They put Perrier water in their radiators and in their fire rehab stations.

This story is told by two retired City of Bellevue firefighters: “Because the City of Bellevue is one of the wealthiest cities in the State of Washington, firefighters from the Seattle Fire Department sometimes claimed that in Bellevue they put Perrier water in their fire engines’ radiators, and Dr. Copass (the legendary Harborview Hospital emergency room doctor that taught Medic One students from all around the State of Washington) used to claim that Bellevue firefighters drank Perrier water in their fire scene rehab stations. Well, evidence of that type of extravagance did happen one day when Seattle firefighters came to Bellevue to help fight a large hotel fire (“mutual aid”) and because customers of the hotel and restaurant were required to evacuate, the chef of the restaurant set up in the fire rehab station a buffet with everything from chocolate covered strawberries to prime rib, and . . . yes Perrier water. The Seattle firefighters just shook their heads as if to say, “we were right after all.”

Submitted by Terry Brayton (Bellevue Fire)