April 2025

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 374 emergency incidents during the month of April 2025 including 35 box alarms and 339 still alarms. The department responded to seven requests for mutual aid during April, twice to Saugus and Stoneham, and once each to Malden, Melrose and Reading. The department received mutual aid twice during April, both times from Reading. Firefighters from Engine 2 covered a vacant Malden fire station during a 3-alarm fire in that community on the morning of April 10. Later that evening, another crew from Engine 2 assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 12 Acadia Avenue. Firefighters from Engine 2 led by Lieutenant Mike Long assisted the Melrose Fire Department at the scene of a structure fire at 190 Upham Street during the afternoon of April 18. A crew from Engine 2 under the direction of Acting Lieutenant Timothy Donovan assisted the Saugus Fire department at the scene of a structure fire at 720 Broadway on the afternoon of April 20. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant Arthur Fennelly assisted the Reading Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 99 Grove Street during the afternoon of April 29.

Wakefield Firefighters under the command of Captain Brian Purcell responded to several reports of a serious motor vehicle accident in the vicinity of 384 Vernon Street at approximately 6:27 A.M. on April 12. Firefighters found upon their arrival that a car had struck a utility pole, snapping it at its base before flipping over and coming to rest on its roof. The male operator was trapped inside the vehicle and was quickly extricated by firefighters using a battery-operated hydraulic rescue tool. He was then transported to Lahey hospital in Burlington for follow-up care.

Wakefield Fire Captain David Shinney retired from the Wakefield Fire Department on
April 24 after serving with the department for 30 years. Shinney, a well-respected and
knowledgeable fire officer, was appointed to the Wakefield Fire Department as a Permanent Firefighter on April 24, 1995. He was promoted to Fire Lieutenant on July 1, 2014. Shinney was promoted to Fire Captain on July 16, 2020 and served another five years as the department’s Fire Prevention officer before retiring on April 24. Shinney served in Fire Prevention during one of the busiest growth periods in the town’s history. The department will miss his knowledge and experience. We wish Captain Shinney a long, healthy and happy retirement with his family.

Wakefield Fire Lieutenant Sean Curran was promoted to Fire Captain and Wakefield
Firefighter Russell Ricker was promoted to Fire Lieutenant on April 23, during a brief ceremony held at the Public Safety Building presided over by Wakefield Town Clerk Betsy Sheeran. Captain Sean Curran is a 27-year member of the department. He will be assigned as the department’s new Fire Prevention officer. Lieutenant Russell Ricker has been temporarily assigned to fire prevention and will be assigned to a duty group in the near future.

The department was awarded $4,500 from a second round of the Fiscal Year 2025
Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant made available through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. This money will be used to purchase a hand-held thermal imaging camera for the department, replacing a worn-out and obsolete camera currently being operated by the department.

Department members participated in Emergency Medical Technician training classes as
part of their annual continuing education requirements. All groups conducted in-service business safety inspections. All department members completed an on-line class on the proper operation of all-terrain vehicles, sponsored by the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association. The department escorted the Easter Bunny to the upper common on April 19 to participate in the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Wakefield Center Neighborhood Association.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report