December 2015

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 310 emergency incidents during the month of December including 29 box alarms and 281 still alarms.

The department responded to four requests for mutual aid during December, three times to Stoneham and once to Melrose. It received mutual aid six times during December, three times from Stoneham, twice from reading and once from Lynnfield. A crew from Engine 2 led by Lieutenant Robert Taggart covered the Stoneham fire station during the evening of December 25 while firefighters in that community handled a natural gas leak.

Firefighters under the command of captain randy Hudson responded to a serious motor vehicle accident in the area of 150 Oak Street during the early morning of December 6. There were several serious injuries to vehicle occupants as a result of this accident. Members of the Wakefield Police Department and Action Ambulance worked closely with department members to insure that the injured parties were treated and transported for follow-up care.

Captain Richard Smith led firefighters from Engine 1 and ladder 1 during another serious car accident and subsequent car fire during the early morning of December 16. Firefighters arrived to find three injured occupants outside and adjacent to a fully involved vehicle fire. Once again police and Action Ambulance crews worked quickly to insure that all injured parties were attended to and transported to area hospitals.

Wakefield firefighters under the command of Captain Paul Pronco responded to a reported structure fire at 7 Linden Avenue during the early evening of December 28. The fire started in a basement bedroom quickly filling the residence with smoke. All eight family members were able to exit the residence safely after smoke detectors inside the home activated, alerting them to the danger. The fire was quickly extinguished and was confined to the bedroom where it started. The remainder of the basement and first floor suffered significant smoke damage. The cause of the fire was determined to an electrical short and related arcing in a power strip plugged into an electrical outlet. There were no reported injuries, however, the eight occupants will be displaced for an extended period as a result of the fire.

Earlier that same day, the same crews under captain Pronco responded to an incident on Del Carmine Street in which a tractor trailer truck pulled down some wires, a nearby utility pole and some attached transformers while maneuvering on the street. Wakefield firefighters worked closely with the Wakefield Municipal Gas and light Department crews to control the situation and clean up the spilled transformer oil.

Melrose Firefighter James R. DeMartino transferred over to the Wakefield Fire Department and was sworn in at a ceremony at town hall on December 21. Firefighter DeMartino is a two year veteran of the Melrose Fire Department. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Fire Academy Recruit training program and is certified to the level of Firefighter I/II. Firefighter DeMartino is a Wakefield resident and is also trained as a paramedic. Firefighter DeMartino will fill the vacancy created in the department by the retirement of veteran Firefighter John Riley, who retired in October of 2016. The department welcomes Firefighter DeMartino and wish him a long and productive career with the Wakefield Fire Department.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report