Firefighters Hit Streets To Check On Residents

As cold Valley residents hunkered down in the darkness last weekend, Spokane Valley firefighters fanned out to check on them.

Nearly three dozen Valley firefighters slowly cruised dozens of neighborhoods Friday and Saturday, looking in on 5,000 residents over 21 square miles in the Valley.

In the wake of the ice storm that left many homes in the area without power, the firefighters kept an eye out for elderly shut-ins, unmarked, downed power lines and unsafe ways of heating homes.

“People were real glad to see someone was out, that someone cared,” said Larry Rider, a Valley Fire division chief. “The spirits were pretty high with most of the people we saw.”

During the home checks firefighters passed out pamphlets telling residents whom to call about electrical problems and food and shelter needs. They also installed about 30 battery-powered smoke detectors in homes without power and helped people running low on oxygen make arrangements to get more.

“We found a few people that were shut in but they wouldn’t leave, so we checked back with them for a couple of days,” Rider said.

When firefighters discovered a hazard, such as a fallen tree or downed power lines, they marked it with some of the 35,000 feet - seven miles worth - of yellow caution tape they have unrolled since the storm hit last Tuesday.

A couple of areas were particularly hard hit by the icy weather.

Broken tree limbs and downed power lines cluttered streets and yards in the neighborhood bounded by Fancher Road and Havana Street and Fourth and Eighth avenues.

And, said Rider, “Out in Otis Orchards it was like a disaster area.”

In Liberty Lake, where power was restored to some homes late last week, a few residents still without electricity roasted hot dogs on open fires.

Most of the residents firefighters visited refused to go to a shelters despite being cold and in the dark, Rider said.

“A few older couples looked pretty chilly,” Rider said. “They wouldn’t leave, but we checked back on them.”

Neighbors also volunteered to make sure they were all right.

“It’s nice to see in our community that neighbors will help neighbors,” said Rider, who praised the residents for their support and patience.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo