The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 257 emergency incidents during the month of May including 33 box alarms and 224 still alarms.
The Department responded to four mutual aid requests during May, three times to Stoneham and once to Saugus. The department received mutual aid three times during the month of May, twice from Stoneham and once from Reading. Wakefield Engine 2, under the command of Acting Lieutenant Phil Preston, assisted the Stoneham Fire Department at a two alarm house fire on O’Grady Circle during the afternoon of May 2nd. Lieutenant Steven Kessel led another crew from Engine 2 on May 9th when they were called to assist at a two alarm fire on Gould Street in Stoneham during the early morning of May 9th. Finally, a crew under Lieutenant Robert Taggart assisted at a house fire on Summer Street in Saugus on the afternoon of May 31st.
The Town of Wakefield was forced to exercise its emergency plan on May 1st when a 120 inch MWRA water main supplying several dozens communities in the greater Boston area cracked and had to be shut down. Although water was restored rather quickly, a boil water order had to be issued to all communities served by the MWRA until the water could be properly tested for contamination. The Town’s emergency notification system was used a total of six times to alert the public to the problem, provide emergency instructions, and direct them to water distribution sites. All town departments, particularly the police, fire, health, public works, and school departments, cooperated to make emergency planning run as smoothly as possible under the circumstances. Personnel from the water department worked tirelessly to bring the Crystal Lake pumping facility on line. Two public water distribution sites were organized and implemented with relatively few problems, with over 9,000 gallons of water distributed to the public. The boil water order was lifted on Tuesday May 4th and no one will take their drinking water for granted again for quite some time. I am proud of how the town pulled together during this water emergency and very grateful to be a part of such an effective emergency management team.
The month of May included more changes in personnel in the Wakefield Fire Department. Veteran Firefighter Joseph Cardarelli resigned his position as a Wakefield Firefighter effective May 16th to accept a position in the Massport Fire Department. Firefighter Cardarelli was a twenty four year veteran of the department and an active member of the Metrofire District Two Hazardous Materials Response Team. We wish him well in his employment with the Massport Fire Department.
Amesbury Firefighter Erik Cole has transferred to the Wakefield Fire Department effective June 3, 2010. Firefighter Cole worked nine years with the Amesbury Fire Department and is a trained paramedic. Erik comes to the department fully trained and we wish him well as he starts with Wakefield.
Firefighter Richard Cardavelli was called up for active military duty on May 11th and is serving with the Army National Guard in Iraq. Firefighter Jonathan Murphy is also serving on active duty in Afghanistan with the United States Navy, where he has been serving since March. The Wakefield Fire Department is proud to be so well represented in our nation’s ongoing war on terrorism overseas.
Lieutenant Steven Kessel retired from the Wakefield Fire Department effective on June 1st after almost thirty years of service. Kessel was appointed to the Wakefield Fire Department on August 31, 1980 and was appointed Lieutenant on December 16, 2004. We wish him a long and happy retirement.
The department continued to participate in emergency medical training classes during the month of May and all groups conducted training drills with its two boats at Lake Quannapowitt. The department’s entire compliment of fire hose was pressure tested as well.
