The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 244 emergency incidents during the month of October 2008 including 47 Box Alarms and 197 Still Alarms.
The fire department responded to 1 mutual aid request during October to the Town of Saugus and received mutual aid 1 time in October from Stoneham.
Fire Department activities during the month of October included:
- The presentation of the Metrofire regional fire safety house to the school children at the Walton, Woodville, and Dolbeare elementary schools
- Observance of Fire Prevention Week
The department responded to a residential structure fire at 360 Water Street on October 17th. The accidental fire started in the attic and caused a considerable amount of smoke and water damage throughout the residence. Although the occupants of this occupancy will be displaced while the damage is repaired, the structure itself was saved and will be rebuilt.
Wakefield Engine 2 responded to a serious house fire on Mount Vernon Street in Saugus during the early morning hours of October 29th. Engine 2’s crew worked with other mutual aid companies and Saugus fire to help bring this fire under control.
The department participated in multi-hazard evacuation drills at the Greenwood School, the Walton School, and the Wakefield High School.
The department hosted a Massachusetts Firefighting Academy training course on Hazardous Materials Decontamination procedures On October 15th. All department members conducted training in an abandoned house owned by the light department on North Avenue scheduled to be torn. This training involved a rare opportunity to make openings in a pitched roof with the use of power saws under controlled non-fire conditions. Additional training was conducted by all groups on chimney fire procedures.
Fire Prevention Week was observed the week of October 5th thru 11th. Preschool groups from Canterbury Children’s Center visited fire headquarters and kindergarten classes from the Greenwood School visited the Greenwood fire station. Members of the North Suburban family network visited fire headquarters on October 25th. Ladder 1 also made a fire safety visit to the Children’s Center on Water Street on October 14th. Employees at the Edgewater office park participated in fire drills in observance of this important week as well.
