August 2021

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 338 emergency incidents during the month of August 2021 including 35 box alarms and 303 still alarms. The department responded to six requests for mutual aid during August, once each to Lynnfield, Medford, Melrose, Reading, Saugus and Newington, New Hampshire. The department received mutual aid seven times during the month of August, three times from Reading, twice from Lynnfield and once each from Lynnfield and Stoneham.

A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant Cliff Silva joined several other area departments assisting the Lynnfield Fire Department during an electrical failure at the Market Street retail development during the morning of August 4. The crew assisted Lynnfield Firefighters with shutting down electrical power in a large portion of the complex until repairs were completed by the utility company. Firefighters under the command of Lieutenant Joseph Albert assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a structure fire at 30 Athens Drive during the early morning of August 18. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant John Mercurio covered a vacant Melrose Fire station while that department was tied up at a structure fire. A crew from Engine 1 under Lieutenant Philip Preston covered a vacant Reading Fire station while that department was tied up at a natural gas leak during the evening of August 29.

The department participated in the activation of two special operations teams during August. Captain Paul Pronco responded with other members of the Northeast Technical Rescue Team during the afternoon of August 23 to assist a worker in Newington, New Hampshire worker who had fallen approximately 30 feet into a salt mound at 372 Shattuck Way and was buried up to his waist. Fortunately, the trapped worker was rescued by the local fire department before the team arrived on scene. Lieutenant Michael Long responded along with other members of the District 2 Hazardous Materials Response Team to the scene of a motor vehicle accident at 3850 Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford involving a tractor trailer truck and a motorcycle. The team assisted the Medford Fire Department in containing a significant diesel fuel leak from the truck involved in the accident. Sadly, the motorcycle operator lost his life as a result of this accident.

Firefighters under the command of Captain Paul Pronco responded to a reported stove fire at 536 North Avenue during the early morning of August 19. Firefighters arrived to find a fire in the home’s gas stove had been extinguished by the homeowner. The gas line to the basement stove had developed a leak that was subsequently ignited by a nearby electrical outlet, causing the fuel in the gas line to flare up. The quick-thinking homeowner went outside and shut down the gas to the residence at the meter, quickly extinguishing the fire. Fire damage was limited to the basement area in the vicinity of the fire. There were no injuries and no occupants were displaced as a result of the fire.

Wakefield firefighters led by Captain Randy Hudson responded to the Produce Connection, located at 96 Audubon Road, on the morning of August 23 after several workers fell ill at that location. Firefighters soon learned that earlier in the morning a piece of processing equipment had failed and leaked out a form of Peracetic Acid, an anti-microbial agent used to clean and prepare the fruit sold by the company. Several employees had been exposed to the leaking agent and were experiencing dizziness and fainting episodes. The department requested additional ambulances from Cataldo Ambulance to evaluate and treat any employees experiencing symptoms. A limited response of the District 2 Hazardous Materials Response Team was requested to investigate and mitigate any potential leak of the above-mentioned cleaning agent. The team entered, found the source of the leak, made sure the leak was secured and drained the remaining product from the pipeline. Three employees were treated and transported to area hospitals. The remainder of the approximately 100 employees including at least six more experiencing symptoms recovered quickly in the fresh air and were eventually sent home after being checked by Wakefield Firefighters and Cataldo Ambulance personnel. Personnel from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection were on scene to follow up with management regarding any additional clean-up actions made necessary by the spill. There were no serious injuries to any employees as a result of this incident. Wakefield Firefighters and Cataldo Ambulance personnel worked well together, along with members of the regional hazardous materials team, to bring the incident to a successful conclusion with the fewest possible injuries.

Wakefield Firefighter Steven Bivens was sworn in as a new Permanent Lieutenant on August 5, 2021 during a brief ceremony at the Public Safety Building Community Room presided over by Wakefield Town Clerk Betsy Sheeran. Lieutenant Biven’s promotion fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Lieutenant Robert Taggart. Lieutenant Bivens spent seven years with the Marblehead Fire Department before transferring over to Wakefield Fire in 2016. Steve is a registered Emergency Medical Technician and holds an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from North Shore Community College. He is also a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. The department congratulates Lieutenant Bivens on his promotion and wishes him well as he continues his career with the Wakefield Fire Department.

Five new recruit firefighters, Samuel Carr, Richard Bruno, Charles Curran, John Panzini and Jarrod Fitzpatrick, are presently attending Recruit Class # 295 of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. This recruit program is a ten-week training regimen with an anticipated graduation date of October 8, 2021. The department participated in a training regarding elevator entrapments and the proper procedures necessary to rescue occupants of stalled elevators on August 11. This class, taught by well-respected fire service instructor Mike Dragonetti, was well attended by firefighters from many area fire departments.

The department’s new 2021 Seagrave pumper was placed into service at the Greenwood Fire Station on August 25, serving as the new Engine 2. The former Engine 2, a 2000 Seagrave pumper, was renumbered as Engine 4 and assigned to the Greenwood Fire Station as a reserve pumper. The windows at the Greenwood Fire Station were all replaced on August 26 as a capitol improvement project approved by Town Meeting last May as part of the Capital Outlay Budget.

All groups continued their annual in-service business inspections during August. All department members participated in Emergency Medical Technician training classes during August provided free to the department by Cataldo Ambulance. A crew from Engine 1 visited a group of children participating in a soccer clinic at Walton Field at the Galvin Middle School on August 12.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report