The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 223 emergency incidents during the month of September 2008 including 45 Box Alarms and 178 Still Alarms.
The fire department responded to 4 mutual aid requests during September, including 3 responses to Melrose and 1 to Lynnfield. The department received mutual aid 1 time in September from Lynnfield.
Fire Department activities during the month of September included:
- The graduation of firefighters John Mercurio, Timothy Robblee, and Cliff Silva from the Massachusetts firefighting Academy on September 26th
Wakefield firefighters John Mercurio, Timothy Robblee, and Cliff Silva successfully completed 12 weeks of rigorous training at the Massachusetts firefighting Academy and graduated with the 181st class on September 26th. Firefighter Mercurio will be assigned to Group 2 under Captain Joseph Riley. Firefighter Timothy Robblee will be assigned to group 1 under Captain David Myette. Firefighter Cliff Silva will be assigned to group 3 under Captain Richard Smith.
The department responded to a serious accident involving a motorcycle on September 20th at 632 Main Street. The operator of the motorcycle was transported by the Medflight medical helicopter to a Boston hospital.
Wakefield firefighter Philip Rogers was deployed to the Atlanta, Georgia area during the end of August and first week of September as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team stationed in Beverly, Massachusetts. Although the team was never actually needed, they were part of a nation-wide effort by FEMA to prepare for hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Fire drills were conducted in all public and private schools in Wakefield as the new school year got started. Several schools also held their evacuation drills with the remainder schools scheduled for October. All department members conducted annual practical training with the Jaws of Life, air bags, and other rescue tools. An additional training program was also conducted by all groups with the Red Cross.
Quarterly inspections were completed on all schools, nursing homes, hotels, and boarding houses. All fifteen facilities granted a liquor license in town also received a fire inspection as required by law.
