In the wake of a fatal shooting in South Seattle, the chief of the fire department won't let his firefighters and medics enter homeless encampments unless they have police to back them up.
"Last night, after the shooting, I issued a directive to the Seattle Fire Department that we are not going in these areas unless we have Seattle Police Department there to support us, for a fire call or a medical calls, because we know what's in there," said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. Scoggins addressed a room full of reporters along with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole the day after five people were shot in The Jungle — an unauthorized homeless encampment. Scoggins said that areas like The Jungle can be very dangerous and pose other concerns.
The Fire Department will now take police escorts with them as they endeavor to inspect and assess The Jungle and other encampments in Seattle.
"We are trying to identify any public safety concerns," Scoggins said. "This is an area most people don't see. But the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Police Department go into there every day and we know it is a dangerous area."
Scoggins said that there are public health concerns within the encampments such as dirty needles used for drugs, human waste, and trash. That is one aspect the fire department will assess. But there are other aspects the department is now charged with inspecting.