Firefighters Attend Service For Colleagues

A delegation of 20 from Valley Fire Department joined thousands of others at a memorial service Wednesday for four Seattle firefighters who died last Thursday inside a burning warehouse.

“It’s just brotherhood,” said Kevin Miller, a Valley Fire inspector. “They’d do the same for us.”

The department’s four chief officers, the 11 members of the union’s executive board and five other firefighters attended the service.

The four Seattle firefighters were trapped in a burning building when an explosion collapsed a floor beneath them. Thousands of firefighters, from as far away as Rhode Island, attended the service Wednesday morning.

Valley Fire Assistant Chief David Lobdell said the mood around Station 1 has been “sober” since last Thursday’s fire.

Firefighting dangers create a bond not felt in other careers, he said.

“When it hits real close to home, it makes our own vulnerability more noticeable,” Lobdell said. “An explosion is not something you can anticipate.”

Proper training and equipment can minimize much of the danger, Lobdell said, but some situations are uncontrollable.

“We’re trained to recognize that kind of stuff,” Miller said. “It’s part of the job. ” But he said, “It’s a big deal to lose four guys in a fire.