January 2011

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 316 emergency incidents during the month of January including 33 box alarms and 283 still alarms.
The Department responded to five mutual aid requests during January, twice to Saugus, twice to Lynnfield and once to Stoneham. During January it received mutual aid once from Reading. Wakefield Engine Two covered a Lynnfield Fire station during the early morning of January 2 while that community dealt with downed power lines and residential electrical services in a neighborhood. Lt. Robert Taggart led a crew responding to a three-alarm house fire at 183 Lincoln Street in Saugus during the morning of January 16. Sadly, an adult male died as a result of this fire. Lieutenant Kevin Carney and a crew from Engine 2 returned to Saugus during the afternoon of January 30 to assist that community at a two-alarm fire at 191 Hamilton Street. The department assisted Stoneham fire at a two-alarm restaurant fire at 423 Main Street earlier in the day on January 30.
The Town was hit by a significant snow storm on January 12. At least 16 inches of snow fell during this time and Governor Patrick 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. This storm came only three weeks after another large storm in December, burying fire hydrants and creating narrow street conditions. Department members have been busy digging out as many hydrants as possible as the current weather track promises to dump more snow on the town as the winter progresses. The cold weather has also resulted in increased calls for service for water related problems stemming from burst and frozen pipes.
Wakefield Firefighters Daniel Hancock, Dean Marsinelli and Kevin Wesley began a twelve-week recruit training program with the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on January 3 with an anticipated graduation date of March 25th. The cold weather and heavy snowfall this winter have made this class even more challenging than usual.