The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 177 emergency incidents during the month of October 2007 including 35 Box Alarms and 142 Still Alarms. The fire department responded to 2 mutual aid requests during October, including Reading (1) and Stoneham (1).
The response to Stoneham was to a 4-alarm fire in Stoneham Square that occurred on the evening of October 23rd, where Wakefield Lieut. Kevin Carney, and Firefighters Philip Rogers and Chris Crogan played a pivotal role in preventing the fire from spreading to the Stoneham Theatre building, just 2 feet away from the original-main fire building. The department did receive mutual aid once during October, that being from Stoneham.
Firefighter Russell C. Berube retired from the Wakefield Fire Department on October 29, 2007. Firefighter Berube was appointed a Permanent Firefighter on October 28, 1976 and also served as the Superintendent of Fire Alarm and Traffic Signals as well as the department’s Fire Investigator. We thank Russ for his 31 years of service to the Wakefield Fire Department and we wish him a happy and healthy retirement.
Marnie E. Sheeran was re-instated as a Permanent Firefighter effective on October 1, 2007. Ms. Sheeran fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Firefighter Shawn Hudson in July and has been assigned to the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy – Recruit Training Program.
Firefighter Daniel P. Sullivan received a commendation for his quick actions on October 18, 2007. Firefighter Sullivan, off-duty at the time, was the first to arrive at a working kitchen fire at a home on Auburn Street, where he quickly notified the fire department via cell phone, removed an occupant from the home, and then using a garden hose controlled the fire until the arrival of firefighters.
The fire and police departments are grateful to Hartshorne Insurance Co. for once again sponsoring the printing of an updated pocket size Wakefield street and information guide book that has been distributed to all firefighters, police officers and Action Ambulance personnel.
October is traditionally Fire Prevention Month, and firefighters coordinated by Fire Prevention Officer Captain Paul J. Pronco and utilizing a gift from Alcoa-Reynolds Food Packaging Co., once again visited all of the public and private elementary schools with the Fire Safety House, an excellent hands-on fire safety education tool that has been very popular and effective. The department also greeted several school groups that visited the Public Safety Building and Greenwood Fire Station during the month.
Training / Fire Prevention activities completed during October included:
- School Fire Drills in all public and private school facilities
- School evacuation drills conducted at the Dolbeare School and High School
- Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Impact Course “Common Emergencies”
- All 3 pumpers, the aerial ladder truck, and all ground ladders were inspected and tested
- The annual testing of our Hurst hydraulic rescue tools which did reveal problems that need to be addressed ASAP
