The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 292 emergency incidents during the month of December including 41 box alarms and 251 still alarms.
The Department responded to six mutual aid requests during December, three times to Melrose, and once each to Lynnfield, Stoneham, and North Reading. During December it received mutual aid three times from Reading. Lt. Taggart and a crew from Engine 2 responded to a serious house fire at 78 Malvern Street in Melrose during the late afternoon of December 9th. Engine 2 retuned to Melrose during the afternoon of December 19th to assist that community at a serious fire at 35 Cass Street. The department assisted Stoneham fire at a kitchen fire on Converse Street at the town line on the evening of December 24th and covered North Reading fire headquarters for a brief period on December 15th.
Crews under the command of Captain Richard Smith responded to a structure fire at 55 Whittier Road during the evening of December 3rd. This fire started on the front wall of the residence and was extinguished by neighbors prior to the department’s arrival. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and damage was contained to the front wall. There were no injuries during this incident and the family was able to remain in the residence.
A troop of Girl Scout brownies from St. Joseph’s School visited the public safety building on December 3rd. Members of both the police and fire departments were given some sweet desserts to eat and enjoyed listening to a variety holiday songs performed by the Brownies.
The Town was hit by its first significant snow storm of the winter on December 26-27th. Some 16 inches of snow fell during this time and the governor declared a state of emergency to insure that all necessary resources were in place during the storm. Fortunately there were no serious incidents that occurred during this period.
