The Wakefield Fire Department responded to 307 emergency incidents during the month of September including 43 box alarms and 264 still alarms.
The Department responded to eight mutual aid requests during September, three times to Melrose, twice to Saugus, and once each to Stoneham, Lynn, and Lynnfield. The department received mutual aid three times during the month of September, once each from Melrose, Stoneham, and Reading. A crew under the command of Lieutenant Brian Purcell assisted the Saugus Fire Department at a fire at 58 Central Street during the afternoon of September 5th. Lieutenant Brain Purcell also led a crew assisting the Melrose Fire Department at a house fire during the early morning hours of September 20th. Captain Joseph Riley and a crew from Engine 1 responded with the Lynnfield Fire department and extinguished a dryer fire in the Athletic club behind the Sheraton Colonial during the evening of September 21st. Lieutenant Robert Taggart and his crew assisted at a working house fire at 20 Henry Street in Saugus during the evening of September 28th. Lieutenant Kevin Carney and his crew also assisted Lynn with coverage on the afternoon of September 24th during a three alarm fire in that city.
Crews under the command of Captain Richard Smith responded to a potentially serious fire at the Franklin School at 100 Nahant Street during the afternoon of September 14th. Crews arrived to find a smoke condition on the first floor caused by a fire in a trash barrel inside a bathroom. There were no reported injuries during this accidental fire which was determined to be caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials in the waste basket. The building’s fire alarm tripped and automatically notified the department, resulting in a rapid response that limited damage to the bathroom area. The structure and utilities inside it were not damaged by the fire.
A quick but severe thunder and lightning storm moved through Wakefield during the morning of September 8th, just as the public schools were preparing for their first day of school. A woman on Bryant Street was injured when her home was struck by lightning and energized the clothes iron she was holding. The storm set off fire alarm systems on Richardson Avenue, Bryant Street, Ballister Street, and Main Street. A transformer at the corner of Water and Farm Streets exploded during the storm and the high School’s fire alarm system was also damaged and rendered inoperable for several hours until repairs could be made.
Wakefield Firefighter Wayne Wenzel retired from the Wakefield Fire Department effective September 2, 2010. Firefighter Wenzel was appointed as a Permanent Firefighter on May 19, 1986, working more than 24 years with the department. Prior to 1986, he worked for ten years with the water department for the town of Wakefield. Firefighter Wenzel is a talented and well respected member of the department and we wish him a long and healthy retirement.
All vehicles operated by the Department were inspected and issued their motor vehicle registry stickers. Several groups practiced roof cutting and search evolutions at a vacant house on Montrose Avenue prior to its demolition on September 20th.
The department conducted several fire drills in each public and private school in Wakefield during the month of September. Evacuation drills were conducted at the Woodville School, Nazareth Academy, Walton School, and Greenwood School during the month of September.
