Everett Woman Recognized For Stopping Fire At Neighbor’s House

Today Everett’s Director of Emergency Management and the Everett Fire Marshal stopped by the home of an Everett woman to thank her for her efforts in stopping a fire at her next door neighbor’s house. Around 4:15 AM on May 28th Jean Carrillo woke up to shouting from her neighbor’s house in the 1200 block of Maple in north Everett.

Turns out the back of the neighbor’s house was on fire. Running out in her robe and slippers with her kitchen fire extinguisher, Carrillo was able to get a knock down on the fire. Everett Fire Marshal Leroy McNulty said, “Jean’s efforts made a huge difference in keeping the fire from spreading inside the house.”

Carrillo learned how to effectively use a fire extinguisher as part of her training a few years ago as a CERT volunteer with the Everett Department of Emergency Management. Twice a year Everett offers training to people interested in volunteering as Certified Emergency Response Team members. So far 457 people have gone through the program. “It’s nice when one of the people we’ve trained steps up like this,” said Brent Stainer who is the director of Emergency Management in Everett.

As a token of appreciation Stainer and McNulty presented Carrillo with a new heavy duty fire extinguisher to replace the one she used to save her neighbor’s house. Carrillo was modest when accepting the recognition and when asked what advice she might have for people in the same situation said, “Don’t be afraid to do something…Ask your neighbor what can I do?

Later this year the City of Everett will be conducting its first CERT class in Spanish. For more information on that or other upcoming CERT classes contact Rachael Doniger at 425-257-8111 or send her an email at rdoniger@everettwa.gov.