first responders Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Firefighters voice frustrations over struggling Tacoma city budget

By Lauren Gallup November 26, 2024

Tacoma Fire Department Engine 8 outside the station. (Courtesy: Tacoma Fire Department Facebook)

The City of Tacoma has a budget problem; its expenses are higher than its revenue. That means the city has a projected structural deficit of $24 million for the 2025-26 biennial budget. Staff and city council members have been working to balance that, and one thing they’re proposing cutting has a lot of community members upset. Read More

Washington State team deploys to help in aftermath of deadly Hawaii fires

By Lauren Gallup August 11, 2023

The County of Maui shared photos on Facebook of the aftermath of fires on the island. // CREDIT: County of Maui on Facebook

A team of search and rescue personnel based out of the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management deployed to Hawaii Friday after President Joe Biden ordered federal aid to the state to help areas impacted by devastating wildfires. The 45-person FEMA team is made up of emergency responders and other professionals trained in search and rescue from Pierce and King Read More

Improvisation Necessary For Northwest First Responders Facing COVID-19 Threat

By Tom Banse April 24, 2020

South King Fire and Rescue Lt. Greg Willett stands in an aid car optimized to transport COVID-positive patients.

Coronavirus risk and ongoing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) are leading fire departments around the region to rediscover the enduring truth of the idiom, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Read More

U.S. Senate Approves Bill To Prevent Sept. 11 Victims’ Fund From Running Out Of Money

By NPR News July 23, 2019

Sept. 11 first responder John Feal (left) and Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, hug after the Senate passed a bill for extending the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in Washington on Tuesday. Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call

President Trump is expected to sign the measure, ending a years-long ordeal for the victims after concerns that the fund was on the verge of running out of money. Read More