Calls include natural gas leaks, minor fires, child locked in car

The Spokane Valley Fire Department enjoyed a relatively quiet week, receiving only 186 calls from Feb. 4-10. “When there’s no business in our business it’s good business,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford.

There were five reported fires during the week, all minor. There were two chimney fires, a legal recreational fire, an illegal rubbish fire and a small electrical fire caused by an overloaded outlet. “Someone had a whole lot of things plugged into the outlet,” Clifford said.

There was a vehicle fire that completely destroyed a 1973 Ford Truck.

Seven false alarms were logged, and there were 172 EMS calls. Twelve car accidents sent eight people to the hospital with minor injuries. Two callers reported the smell of natural gas. There was nothing found on one call and in the other firefighters located a leaky valve on a gas fireplace and turned off the gas to the residence.

Of course the week wouldn’t be complete without a call involving a child locked in car, this one a 2-year-old. Every week it seems that a parent leaves their child in the car while dashing inside a business for a brief errand and accidentally locks the door. “The funny thing is that most of the time the cars are running,” Clifford said.

While the week was slow, Clifford is sure it won’t last. “This is probably the calm before the storm,” he said.