Chelan Fire and Rescue Chief opens up about Union Valley Fire

CHELAN – Chelan Fire and Rescue (CFR) 7 Fire Chief Tim Lemon spoke on the recent Union Valley fire and request for false alarm ordinance in an exclusive interview with Lake Chelan Mirror staff.
Tuesday, Dec. 26, just before 10:30 p.m. Rivercom received a call from a male resident in the Union Valley area of Chelan, stating he smelled smoke and his bedroom door felt hot. Due to physical limitations, the man was unable to get himself and his dog out of the back bedroom, where he was calling from. “We had a couple deputies in the area that were able to respond,” explained Lemon, “the deputies got there first and they were able to get the man out his bedroom window.” Within 12 minutes the first fire unit arrived and “initiated a transitional attack,” he stated, then clarified, “meaning they knocked down all the outside fire then moved inside and knocked down all the inside fire.”
Within 24 minutes of the first fire engine’s arrival, the fire was brought under control according to the release provided by CFR 7. While the fire was being controlled, EMS arrived and evaluated the gentleman, then shuttled him to the hospital where he was admitted overnight, Lemon said, “the guys went in and gone the dog out without a problem as well, so the dog is fine and the gentleman that was in the house was rescued and he’s fine.”
The damage was limited to the utility room and is considered re-buildable. According to initial evaluation, the resident had attempted to thaw out frozen pipes with the use of a heating device similar to a commercial heat gun. If you encounter frozen pipes during the winter seasons, “call your plumber,” advised the chief, “let them take care of that stuff, they’re the experts.”
False Alarm Ordinance
The request for a False AlarmOrdinance has been discussed over the last couple of commissioner meetings at Station 7. The ordinance, if approved and adopted, would result in some cost to the residence or place of business that fire support was dispatched to.
“We’ve submitted it to the county fire marshal and the City, and it’s on my agenda to visit with the city administrator after the first of the year,” explained Lemon, “so yeah, we would like to see it move forward, but False Alarm Ordinances aren’t always a popular ordinance because they create a negative tool to bring about compliance.” The intent for the ordinance, however, is not so much for a cost recovery from the charges incurred on each dispatch, but more of a tool for residents and businesses to maintain their system. “They can either pay us a penalty or you can maintain your system and not pay us and have it work the way it’s designed,” he stated simply, “even if we were to penalize, usually these ordinances would say something to the effect that you can use the same equivalent amount to fix your system and we’ll go that route, or fix your system and we’ll credit up to the full amount back to you.” So, the whole focus is maintaining your system, making sure it works right. The primary concern with the systems is seen more in residences than businesses, explained Lemon.
The department completes system inspections throughout the businesses, but often residential alarms may go faulty and get turned off and left off rather than fixing the system.