May 2015

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 380 emergency incidents during the month of May including 31 box alarms and 349 still alarms.

The department responded to seven requests for mutual aid during May, four times to Lynnfield and three times to Saugus. It received mutual aid eight times during May, twice from Stoneham and once each from Reading, Melrose, North Reading, Lynnfield, Saugus and Woburn. A crew from Engine 2 led by lieutenant David Shinney assisted the Saugus Fire department at the scene of a working fire at 169 Broadway (Route 1) during the morning of May 2. Lieutenant John Mercurio and a crew from Engine 1 responded to a 5-alarm brush fire in Lynnfield on May 6 that burned more than sixty acres of Ready Meadow. Engine and a crew led by Acting lieutenant Gary Hill responded to Lynnfield to assist that community with another round of extensive brush fires on May 15. Firefighters assigned to Engine 2 under the command of Lieutenant Michael Long assisted the Saugus fire department at a fire at the RESCO Plant on the Salem Turnpike during the morning of May 25. Lieutenant Robert Taggart along with a crew from Engine 2 assisted the Saugus Fire department again at a structure fire at 47 Fairmount Avenue during the afternoon of May 29.

The month of May has experienced drought conditions causing vegetation to become very dry and susceptible to ignition. The department responded to 21 outside fires during the month of May including many mulch fires most likely caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials. These conditions will worsen as the spring progresses into summer if the region does not get more rainfall.

Wakefield firefighters under the command of Captain Randy Hudson responded to Wakefield’s first multiple alarm fire of 2015 during the evening of May 25. Firefighters responded to a reported house fire at this location, arriving to find heavy fire in the area of the front porch extending into the two family home. A second alarm was struck bringing help from Melrose, Reading North reading and Stoneham to the fire. The fire was quickly knocked down by responding crews and its extension into the house was slowed down by the presence of blown in cellulose insulation in the exterior walls of the residence. The cause of the fire was determined to be the careless disposal of smoking materials in the mulch adjacent to the front porch area. Heat and smoke damage was extensive throughout the home and three residents were displaced as a result of the fire. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and transported to a local hospital where he was later released.

Crews working under Captain Paul Pronco responded to a serious motor vehicle accident on Route 128 Northbound near exit 42 that claimed the life of a young woman during the morning of May 25. The same crews under Captain Pronco responded to a two car head-on accident at 96 Main Street during the afternoon of May 26 that caused serious injuries to both drivers. Firefighters under the command of Captain Richard Smith responded to a third serious accident when a vehicle lost control and slammed into a residence at 459 Lowell Street during the early morning of May 30. The driver was seriously injured and the collision caused significant damage to the home.

The department was notified in May that it had been awarded a Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant (AFG) totaling more than $190,000 for the replacement of the department’s breathing apparatus. AFG grants are applied for annually and frequently will pay for up to 90% of the cost of proposed projects for the nation’s fire departments.

All department groups continue their annual inspections and surveys of businesses located in their assigned districts. The department conducted fire drills in the Wakefield school system and will continue to conduct drills in June. All groups conducted training on the department’s two boats during the month of May.

A group from Parents of Tots visited Wakefield Fire Headquarters during the morning of May 8. The Greenwood Fire Station received a visit from a Wakefield Brownie troop during the afternoon of May 13. A crew from Ladder 1 visited the Tall Spire Nursery School at the First Baptist Church on May 28 and 29.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report