June 2020

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 271 emergency incidents during the month of June including 34 box alarms and 237 still alarms. The department responded to nine requests for mutual aid during June, seven times to Melrose and once each to Reading and Saugus. The department received mutual aid five times during the month of June, twice from Reading and Stoneham and once from Melrose. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lieutenant Cliff Silva covered the vacant Reading Fire Headquarters during a structure fire in that town on the morning of June 1. Firefighters from Engine 2 under the command of Lieutenant Sean Curran assisted the Melrose Fire Department at the scene of s structure fire at 34 South High Street during the afternoon of June 24. A crew from Engine 2 under Lieutenant Michael Long assisted the Saugus Fire Department at the scene of a structure fire at 10 Kent Street during the evening of June 27. A crew from Engine 2 led by Lieutenant Joseph Albert assisted the Melrose Fire Department at the scene of a structure fire at 56 West Wyoming Avenue during the morning of June 29.

Wakefield, like many other area communities, has experienced a significant increase in incidents involving the use of illegal fireworks. These fireworks, if used improperly, can result in serious injury and significant property loss. Wakefield’s wooded areas have dried out during the hot summer temperatures that arrived with June, resulting in very low moisture levels in brush and other potential ground fuels. These conditions contributed to the ignition of a brush fire on the southwest shore of Crystal Lake during the evening of Jun 20 that was ignited by the careless use of fireworks. Firefighters under the command of Captain John Walsh responded to this brush fire just as darkness fell on the evening of June 20. The area could only be accessed through a steeply graded area off of Crystal Street in Stoneham. Firefighters dragged almost a thousand feet of fire hose through the steep terrain and deployed a fire boat with additional hose to extinguish the fire. An engine from Stoneham fire assisted the department at the scene while a Reading engine covered Wakefield Fire Headquarters. The fire took approximately 90 minutes to extinguish and has to be wet down again the next morning. One Wakefield firefighter became seriously dehydrated during this fire and had to be transported to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital for follow-up care where he was treated and released.

Wakefield Fire Department responses to Covid-19 related calls have dropped off significantly as Massachusetts continues with its multi-phased reopening plans. The department continues to work closely along with Cataldo Ambulance to provide the emergency medical care that potential Covid-19 patients require. The Department reminds members of the public not to hesitate to call for assistance for any type of medical emergency, not just those related to Covid-19. Citizens with symptoms of heart attack or stroke, severe hemorrhaging, allergic reactions and other life-threatening conditions still require prompt treatment and transport to the hospital; it is imperative that these citizens still call 911 for help. Hospitals and emergency rooms have taken extensive precautions to minimize the risk to patients not affected by Covid-19. Civid-19 admissions to area hospitals have decreased dramatically.

All scheduled instructor-led emergency medical training in June was cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, however; department members are able to participate in on-line training programs. The department was able to conduct training classes on Electrical Safety for the remaining two of its four duty shifts on June 5 and 12. This training was conducted by retired Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department employee Dan Flynn, who has moved into a new position as a safety trainer for the Northeast Public Power Association. Dan’s presentations were both informative and well received by department members. The department received additional training on June 16 to 19 from representatives of Fire Department Support Services (FDSS), who conducted in depth, individual training to department members on proper pump operator procedures. All groups also conducted boat training and conducted the department’s annual testing of its fire hose during the month of June.

The department also conducted drive byes of the various elementary schools in town during June to celebrate the moving on festivities for the fourth graders at those schools and participated in a town-wide parade acknowledging the Wakefield High School graduating Class of 2020.

Wakefield Fire Captain Thomas Purcell was appointed to the new department rank of Deputy Fire Chief by the Town Council on June 22. His appointment will become effective and his swearing in ceremony will take place in July at a date to be announced. The department wishes Deputy Chief Purcell success in his new position with the Wakefield Fire Department.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report