2:48 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a water-rescue response by land and sea to Seacrest, to look into a report of people who are possibly in distress about 300 yards out. Updates to come.
2:51 PM: So far, all they’re seeing is divers – but they’re checking to be sure the divers are OK.
2:53 PM: And they’ve confirmed – it’s three people out diving and they’re fine. “False alarm,” they’ve proclaimed, and the response is being canceled.
Pretty typical. Send half the department. When/if the fireboats get there, the call is closed. False alarm. And yes, I do care about people in distress. But trying to fend off the cops by sending half the department is a waste of my taxes.
I don’t understand what you mean by “trying to fend off the cops” but the reason they send so many units is because going into the water is inherently hazardous, potentially as hazardous as sending people into a burning building. They need to not only support the unknown amount of victims, but they have to assume worst case that their divers will become victims as well–which could happen rapidly if the victims they’re trying to rescue just panic. As a result they’re sending out units assuming that they could have something like 6 casualties all needing life support treatment at the same time. And they do this every time, because they never want it to be the one time that happens and they didn’t have all the personnel and equipment there.
Wow, so this is why the SPD pickup truck was going nearly 100mph on California Ave NB?
It’s pretty easy to identify if someone is in distress.This particular location is well know to be a diver and swimmers paradise and people get in the water every day there.The bigger question is who called it in?Sounds like a prank call to me.
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