The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 376 emergency incidents during the month of March including 47 box alarms and 329 still alarms.
The Department responded to 5 mutual aid requests during March, twice to Melrose, twice to Saugus and once to Lynnfield. The department received mutual aid six times during the month of March, twice from Stoneham and once each from Reading, Melrose, North Reading and Lynnfield.
Wakefield Engine 2, under the command of Lieutenant Randy Hudson, assisted the Saugus Fire Department at a working fire at 542 Lincoln Avenue during the early morning of March 8th. A crew under Lieutenant Robert Taggart assisted Melrose Fire during the early morning of March 15th when gasoline was spilled in a basement area of an elderly housing facility, requiring the evacuation of the residents. The next day a crew under Lt. Carney assisted at a Saugus fire at 2334 Founder’s Way. Engine 2 with a crew under Lieutenant Steven Kessel was again summoned out of Town to Lynnfield on March 19th to cover a vacant Lynnfield fire station during a garage fire in that community.
Firefighters under the command of Captain Joseph Riley were dispatched shortly after 9 P.M. on March 21st to a reported house fire at 38 Church Street. The two alarm fire originated in a concealed wall space behind the fireplace and extended to the second floor area directly above before being contained and extinguished. Reading, Stoneham, and North Reading sent mutual aid apparatus to the fire while companies from Melrose and Lynnfield covered the town for other emergencies. Excellent work by all crews on scene at the fire effectively saved the structure. The single occupant of the home was displaced until the necessary repairs can be made.
The department responded to a large brush fire during the evening of March 10th off of the end of Sylvan Avenue. Crews under the command of acting lieutenant Thomas Purcell spent more than two hours extinguishing the blaze, Wakefield’s first large brush fire of the year.
Wakefield, as many other communities in Massachusetts, was hit hard by flooding rains during the Month of March. The rains that fell on March 12-15th and 29-31st generated 115 calls for assistance from the Wakefield Fire Department for water related emergencies. Many residents experienced significant water damage from the storms. Stranded citizens driving around street barricades were rescued four times by department personnel. New Salem Street, Broadway, and the end of Water Street were all closed for long periods during the height of the flooding. Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts and President Obama eventually declared 7 counties in Massachusetts a federal disaster area because of the widespread damage caused by the flooding. The Chief of Department, who is also the town’s emergency manager, toured flood affected areas of Wakefield with teams from the Massachusetts and Federal Emergency Management Agencies, the Red Cross, the Small Business Administration and the Massachusetts National Guard identifying areas hit hard by the floods. The Wakefield Fire Department is grateful to all of the other town departments for their help and cooperation during this period.
The Wakefield Fire Department welcomed three Wakefield High School juniors who participated in a High School sponsored career shadow day with the department on March 24th. The three students participated in a wide range of activities pertaining to the fire service. All duty shifts continued to receive training in emergency medical treatment during the month of March. This training is provided free of charge by Action Ambulance personnel.
