The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 272 emergency incidents during the month of January including 29 box alarms and 243 still alarms.
The Department responded to five mutual aid requests during January, three times to Saugus and twice to Melrose. It received mutual aid three times during the month of January, once each from Stoneham, Lynnfield and Reading. Wakefield Engine 2, along with a crew under Lt. Robert Taggart, assisted the Saugus Fire Department at a structure fire at 27 Birch Road in Saugus on January 15. Another crew from Engine 2 under Lt. Thomas Purcell responded to Saugus a second time on January 17 for a structure fire at 34 Mount Vernon Street. A crew under the command of Lt. Thomas Purcell responded to a second alarm fire at the Julian Steele House on Nason Drive in Melrose during the evening of January 24. A Crew from Wakefield Engine 2 under the command of Lt. Robert Taggart returned to Saugus a third time on January 29 to assist that community at a structure fire at 20 Robinson Street.
Firefighters under the command of Captain Paul Pronco responded to a small one-room fire in an apartment building at 15 Crescent Street during the early morning of January 1. The fire, ignited by careless smoking, was fortunately confined to a living room couch and the area immediately around it. There were no injuries and no one was displaced as a result of the fire.
All four duty shifts conducted ice rescue drills on Lake Quannapowitt during the month of January. Wakefield Girl Scout Troop 71460 visited Wakefield fire headquarters on January 30 and had a great time.
The Wakefield Fire Department was notified that it will be the recipient of two Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG). The first AFG grant is for $20,700 and will be used to replace the department’s fire hose nozzles. The town is required to provide a 10% local share ($2,070) in order to receive this grant. The second AFG grant is a regional training award with the Reading Fire department to provide for training packages on engine company operations, ladder company operations and emergency vehicle operator. The package has a total award of $111,600 of which Wakefield must pay approximately $5,580 in local share costs. The department is looking forward to replacing its stock of aging hose nozzles and looks forward to the excellent training programs being offered this coming spring and fall of 2012.
