January 2017

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 282 emergency incidents during the month of January including 24 box alarms and 258 still alarms.

The department responded to four requests for mutual aid during January, twice to Lynnfield and once each to Saugus and Stoneham. It received mutual aid four times during the month of January, once each from Lynnfield, Melrose, Reading and Stoneham. A crew from Engine 2 led by Acting Lieutenant Erik Cole assisted the Stoneham Fire Department during a 2-alarm fire at 10 Colonial Court in that community during the afternoon of January 27.

Wakefield firefighters under the command of Captain Paul Pronco responded to a reported structure fire at 9 Carriage Lane during the evening of January 31. Firefighters arrived to find a heavy smoke condition venting from a second floor window. Further investigation resulted in the discovery of a dryer fire which was quickly extinguished. The fire damage was confined to the dryer with significant smoke damage throughout the second floor area. There were no injuries as a result of the fire, however, the family occupying the home was displaced for several days.

Crews led by Captain Christopher Smith responded to a report of a vehicle that had driven into Lake Quannapowitt during the early morning of January 28. The fire boat was launched and the shore at the north end of the lake was searched. The operator of the motor vehicle was located by Reading Police on Haverhill Street and it was quickly determined that the vehicle had in fact been driven into the Saugus River between the Route 129 rotary and Bay State Road. The vehicle was then located and searched for any trapped occupants. The driver was not injured and the vehicle was pulled from the river without incident.

All department duty shifts reviewed standard operating procedures on ice and water rescues, cold weather precautions for fire apparatus, weekly SCBA inspections and the proper use of the SCBA air filling station compressor. The department’s inventory twenty-three sets of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) successfully passed their flow-tests and inspections during the month of January. All department members also had their SCBA face pieces fit tested. The air compressor for the department’s SCBA equipment was also tested for air quality and serviced.

Word was received during January that a 2016 EMPG grant for $6,460 had been awarded to the department. This grant, combined with a 100% local match from the town, will be used to replace its inventory of worn out smoke exhaust fans.

A group of seventh and eighth graders from the Odyssey Day School visited the Wakefield Fire Department Headquarters during the morning of January 13. Chief Sullivan made a safety presentation to the Wakefield Boys and Girls Club at the Americal Civic Center during the afternoon of January 23.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report