Each year, starting with the Martin Luther King holiday, fire departments around the nation support a weeklong campaign to educate communities about...
2023 Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week
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SVFD News
Recent Articles
Call for Pro and Con Committee to Review Levy
Pro and Con Committees Spokane Valley Fire Department is placing before the voters on the February 14, 2023 ballot a proposition authorizing a maintenance and operations excess levy.
The 2023 M&O Levy; Everything You Need to Know
The M&O deadline to vote on the M&O Levy is coming up quick! This page is your one stop shop for everything levy related. If you go through...
Local Heroes Honored with Carnegie Medal
Matt Burson and Angel Fiorini are among the 20 men and women recently awarded the prestigious Carnegie Medal for outstanding civilian heroism. Seven individuals were honored posthumously, including three who were attempting to rescue children.
The Carnegie Medal is given throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Each of the awardees receives a financial grant from the Carnegie Hero Fund which was established in 1904 by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Read the full news release (includes descriptions of each heroic action)
Angel and Matt’s Story:
Angel Darlene Fiorini and Matthew Paul Burson helped to rescue Gianna E. Fiorini from burning, Burson also rescuing Fiorini, Newman Lake, Washington, October 28, 2016. Gianna, 7, was in the bedroom of a mobile home when fire broke out in the kitchen. Fiorini, 32, homemaker and Gianna’s mother, removed Gianna’s younger brother and sister from the home and then re-entered for Gianna. Fiorini went first to her hands and knees and then to her stomach and moved toward the bedroom through the thick, black smoke and blistering heat. Once inside the bedroom she removed Gianna from a bed and put her on the floor, then dragged her toward the front door. Fiorini stopped several feet from the door and briefly released Gianna to open it. Fiorini lost consciousness as she returned to Gianna. Matthew Paul Burson, 45, registered nurse and former volunteer firefighter for Spokane County Fire District 8, arrived on the scene and entered the home, crawling until he reached Fiorini, who was unconscious. Burson moved Fiorini to the door and took her outside, where she regained consciousness. Burson re-entered the home and found Gianna, who was also unconscious, and removed her from the home, where she regained consciousness. Flames extended out the doorway minutes after they were away from the home, which was shortly engulfed by flames. Gianna was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and severe burns to her body. Fiorini was hospitalized several weeks for severe lung damage from smoke inhalation and severe burns to nearly half of her body. Burson sustained burns to his hands and knees; he recovered.
Did you Know?
- You can sign up for a station tour. Great for small groups.
- You should replace the batteries in your smoke alarms twice a year.
- Creating a defensible space with regards to wildfires could just save your home or property.
- We have Friends & Family CPR classes every month.
