Empty Wellesley building perfect spot for firefighter training

May 15, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

While it might seem like Wellesley firefighters have had more than their fair share of action of late, fighting several significant fires over the past couple of months while also navigating COVID-19 dangers, the opportunity to hone their skills at a currently vacant building in town was an offer too good to pass up.

The Hancock Group , owner of 40 William Street at Wellesley Office Park, offered firefighters the vacant building for training. Skills worked on included managing fire in a large office area, door breaching (forcing open locked or closed doors) and more .

“The opportunity to train in a building like this is rare,” says Chuck DiGiandomenico, Deputy Chief. “Sometimes we get houses that are ready to be torn down to train on but we never get a building like this. This training gives firefighters a chance to see the building construction, building systems and fire protection in place to prevent fire spread. This building has no hose outlets (standpipes) for firefighters to use so getting hose lines to the floors of that particular building poses a challenge.”

DiGiandomenico says the department used a fire engine pumper and Tower ladder truck for the training. “The engine company practices carrying charged hose lines up stairs, through hallways and into office spaces to extinguish a fire. They do about 5 evolutions in full turnout gear and using Scott air packs. The Tower ladder truck is practicing proper placement to access the roof and certain parts of the building, then go inside and use forcible entry tools to force open office doors.”

Half the shift (9 firefighters) trains in the morning and the other half does it in the afternoon. We split up the shift so half will train in the morning and the other half will do the training in the afternoon.

And of course this COVID-19 disclaimer: “We kept the groups small to keep social distancing guidelines and when our air packs are not in use we are wearing a face covering,” DiGiandomenico says, crediting Deputy Matt Corda for putting together a good plan.

40 Williams Drill 7

More: Firefighters to fit seniors for masks

Dumpster fire at Wellesley RDF briefly closes facility

May 12, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Th term “dumpster fire” gets thrown around a lot these days to refer to the various plights of those coping with COVID-19.

But now a Swellesley Report reader has shared this video of a dumpster fire at the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility that closed the dump for 10-15 minutes. At least a couple of fire engines can be seen in the video.

RDF Director James Manzolini said as of 10am there were no details on what caused the fire. The main gate was closed briefly while the Wellesley Fire Department contained the situation.

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Wellesley, neighboring firefighters respond to heavy garage fire

April 29, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

washington st fire — Photos courtesy Wellesley Fire Department

Wellesley firefighters, joined by those from Needham, Newton and Weston, had their hands full late Wednesday afternoon when dispatch reported a detached garage fire at 188 Washington S. near Oakland Street. Heavy fire was showing close to the primary home as well as nearby houses.

Unfortunately, the garage and a ’53 T Bird in it were lost, but no injuries were suffered. The building inspector and fire department determined that the issue was isolated to the garage and that the family can safely stay in the home.

Fire Chief Rick DeLorie credited Deputy Corda and Group D, as well as the neighboring firefighting squads, for a job well done protecting the town.

washington st fire

Wellesley firefighters respond to early morning house fire on Elmwood road

April 14, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley firefighters quickly extinguished a fire early Tuesday morning they described as accidental/undetermined, likely electrical. Occupants of 23 Elmwood Road were awakened by their smoke alarm and safely evacuated the home.

23 Elmwood Rd. fire, Wellesley — An interior room at 23 Elmwood Rd. sustained significant fire damage. (Photo courtesy Wellesley Fire Department)

Firefighters at 3am, under the direction of Deputy Chief Corda and Group, responded to the scene and encountered heavy smoke upon arrival at the two-story wood frame structure. Engine 1’s crew pulled a line into the home and quickly extinguished the fire. There was extensive fire damage to the room of origin, and smoke damage to the entire home.

Crews worked to salvage personal property. ” I appreciate the coverage provided our community by a Weston Engine, and a Newton engine and ladder. Dispatch as always did a great job in getting our crews to the incident. The firefighters are always ready for anything. I’m proud of them all the time, and they did a great job last night.” Chief Rick DeLorie said.

Wellesley firefighters cope with COVID-19 from within

April 7, 2020 by Bob Brown 6 Comments

wellesley fire department. As The Swellesley Report first reported over the weekend, the Wellesley Fire Department has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic first hand.

Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie has now issued a message to the town, as published here, and followed up with us by phone, as summarized beneath the statement:

I have been with the Wellesley Fire Department for 27 years and served as Chief for 11 years. I have never been more proud of our firefighters and the Town of Wellesley than I am today.

In the midst of this evolving and unprecedented threat to our collective health, I’m reaching out to let every resident to know that we are here for you. We knew we would be on the front lines in the fight with Coronavirus, and every day I see my firefighters facing these extraordinary circumstances with courage and bravery, always guided by their commitment to protect you.

In response to recent media inquiries, I am confirming today that one of our firefighters is currently hospitalized with COVID-19. My thoughts are with this individual and I am praying for a full recovery. The family also welcomes your prayers and asks that everyone please respect their privacy.

In recent weeks, we have had other firefighters become ill from COVID-19. We have also quarantined members of our department as a precaution; all but a few with mild symptoms have returned to work. I will not provide any more information to protect the privacy of our staff.

As a public safety leader in Town, I also want to share how impressed I am by the depth of service shown by so many in Wellesley as we all respond to this crisis. Our Health Department, firefighters, police officers, medics, dispatchers; our facilities staff; the employees of all departments, boards, and commissions; our elected and appointed leaders; and especially the citizens of our Town are doing an extraordinary job. I have witnessed remarkable stories of the unselfish ways in which people are reaching out to their neighbors in need. A moving example is the amazing amount of masks and other PPE which residents in Town have donated to our department, to be distributed to front line health care workers who desperately need them. Other citizens are delivering food, making masks, supporting our restaurants, and offering to help in any way possible.

We are all in this together.

Please know that we will watch over you. We have solid safety practices in the Fire Department to keep our firefighters and the community safe. We have strong mutual aid with neighboring fire departments and we adapt our practices as more information is learned. I want to tell you what I tell my firefighters: These are scary days and we will get through them.

When you feel anxious and stressed, please reach out to someone. We are all here to support each other – human contact, comfort and even a little humor can help. These next two weeks are critical to help stem this outbreak. We join the Governor, all Massachusetts officials and all Town officials in reminding everyone to please stay home, follow the restrictions in place, and work together so we can ensure Wellesley Will Be Well.

Sincerely,
Chief Rick DeLorie
Wellesley Fire Department

Dozens of firefighters across the state have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and hundreds more are in quarantine due to possible exposure, according to the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts labor union, which has shared this chart displaying the seriousness of the situation. Andover and Methuen are among other communities whose fire departments have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

fire covid

Following up with the chief

In a follow-up call with Chief DeLorie, during which I asked why firefighters have been so hard hit with the virus, he explained that up until a few weeks ago the fire department’s front doors were still open to visitors, those asking for directions and so forth (“If we sold pizza, we’d put Chuck E. Cheese out of business based on the number of people who come by…”). Add that on top of plenty of calls where firefighters interact with people, and you can see how an airborne virus can make its mark even with an operation that is used to taking cleanliness and safety protocols seriously.

Even though Wellesley’s Fire Department has had a number of its members contract COVID-19 or go into quarantine just in case, WFD has not been short staffed, DeLorie says. Attendance records have been strong and mutual aid via a network of 35 cities and towns is always a call away, he adds.

Whenever a firefighter gets symptoms the first thing the department does is have the person get tested. “My next step, and I don’t know if every fire chief does this, but it’s to pray that the firefighter will be strong and get through it.”

DeLorie shared an interesting bit of relevant history involving local fire departments. Assistant Chief Jeff Peterson had relayed that the entire Wellesley Fire Department went down sick during the 1918 flu pandemic, and Newton covered for it the entire time. If something that dramatic were to happen this year with COVID-19, DeLorie says Wellesley and other community fire departments would do something similar, as they did more recently in banding together during the Merrimack Valley gas explosions. “We have a lot of plans in place for contingencies, and hope we don’t need to execute them.”

The fire department has changed its practices when going on out calls, slowing things down and sending in fewer firefighters when possible. Such as when going to a nursing home to check on an alarm panel’s faulty detector. If a homeowner calls about smoke when cooking, the firefighters will stand 6-8 feet away from the homeowner, get the whole family in masks, and then take care of the problem. Calls for issues such as seniors falling or EMS calls for a variety of reasons are all treated as potential COVID-19 situations.

The firefighters have managed to keep their senses of humor despite the challenges, DeLorie says. “They all look like dentists with their masks,” he says. “I’m afraid they’re all going to want to get paid like them.” It’s been suggested DeLorie should have been wearing a mask for decades, sparing others from having to look at his mug every day at work.

DeLorie emphasized how thankful he is to the public for its donation of masks and other necessities to the point where the department has had gear to share with other town departments and others in need. He’s also felt supported by town officials and departments, including the Health Department and Facilities Management.

While so many people are now home in Wellesley, call volume has slowed in certain areas, such as for car accidents and incidents at businesses. But when the department needs to respond, DeLorie says “we’re on our best game.” Dispatchers have been trained to give accurate info to make calls as safe as possible.

“I can’t wait to get back to normal,” he says.

More:

Wellesley College burned down on this date in 1914

March 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

wellesley fire pillars Wellesley College will remember March 17, 2020 as the day on which students were to vacate campus as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Whether some will be back for commencement in late May remains to be seen (a student-organized faux-mencement was held last week).

Another March 17 that already lives in infamy on campus was the one that took place in 1914. Wellesley College’s College Hall, which was school for the first 39 years of its existence, burned to the ground in just four hours.

Remains of that building have been preserved and recognized on campus, and can be seen by veering off the trail around Lake Waban.

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wellesley college fire pillars

‘Wellesley firefighters may have saved our home…’

February 23, 2020 by Bob Brown 5 Comments

wellesley fire department. Early Saturday morning turned out to be more eventful than Wellesley’s Phil Gormley and Erica Bisguier would have liked, but at least it didn’t turn out disastrous.

Gormley writes:

In the early morning of Saturday, Feb. 22, my wife and I awoke to the smell of smoke. It was not intense enough to set off the smoke detectors but the smell pervaded the house. After we failed to find the source we phoned the Wellesley Fire Department. Though it was clearly not an emergency, three trucks with four firefighters arrived within minutes.

After a 30-minute search the firefighters identified the source as a shorted wire in the control unit of our furnace. Indeed, the furnace was overheating and on the verge of igniting surrounding paper and bookshelves. With their quick response and diligence in their search Firefighters Peter Indresano and Ben Hampton, Lieutenant Ken DeMerchant, and Deputy Chief Chuck DiGiandominico prevented a serious fire and possibly the loss of our home.

We extend our thanks to them and to the numerous Wellesley town workers that keep residents safe and the town operating.

Phil Gormley & Erica Bisguier

514 Washington Street

I followed up with Gormley to ask if there was any chance he might have just slept through all this. “I wasn’t even sure I was smelling anything. Had to wake my wife to verify and could easily have slept through it,” he wrote.

In the end, the firefighters killed the breaker to the furnace and shut off the gas. While their house is now “COLD,” Gormley says, replacement gear is on order for Monday.

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