July 2018

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 320 emergency incidents during the month of July including 28 box alarms and 292 still alarms.

The department responded to four requests for mutual aid during July, all of them to Saugus. It received mutual aid three times in July, twice from Lynnfield and once from Melrose. A crew from Engine 2 consisting of Lieutenant Michael Long, Firefighter Jonathan O’Brien and Firefighter Timothy Donovan assisted the Saugus fire department search for a missing person in Silver Lake in Breakheart Reservation during the afternoon of July 4. Sadly a 20 year old male drowned in the lake while swimming and was recovered by Saugus firefighters with the help of this crew utilizing the department’s rubber Avon fire boat. Firefighters from Engine 2 under the command of Acting Lieutenant Gary Hill assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a 3-alarm fire at 81 Juniper Drive during the early afternoon of July 10. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant Robert Ford assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a house fire at 7 Falmouth Street during the evening of July 25. Lieutenant Sean Curran and a crew from Engine 2 assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a house fire at 103 Essex Street during the evening of July 29.

A crew from Engine 1 consisting of Acting Lieutenant Gary Hill, Firefighter Rusty Ricker and Firefighter Jonathan Murphy came to the assistance of an elderly male who had fallen down a steep embankment on the shore of Lake Quannapowitt near the intersection of Main Street and Aborn Avenue during the afternoon of July 24. The man suffered multiple cuts and abrasions during the fall, landing in some heavy brush right at the shore line. He was assisted back to Main Street via a ladder and transported to an area hospital for follow-up care. Firefighters under the command of Captain Brian Purcell returned to Lake Quannapowitt during the afternoon of July 25 to rescue a sailor in distress in the waters off of Main Street near Lakeshore Drive. A large sailboat had overturned and could not be righted by the single occupant. Firefighters launched the Boston Whaler fire boat, rescuing the sailor from the water. The department worked with the Quannapowitt Yacht Club to attempt to refloat the vessel however due to its size the boat had to left capsized for the time being until a larger support vessel from the Yacht Club could arrive to assist in its removal.

The Fire Prevention Bureau has been very busy in July monitoring various construction projects. A final fire inspection of the new Tonno’s restaurant located on the first floor of the Wakefield Station development at 175 North Avenue was completed on July 6. Construction operations are progressing well at the Walton School, a 34-unit condominium building at 3 Bennet Street and an apartment building at 640 Main Street. Demolition of the former Wakefield Corporation building at 69 Foundry Street has been completed to prepare for the construction of a new 81-unit apartment building at that location. The buildings at 12 Valley Street, 205 water Street and 209 Water Street were also razed in July to make way for the construction of a new 1000-unit self-storage facility there. Several groups participated in a joint training with the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department conducted by the Northeast Public Power Association on electrical safety around high voltage facilities during the Month of July.

A group of children taking part in the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office summer camp program toured the police and fire stations at the Public Safety Building on July 11.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report