It’s been approximately 24-hours since Western Washington experienced a record-breaking bomb cyclone weather event. Renton Regional Fire Authority was staffed up and ready to respond to calls throughout the night. Our agency had 15 total units on the ground responding to calls, including an additional engine. In that 24-hour timespan, Renton RFA crews conducted 297 responses to both emergent and non-emergent calls for service. This was more than four times the number of calls we averaged during this same timespan in 2023 (70 responses).
A breakdown of emergent and non-emergent calls by hour between 12:00pm, 11/19/24 and 12:00pm, 11/20/24:
Community members who experienced non-emergent incidents did see increased wait times for service during this time period. These call types included downed trees and non-arcing powerlines that did not result in bodily injury, as well as other standard, non-emergent call types.
We want to extend our gratitude to the Renton community for your diligent care in being safe in the face of this weather event, staying inside when possible, reporting impactful concerns right away, and for your patience in receiving a response from first responders.
