The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 319 emergency incidents during the month of October including 39 box alarms and 280 still alarms.
The Department responded to six mutual aid requests during October, three times to Melrose, twice to Stoneham and once to Lynn. During October it received mutual aid three times, once from Melrose, Lynnfield and Reading. A Crew from Wakefield Engine 2 under the command of Lieutenant Brian Purcell assisted the City of Melrose at a 2-alarm basement fire at 150 Green Street during the evening of October 8. Later that same evening, the same crew covered the Fayette Street station in the City of Lynn during a 3-alarm fire in that community. Lt. Robert Taggart and a crew from Engine 2 responded to a 3-alarm fire at 13 Congress Street in Stoneham during the early morning hours of October 10. Engine 2 returned to Stoneham on October 26 with lieutenant and his crew to assist at a 3-alarm fire at 65 Spring Street.
School evacuation drills were conducted at the Odyssey Day School, the Northeast Regional Vocational School and the Wakefield Memorial High School during the month of October. A group of Wakefield firefighters took part in a class offered at Woburn Toyota’s facility at 618 North Avenue regarding safety precautions at accident scenes involving hybrid vehicles on October 12. Eight department members took part in a vehicle extrication class offered by Firematic Supply Company free of charge on October 14-15 in Walpole.
October is Fire Prevention month and the Wakefield Fire Department received visits from numerous schools and groups during the month. Children from the Canterbury Children’s School visited the Public Safety Building on the morning of October 13 and 14. The North Suburban Family Network visited the Public Safety Building on October 15. A kindergarten class from the Greenwood Elementary School visited the Greenwood Fire Station during the morning of October 26. Chief Sullivan visited the Dutton Center on October 19 and the SEEM Collaborative facility at the Yeuell School on October 20 to give a fire safety talk as part of Fire Prevention month.
The weekend of October 29-30 will remain very memorable to the Wakefield Fire Department for quite some time to come as a Winter Nor’easter hit the region very hard during that weekend. Although Wakefield only received about 4 inches of snow, the heavy snow collected on tree limbs and their leaves bring dozens of them down. Approximately 3300 businesses and households in Wakefield lost power at some point during the weekend. Police, Fire, Department of Public Works and Municipal Light Department crews responded to downed wires and trees and damaged electrical services to homes in an efficient and timely manner, insuring that the public’s safety was protected at all times until the hazards could be corrected and power restored. I am personally very grateful for the high level of cooperation shown between the various departments in Town. Wakefield is extremely fortunate to be blessed with its own municipal power company staffed with dedicated employees and they have once again demonstrated their effectiveness and commitment to the citizens of Wakefield under adverse weather conditions.
