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South Snohomish County Fire urges preparedness, outlines whole-blood carry and community programs
Summary
Assistant Chief Sean Maxwell told the Mountlake Terrace City Council that wildfire risk in the city remains low but changing; he described the department’s medical, community outreach and wildland response capabilities and offered to co‑ordinate preparedness outreach with the city.
Assistant Chief Sean Maxwell of South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue told the Mountlake Terrace City Council that the city’s wildfire risk “still remains low” but that the department is seeing more brush fires and preparing for changing conditions.
The presentation outlined the agency’s regional role and the services it provides in the Mountlake Terrace area, including emergency medical services, community paramedicine, whole‑blood carry on ambulances, technical rescue, hazardous‑materials response and marine response on local lakes.
“The majority is emergency medical services,” Maxwell said. “We truly believe that we are your firefighters.” He described the department’s community paramedic and community health worker programs, which he said helped people who call 911 frequently because of unmet social and medical needs. Maxwell also described an outreach program that gets people into opioid treatment after an overdose and an ACT training that has taught roughly 25,000 people in the regional authority how to use Narcan, perform bleeding control and basic CPR.
Maxwell gave operational statistics for the authority’s coverage area: 15 fire stations, about 350 uniformed firefighters, and roughly 300,000 people across 57 square miles. He told the council the department responded to 2,552 EMS calls, 367 fire calls and 216 other calls in the most recent reporting period cited in the presentation.
The department noted a countywide specialization: it is the only local fire department that carries whole blood for serious traumatic incidents. “We are the first and the only fire department that carries whole blood,” Maxwell said, adding that whole blood is used on major traumas where blood transfusion is lifesaving.
On wildland preparedness, Maxwell said the authority has purchased a brush truck and issued specialized wildland hose and packs on frontline engines; 24 firefighters are certified as wildland firefighters. He described deployments to California wildfires as both mutual aid and training that increase local capability.
Council members asked general questions about fire code and neighborhood traffic calming measures, including whether sprinkler requirements for structures under 5,000 square feet should be reconsidered and whether speed bumps could impede response. Maxwell said the department prefers to stay aligned with the International Fire Code and works with local building and fire code officials to address site‑specific issues and pre‑incident planning.
Maxwell and the council agreed there is more the city and fire authority can do together on household preparedness and outreach. The department offered to collaborate with city staff and the council on a disaster‑readiness information piece and to host classes locally; Maxwell said the authority’s outreach team would be eager to work with Mountlake Terrace.
City staff and councilmembers thanked the firefighters for the presentation and for ongoing coordination across the regional authority.
