October 2023

The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 387 emergency incidents during the month of October 2023 including 38 box alarms and 347 still alarms. The department responded to three requests for mutual aid during October, twice to Reading and once to Stoneham. The department received mutual aid four times during October, three times from Reading and once from Stoneham. A crew from Engine 1 led by Lt. Clifford Silva assisted the Reading Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 58 Mineral Street during the morning of October 23. Lt. Steve Bivens and a crew from Engine 2 covered Stoneham Fire headquarters during a structure fire in that community on the evening of October 25. A crew from Engine 1 under Lieutenant Phil Preston assisted the Reading Fire Department at the scene of a 2-alarm fire at 601 Haverhill Street during the morning of October 30.

Wakefield firefighters under the command of Captain Brian Purcell responded to an automatic fire alarm activation at the Verizon Building located at 4 Bennett Street on October 17 at approximately 11:24 A.M. They arrived to find smoke pouring from the building and quickly located a fire in the vicinity of an emergency generator located on the basement level. The fire was quickly extinguished by responding firefighters using portable fire extinguishers. There were no injuries to either building occupants or firefighters. An investigation of the fire determined the cause to be a mechanical failure of the emergency generator while a technician was performing a weekly on-site test. Firefighters used smoke ejectors to ventilate the heavy smoke from the building. A Verizon maintenance crew responded to the scene to complete a clean-up of the building. There was no damage to the structure or contents in the building beyond the emergency generator and the building was re-occupied once the firefighters cleared the scene. A Stoneham and Reading engine covered Wakefield Fire Headquarters during this incident.

Crews led by Captain Paul Pronco responded to a serious motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Farm and Water Street during the afternoon of October 29. Lieutenant Cliff Silva arrived with a crew from Engine 1 to find that a vehicle had collided with a large boulder and rock wall directly opposite the end of Farm Street. The single occupant inside the vehicle was seriously injured and entrapped in the vehicle. Ladder 1 and the command car were dispatched to assist engine 1. The front passenger door was forced open using a battery-operated hydraulic spreader tool, allowing the patient to be accessed and removed from the vehicle. The driver was transported to Lahey-Burlington with serious injuries.

Firefighters under the direction of Captain Randy Hudson responded to a reported odor of gasoline fumes inside the Dolbeare Elementary School, 340 Lowell Street, on October 30 at approximately 9:45 A.M. Upon their arrival, firefighters were able to trace the odor to a construction site next door involving the replacement of an existing gas station. The contractor at the site had removed some soil contaminated with gasoline to prepare it for removal from the site. The fumes were coming from the contaminated soil, which was then picked up by the school’s HVAC system and distributed throughout the school. Firefighters directed school maintenance officials to shut down the HVAC system. The children and staff were re-located outside for a brief time while the school was ventilated with exhaust fans. The students were relocated to the gymnasium while the air in the school was checked with gas detectors. The children were allowed to go back to their classes once the school was metered. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also responded and metered the school as well, finding no hazard to the building occupants. The Fire Prevention Bureau and Wakefield Building Inspector will work with state environmental personnel on a plan to properly dispose of the contaminated soil at the construction site.

All groups participated in Emergency Medical Technician training classes. All Groups received training from an outside vendor during October on operating emergency vehicles and defensive driving techniques. The training included both a classroom component as well as a driving course with cones set up to simulate specific driving scenarios. The department continued to conduct its annual fire safety business inspections during October. Quarterly fire inspections were also done on all schools, nursing homes, hotels and lodging houses around town. All groups reviewed procedures involving the extinguishment of chimney fire and responses to carbon monoxide emergencies in October. All groups also practiced vehicle extrication procedures during October.

All public and private schools containing children from kindergarten age and above received their third fire drill during October. Fire Prevention Month resulted in many visits to the department during October. Children from Canterbury Children’s Center visited Wakefield Fire Headquarters on October 11 and 12. Kindergarten children from Greenwood Elementary School visited the Greenwood Fire Station on October 19. Students not participating in the fifth grade’s program at Camp Bourndale visited the Public Safety Building for tours of both the Police and Fire Departments on October 23 and 25.

New firefighting gear lockers were installed at the Greenwood Fire Station that are large enough to properly store the two sets of firefighting protective gear that department members are now issued. The lockers were funded out of the department’s Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Outlay budget. All department members had their photos taken in their Class A dress uniforms during October. Group photos were also taken of department members. The Group photos will be framed and hung up on the hallway wall outside the department’s administrative offices.

Incident Response Report

Fire Prevention Report