March 2015

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 290 emergency incidents during the month of March including 34 box alarms and 256 still alarms.

The department responded to three requests for mutual aid during March, twice to Lynnfield and once to Melrose. It received mutual aid twice during March, both times from Reading.

The department responded to a total of four structure fires during the month of March.

Firefighters under the command of Captain Randy Hudson responded to a kitchen fire at the Sir Edward Apartment Building located at 534 Salem Street during the early evening of March 7. The fire started when oil being heated in an open pan ignited and then extended to the wooden cabinets and exhaust hood located above the stove. The fire was quickly contained to this area and there were no injuries as a result of this fire.

A malfunctioning wood pellet stove resulted in a small but smoky fire at an apartment building at 18 Salem Street during the morning of March 20. The fire was quickly contained to the area of the stove by firefighters working under Captain Joseph Riley with some smoke damage sustained to the second and third floors of the building.

Crews under Captain Randy Hudson responded to 95 Audubon Road during the evening of March 24 after receiving reports of a trapped occupant inside one of the elevator at the Colonial Point Apartments. Firefighters quickly located and removed the trapped citizen, however, in the course of their duties they discovered a smoke condition inside the elevator machine room. Further investigation discovered an elevator motor had overheated and burned out, creating the smoke condition. The equipment was extinguished and shut down until repairs could be made.

The final structure fire for the month occurred during the afternoon of March 26 when firefighters under the command of Captain Richard Smith responded to 40 Lake Street after a plumber’s torch ignited a fire in a concealed wall space. The fire was quickly contained to the area of the second floor bathroom and the adjoining pipe chase. There were no injuries during and no one was displaced as a result of the fire.

Firefighters under Captain Randy Hudson responded to the Galvin Middle School after a faculty member smelled and of natural gas on the third floor and activated the fire alarm system. Firefighters working with employees of Bond Brothers Construction were quickly able to identify the source of the odor to be coming from a roof-top heater that was being repaired at the time. A downdraft of fumes caused by the wind resulted in the gas odor being introduced to the third floor area nearby. The situation was quickly dealt with and at no time did natural gas levels ever reach a dangerous level. During their investigation, firefighter checked the remainder of the school and discovered a second minor natural gas leak inside a heater in the new gymnasium area under construction. This problem was also quickly resolved. The students and faculty were relocated for a period to the nearby Americal Civic Center during this incident, proving the value of practicing the school evacuation plan annually. Employees from the Fire, Police, Municipal Gas and Light and School departments all worked together along with representatives from Bond Brothers to bring this matter to a quick and safe resolution.

All of the department’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as well as all SCBA face pieces for this equipment was successfully flow-tested by representatives from Industrial Protection Services. All department members who are Emergency Medical Technicians and due for recertification by April 1 successfully completed their requirements for renewal. Department members received training on Natural Gas Emergencies on March 13 and 14. Another group of department member received additional training on the Sensit multi-gas detector on March 26. All groups reviewed standard Operating Guidelines on Natural Gas Emergencies, Carbon Monoxide Emergencies and several radio protocols during the month of March. The department received delivery of another cold water survival suit as well as four new intake valves for the department’s pumpers as part of the Fiscal Year 2015 Capital Outlay Budget

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report