Veteran Black firefighter sues City of Everett alleging racial discrimination
Jason Anderson started work at the Everett Fire Department in 2003 and claims soon after he started, his coworkers and superiors started making racist comments. Author: KING 5 Staff Updated: 8:25 PM PST January 18, 2021
EVERETT, Wash. A veteran firefighter with the Everett Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against the City of Everett alleging he was discriminated against by his coworkers and superiors because he s Black.
Jason Anderson was hired in 2003, and at that time he was only the fourth or fifth Black firefighter ever hired by the department, according to the civil rights lawsuit filed on Jan. 13 in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Multiple vehicles were involved in two separate crashes on I-5 Thursday morning. Author: KING 5 Staff Updated: 8:09 AM PST December 24, 2020
EVERETT, Wash. Icy conditions are believed to be the cause of multiple crashes near Everett Thursday morning.
Multiple crashes on Interstate 5, as well as connecting ramps, between Everett and Marysville were believed to have been caused by icy roads.
A fatality crash on northbound I-5 near Marine View Drive was among those crashes.
A spokesperson for the Everett Fire Department said the department responded to numerous crashes throughout the morning.
One of the department s trucks was hit on I-5 just after 6 a.m. on southbound I-5. The fire crew was assisting a vehicle that had crashed when another vehicle slid into their truck. No injuries were reported.
Mayor Carlo DeMaria announced this week he will hire 20 new members of the Everett Fire Department (EFD) to create a new Fire-based ambulance service, but members of the Fire Union say they have been completely left out of the plan for their Department.
In an op-ed posted on Social Media, Mayor DeMaria said after reading an article last week about low staffing levels in the EFD, he was compelled to release his plan for the City’s first-ever Emergency Medical Service (EMS) that would be based out of the Fire Department.
“While there will always be a need for fire suppression in the City, the Administration has thoroughly studied how to better serve our residents based on the type, frequency, and level of calls received by the Everett Fire Department over the past five years,” wrote the mayor. “The analysis of the data has resulted in a strategic plan that will fill the vacancies in the Everett Fire Department and establish Everett’s own fire-based EMS service for the first
Washington firefighters worried about staffing shortage due to COVID-19
South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue firefighters respond to a construction accident. (South County Fire Twitter page)
Health care workers in Washington are already facing staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the state’s firefighters are worried about the same problem.
Working on the front lines every day means that firefighters frequently have to quarantine for COVID-19 exposure or symptoms. Those who are left at the fire station must work doubly hard to make up the difference.
“That’s creating a lot of holes to fill, because we have staffing requirements, and so people are being forced to work mandatory overtime,” explained Tim Hoover, a South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue firefighter and paramedic who sits on the board of the Washington State Council of Firefighters.