December 2017

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 321 emergency incidents during the month of December including 43 box alarms and 278 still alarms.

The department responded to five requests for mutual aid during December, twice to Melrose, twice to Saugus and once to Woburn. It received mutual aid twice during December from Lynnfield and Reading. Lt. Michael Long led a crew from Engine 2 assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 1 Hamilton Street during the early evening of December 8. A crew from Engine 2 under the command of Lieutenant Sean Curran assisted the Woburn Fire Department at the scene of a 3-alarm fire at 23 Hart Place during the evening of December 17.

The cold weather that the area has experienced since mid-December has caused an increase in the number of response involving frozen water pipes. Residents are reminded to avoid using open flame devices to thaw out frozen pipes as they can cause fires in concealed wall and ceiling spaces. The use of space heaters should also be closely monitored to avoid the unintentional ignition of nearby combustibles. Unvented fuel burning heaters can create a carbon monoxide hazard within the home. Residents using generators to provide electricity during power outages must position them outdoors away from doors and garage areas. Generators can create lethal levels of carbon monoxide in a short period when used in enclosed areas.

The department has been battling a stubborn deep-seated fire in a large leaf pile at the Nahant Street town pit for the past two weeks. The fire, caused by the spontaneous release of heat from the decomposing compost, is extremely difficult to access. Extremely cold temperatures prohibit the deployment of a hydrant supply hose line into the pit area, forcing crews to shuttle tank water to fight the fire. The low temperatures cause the pumping engines on the fire apparatus to freeze up, placing them out of service until they can be thawed out. As a result, the department will respond and knock down any visible flames coming from the pile, but realistically can’t do much more than that until the temperatures rise above freezing. Heavy equipment will need to be brought in to pull the pile apart and permanently extinguish it once the cold weather breaks.

Firefighters under the command of Acting Captain Joseph Albert responded to Crystal Lake during the morning of December 28 after receiving reports of a deer in distress out on the ice. Department members donned cold weather survival suits in the frigid temperatures and managed to remove the deer from the ice using some rope and an ice rescue sled. The deer was found to be severely injured and in deep shock and sadly had to be euthanized shortly after it was rescued.

A flash freeze of the Route 95 roadway during the evening of December 30 resulted in several car accidents within a short period of time in the area of the Salem Street off-ramps. Firefighters under the command of Captain Paul Pronco extricated a woman who became trapped inside her vehicle after one of those accidents. Units from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation were requested to sand the area to prevent further accidents.

All groups conducted ice rescue training during December. Procedures covering pumping water in cold weather, chimney fires and dispatch duties were also reviewed by all shifts. All groups will be conducting walk through familiarization tours of the new apartment building at 600 North Avenue as well as the ongoing Wakefield Station construction project at 175 North Avenue in the next several weeks. Recently appointed Firefighter Joseph Treacy is progressing well with his ten-week recruit training program at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. Firefighter Treacy will be graduating the fire academy on January 22, 2018.

The Fire Prevention Bureau conducted a final inspection of the new 24 unit apartment building located at 600 North Avenue during the month of December. Preliminary inspections of the sprinkler and fire alarm systems have been completed at the construction project at 175 North Avenue. This project, when completed, will contain 60 condominium units, a parking garage for residents and three new commercial spaces.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report