed.
All outdoor fires must constantly be attended and supervised by a person knowledgeable in the use of extinguishing tools like shovels, garden hoses or a fire extinguisher with a minimum 4-A rating.
From time to time, you may get a visit from your friendly neighborhood fire station. If your outdoor fire is deemed hazardous, the firefighters will have you extinguish it. Additionally, complaints regarding smoke or other air quality concerns can be directed online to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency or by calling 1-800-552-3565.
PulsePoint Life Saving App
You know CPR. You've been trained how to use an AED. But will you ever be in a position to save a life? We'd say the chances have recently increased. On June 1, 2022, the King County Fire Chiefs Association, in coordination with the Medic One Foundation launched PulsePoint, a life saving mobile app that notifies users when someone nearby is in cardiac arrest and needs immediate help. Similar to emergency alerts that are pushed out to cell-phones, registered PulsePoint users will be alerted anytime there is a cardiac arrest emergency in their immediate vicinity, allowing hands-only CPR to be started minutes earlier.
More information about Pulse Point and PulsePoint AED can be found at the Medic One Foundation.