Week of Nov. 17, 2008

More ready than ever to roll to the rescue

King County International Airport has a new fire truck.

That is why the 18 members of the Airport Rescue Fire Fighter (ARFF) unit are highly trained in areas which can include, but are not limited to: aircraft rescue and recovery, including lifesaving procedures; fire fighting; hazardous materials; hostage situations; water rescue; law enforcement for non-aircraft incidents; and natural disaster response. It’s also why all of the ARFF personnel at the airport are both King County Sheriff deputies and trained firefighters.

Most of the time the unit is called to standby for landing aircraft with minor problems, such as a flat tire, cracked windshield, faulty instrument reading, or small fuel spill. More serious aircraft incidents are rare at the airport, but the ARFF unit needs to be ready to respond to just about anything at anytime.

The unit just recently gained a “sizeable” ally for emergency response efforts – a 43-foot fire truck with all the latest technology.

The new member of the ARFF team is a 2008 Oshkosh Striker, a 3,000-gallon fire truck specifically designed for aircraft rescue. The 81,000-lb. truck comes with a 750 hp engine and a water Snozzle that has remarkable capabilities.

A close-up of the Snozzle.

In addition to the 3,000 gallons of water, the Striker can pump hundreds of gallons of fire suppressing foam and dry chemical. And, it has a lot more handling versatility than the old 1973 fire truck it is replacing. ARFF’s response arsenal also includes a smaller Oshkosh that’s been in service at the airport since 1993.

ARFF Chief Bryan Howard says the new Striker fire truck will enhance airport safety in many ways.

“The truck carries twice the water and twice the foam agents of our other trucks, and can pump 1,200 gallons per minute,” said Howard. “It significantly increases our response time, not just in how fast we arrive at the scene but also how quickly we can do our work at the scene.”

Howard said ARFF’s primary responsibility is at the airport, but with the skills and equipment the unit possesses it can provide valuable mutual aid assistance to other agencies in the area if the need arises.

Flooding response really was 24/7 for county road crews

County crews kept a close eye on this bridge near North Bend last week that was threatened by both high water and large floating debris.

At least this high-water event came with a forecasted warning, and the maintenance section had a few days to get supplies in place, clear leaves from storm drains, and position equipment and crews around the county. Then, beginning Friday, Nov. 7 the maintenance crews went into action mode, and didn’t catch a real break until the following Friday when floodwaters from two successive storms began to recede.

Normally during late fall and through the winter, there is a three-person crew working overnight in two areas of the county. During the flood week, more crews from dayside were added to the nighttime shift. Staff that would normally be doing routine daytime maintenance like mowing and street sweeping were diverted to storm response and kept busy closing roads, unplugging drains, removing downed trees, and responding to citizen needs.

Neal Road damage

Most of the work took place in east and southeast King County, but there were also problem spots throughout the county. At the height of the second storm on Nov. 12, there were more than two dozen roads closed in unincorporated King County along with several stretches of state highway located in the county.Engineers from the division’s bridge unit were also out in the storm keeping an eye on how the county’s bridges were faring with high river flows and massive amounts of floating debris passing underneath. One bridge on the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie was taking the brunt of full trees slamming into its supports, snapping tree trunks like toothpicks as they crashed into the concrete piers.

Since the storm ended, the engineers were able to inspect most of the bridges within the Snoqualmie and Tolt river basins, and found no damage. The remaining inspections will be carried out this week.

“It was nice to see that our bridge system handled a flood of this magnitude without any major problems,” said Road Services Division Director Linda Dougherty. “It shows all of our hard work to replace or strengthen our bridges is paying off.”

Bus riders should plan ahead for Thanksgiving holiday Look for the "H" symbol next to trips that are canceled on Nov. 28. Bus riders should be aware that King County Metro Transit will have reduced service for the Thanksgiving holiday on both Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28 – and the schedules will be different for each day. Metro will operate on a full holiday schedule on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27, which means buses will operate on regular Sunday schedules. If a bus route normally has service on Sunday, then it will operate with its Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving. If the route does not usually operate on Sundays, then it will not have service on Thanksgiving. On the day after Thanksgiving, a new “partial holiday” schedule will be in place. It features more bus service than on weekends, but less than normal weekdays. Many routes that will not run on Thanksgiving will be in operation on Friday – but with fewer trips than a regular weekday. Both the printed and online bus schedules indicate whether each trip on each individual Metro route will operate on a partial holiday. Look for the “H” symbol next to individual trip times to see if a specific trip is cancelled on Nov. 28. Passengers should check the schedules for their bus routes in advance and plan accordingly. The partial holiday schedules are incorporated in Metro’s Online Trip Planner, or you can get additional information by calling Metro’s Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.

Safety reminder for new Totem Lake Transit Center Totem Lake Transit Center. Metro is asking motorists who travel near the new Totem Lake Transit Center in Kirkland to use extra care when driving through the intersection of Northeast 128th Street and 120th Avenue Northeast. In addition to the previously existing four legs of the intersection, there is a new signalized exit for the transit center. Buses exiting on a green light can be turning right, taking an easy or sharp left, or going straight. That’s why it’s very important for other vehicles to obey the new "no right turn on red" signs at the intersection. Bus drivers have reported that many motorists are failing to see, or ignoring, the new signs. The city of Kirkland will be working with Metro to educate the public and enforce the new rules. Shuttle on down to Hawks game Sunday The Seattle Seahawks host Coach Jim Zorn and the Washington Redskins at Qwest Field this Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. Metro will be offering special shuttles both before and after game. Riding Metro to the game is a great way to cut through the traffic surrounding the stadium. Metro will have special shuttles to Qwest Field from four local park-and-rides. Another transit provider will handle service from the Kent Park-and-Ride. The Metro shuttle fare is $4 each way. Or, check the Trip Planner to see if there is regular bus service to the stadium from your starting location. See Metro Online for details on service to Sunday’s game.

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