The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 195 emergency incidents during the month of February 2009 including 30 Box Alarms and 165 Still Alarms.
The department responded to 2 mutual aid requests during February, including one to Melrose and one to Reading. The department received mutual aid a total of five times in February, twice from Stoneham, once from Melrose and twice from Reading.
The department finished its bi-annual Emergency Medical Technician and First Responder re-certification training, including re-certification in CPR and the use of the cardiac defibrillators carried on all department apparatus.
Wakefield experienced several significant snow storms during the month of February. The department continues to be very busy handling the usual calls related to our cold weather, including heating system problems, carbon monoxide detector activations, and water problems related to frozen and burst water pipes.
The Department responded to a dryer fire at 2 Elm Street, the Crystal Coin-Op Laundry, during the early evening of February 10, 2009. The fire was contained to the dryer and contents but caused a considerable amount of smoke damage. The importance of mutual aid agreements with surrounding communities became evident once again as engines from Reading, Stoneham, and Melrose responded to numerous simultaneous calls during this incident including two calls for smoke in the house and one call for an automobile accident. Fortunately, none of these incidents turned out to be serious.
The Department of Emergency Management sponsored a training class for emergency shelter volunteers at the Wakefield High School on February 19, 2009. This program was taught by an instructor from the American Red Cross. A second component to this training will be offered during the evening of April 8th at the Wakefield High School. The training is free of charge to anyone interested in assisting in the operation of an emergency shelter.
