December 2023

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 386 emergency incidents during the month of December 2023 including 38 box alarms and 348 still alarms. The department responded to three requests for mutual aid during December, twice to Reading and once to Melrose. The department received mutual aid seven times during December, four times from Reading and three times from Lynnfield. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant Erik Cole covered Reading Fire Headquarters during a structure fire in that community during the evening of December 5.

Firefighters under the command of Captain Randy Hudson responded to a reported kitchen fire at 206 Nahant Street at approximately 1 P.M. on Christmas Day. Firefighters arrived within 2 minutes to find a stove-top fire that had been extinguished by an occupant using a sweater. There was a significant smoke condition throughout the residence however the fire never extended past the stove. Crews checked the home with thermal imaging cameras and vented the smoke condition. The occupants were able to remain in the home after the incident.

All groups participated in Emergency Medical Technician training classes. All four duty groups participated in a live fire training exercise with the Reading Fire Department from December 6 to the 9th. This training utilized a special towed trailer unit operated by instructors from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. The trailer simulates live fire conditions likely to occur during a structure fire in a safe, controlled environment.

The department assisted Santa Claus with reaching out to the children of Wakefield by providing him an escort along with the Wakefield Police Department via a parade all over town on the morning of December 2. The parade made several stops along the way to pick up donated presents for families in need of them. Two groups of home-schooled children visited Wakefield Fire Headquarters on December 5 and 14. Santa received another police and fire department escort on December 9 when he opened up his local headquarters on the lower common along with Miss Merry Christmas on December 9. Chief Sullivan represented the Wakefield Fire Department during the town’s well-attended public Menorah lighting on December 7 on the upper common. The Wakefield Rotary Club made a generous donation of battery-operated smoke detectors to the department to be used for assisting senior citizens with installing detectors in their homes.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report