Town of Westford, MA - Westford Fire Department

June 2008- The eight new Firefighters hired under the Safer Grant, finished their three week long training and orientation program and will be integrated into their individual shifts starting June 30th. The new Firefighters trained in various Firefighting and Rescue operations to familiarize themselves with the tools and equipment Westford Fire Department uses. All the new Firefighters are all Certified Firefighters on the State and National level, but have wide variety of background experience, and the orientation allowed them to become familiar with other department Firefighters, learn department policies and procedures and more. The new Firefighter/EMTs also responded to calls during their shifts. Their second day they fought the American Legion Fire in Graniteville. The department would like to welcome them to Town.

June 2008- The Westford Police received a 911 call at approximately 6:29 AM reporting a possible structure fire at the American Legion on 2 Cross Street. The first arriving engine reported a working fire and a 2^nd alarm was struck. Mutual aid from the Towns of Littleton & Groton responded to the scene and station coverage was provided by Ayer, Chelmsford and Tyngsboro.

Although crews were faced with heavy fire conditions, they made a quick interior attack. The building had more than one ceiling which made extinguishing the fire difficult. Also, with temperatures in the 80’s and high humidity, firefighters had to frequently go through rehab. Despite the obstacles firefighters were faced with, they made a valiant effort to save the building. Two things worked in favor of the firefighting efforts: First, the fire occurred during the shift change where both oncoming and outgoing firefighters and call department were available to respond. Second, the eight newly hired firefighters (due to the SAFER Grant) had just reported for their 2^nd day on the job.

Today is a sad day for the American Legion Post 159 and the community. For many years Post 159 has been a community partner offering school scholarships and supporting the elderly sponsoring Ham and Bean suppers with the Westford Firefighters Association. Post 159 has been a major organizer for Memorial and Veterans Day observances, many people have benefited by their presence within the community. The Westford Fire Department extends to Post 159 our sincere regrets in their loss and hope for a brighter future.

April 2008- Westford Firefighters were called to assist Tyngsboro Fire Department in battling a 3 Alarm House Fire off of Middlesex Road. Firefighters were called directly to the scene to assist crews and made entry into the building. Engine 8 was used to help get water to the scene via a water shuttle with Engines from other communities. Lt. Fletcher stayed on the scene as Hazmat tech to assist the Tyngsboro Chief in a tier one Hazmat response due to a hazmat situation in the house.

April 2008- Westford Firefighters have battled multiple brush fires over the last week due to recent dry weather conditions. Westford Fire Dept wants to remind residents that burning brush is only permitted with a permit from the Fire Dept and only after checking with Fire Alarm on whether burning is being permitted that day. It is imperative residents follow the rules and regulations regarding burning on the printed copy of your permit. The state classifies each burning day as to the danger and the Fire Department determines whether burning will be permitted. Burning is only allowed Jan 15th through May 1st with a permit only. As of May 1st, no more open burning is allowed.

April 2008- On behalf of Chief Rochon and the Westford Fire Department we regret to announce the sudden passing of Firefighter Richard Green, an active call member for the past 21 years. Calling hours will be at the J. A. Healy Funeral Home 57 North Main Street Westford Sunday from 2 - 6 April 13^th 2008. Richie was always reliable, dedicated and loyal to the Department and the Town of Westford. Richie would do anything for anyone and always with a smile and without complaint. Richie will be greatly missed by all members.

February 2008- Westford Firefighters battled a 2 Alarm House Fire in the Nabnassett section of town on Wislon Lane. Fire was showing when Firefighters arrived on scene and Firefighters went to work. Firefighters were able to get control of the fire very quickly after arrival, though extended overhaul operations were needed. The home sustained heavy damage from fire and smoke. No one was home at the time of the fire. The cause is under investigation.

January 2008- The Westford Police received a 911 call at approximately 12:13 AM reporting a possible structure fire at 4 Sandy Beach Road (Forge Village section of town). Police arrived on scene and reported heavy fire and smoke showing. First arriving engine reported a working fire and a 2^nd alarm was called bringing an Engine to the scene from Littleton, and the towns of Carlisle and Tyngsboro covered Westford Fire Stations. Crews were hampered with extreme weather conditions, ice and water supply problems hindered firefighter efforts to extinguish the fire. The home was a two story wood frame cottage that suffered heavy fire damage throughout. Fortunately no one was home at the time of the fire. No cause of the fire has been determined at this time and the fire is currently under investigation by the Westford Fire Department. The Westford Fire Department wishes to thank mutual aid fire departments and especially assistance from the Westford Police, Highway and Water Departments for their support.

January 2008- The WFD received an anonymous telephone call at approximately 9:50 AM for the investigation of a potential oil spill on Town Farm Road. The first arriving unit discovered the presence of oil in Beaver Brook. Further investigation found that an oil spill had occurred at 1 Pleasant Street Yule Development. An undetermined amount of #2 and #4 fuel oil had spilled from the 1 Pleasant Street boiler room. The Westford Fire Department made notification to have the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to respond. Local agencies were also notified of the spill; Board of Health, Water Department, Highway Department, Conservation Department and the Town Manager. Westford Fire personnel donned ice rescue suits to place absorbing booms across Beaver Brook to capture any oil from the spill. A request for special booms (Harbor Booms) was called for from area towns. Lowell, Littleton, Chelmsford and Bedford all responded to the incident to place harbor booms in different locations along Beaver Brook. An outside spill contractor (ENPRO) was called by Yule Development to assist in the clean-up and to mitigate the spill. DEP was extremely thankful for the fast response and spill control from the Westford Fire Department to avoid further environmental damage. The Westford Fire Department left the scene at 3:08 PM (five hours after the incident) as ENPRO is currently active in mitigating.

January 2008- The Fire Department's new Ambulance has arrived. The 2007 LifeLine Ambulance by Specialty Vehicles will be the new frontline emergency ambulance (W10) and the current ambulance, Westford 12, will be the main back-up ambulance. The current back-up ambulance, Westford 11, will be housed at the unmanned Station 3 and used when one of the main ambulances are down for service or routine maintenance. This is the first Ambulance purchased under the Enterprise Account.

December 2007- Firefighters battled a 2 Alarm House Fire on Holly Lane. Firefighters battled the heavy flames in the garage and the finished breezeway between the garage and the house. Homeowners were able to escape the house. Firefighters had to wrestle with heavy snow conditions on the roof of the garage in order to cut a ventilation hole to let extreme heat and smoke from the fire. Firefighters had to deal with heavy fire load including gasoline in the vehicles parked in the garage. Firefighters were able to stop the fire before it entered the main house, however the house did sustain heat and smoke damage. The fire is under investigation.


0	Ice Safety Each winter, many residents are injured from exposure in cold water incidents. Skaters and ice fishermen fall through the ice; boaters and canoeists overturn their crafts. How thick is "safe" ice? Ice on moving water in rivers, streams and brooks is never safe! The thickness of ice on ponds and lakes depends upon water currents or springs, depth and natural objects stuck as tree stumps or rocks. Daily changes in temperature cause the ice to expand and contract, which affects its strength. Because of these factors, no one can declare the ice to be absolutley "safe"! The only "safe" ice is in an arena! What do I do if someone falls through the ice? Act Quickly and call 911 for help immediatley! Make sure properly trained and equipped rescue personnel are alerted to respond. Do Not go out on ice! Many times would be rescuers become victims themselves. Reach, Throw, or Row. Extend a branch, pole or ladder to the victim. Throw them a bouyant object such as a life ring or float tied to a rope. If a boat is nearby row out to the victim or push it toward them.

November 2007- Firefighters from several communities, including Westford were called to assist Ayer, MA Firefighters battle a large 5 Alarm Fire at a lumber yard on Main Street. Westford Tower 1 responded with Firefighters and set up an arial attack along with the Ayer Ladder Truck and Devens Ladder Truck. Firefighters were on scene for several hours bringing the fire under control. Westford also responded Service 2 with their Lighting Unit as well as. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

November 2007- Firefighter/EMTs responded for multiple calls of a bad crash between two vehicles in front of Kimball's Ice Cream on Littleton Road. Westford Rescue Engine 5 and two Westford Fire Ambulances responded. Once on scene, command declared an MCI, which brought in additional rescources, including ambulances from Littleton, Ayer, Groton and Trinity from Chelmsford. Emerson Hospital Advanced Life Support also responded to the scene. The Jaws of Life were used to extricate a person from their vehicle. Eight people total were injured in the crash and were transported to area hospitals.

September 2007- Firefighters recieved a call from State Police of a small private plane that had landed on Route 3 north, unknown if there were any injuries or emergency conditions. Engine 4 from the Oak Hill Road Station and the Ambulance responded. Once Firefighters arrived on scene, they reported no injuries and continued to assist the pilot. The pilot landed on the bridge over Make Peace Road in Westford and taxied into Tyngsboro by the Westford Road Exit. A Tyngsboro Engine was called in to relieve Engine 8 while the plane was towed to a nearby airport.

September 2007- Firefighters responded to a call for smoke in the area on Tenny Road. Firefighters found a brush fire approximatley 40 x 100 and went to work. Command on scene requested an Engine Company from Tyngsboro to assist Fire Crews and a Littleton Engine was called in to cover Fire Headquarters. The fire was completley extinguished by Firefighters. No injuries were reported.

September 2007- Firefighters were called to reports of an accident. Firefighters discovered a vehicle into a bridge abutment with heavy damage. Firefighters were able to make contact with the driver, but needed to use the Jaws of Life to extricate the person from the vehicle due to the heavy damage. The person was then transported to a nearby landing zone where a MedFlight Helicopter was waiting to transport the victim to an advanced Trauma center due to the victim's injuries.

August 2007- A serious accident on 495 left one person critically injured requiring advanced life support and transport by helicopter to a trauma center. Westford Firefighters were called to a serious accident on Route 495. Westford responded with Ambulance 12 and the Rescue. Littleton Fire Dept also responded to the scene. The highway had to be shut down to allow the LifeFlight Helicopter to land safely on the highway. Firefighters/EMTs prepped and loaded the person onto the helicopter before the person was transported to an advanced trauma center. The highway was shut down for approx. one hour.

August 2007- Firefighters responded to reports of smoke in a house in the Graniteville section of town. On arrival, Firefighters found heavy fire in a second floor bedroom with heavy smoke. A 2nd Alarm was quickly struck calling in mutual aid Engines from other towns to the scene of the fire as well as station coverage. Firefighters laid several hand lines to the bedroom and were able to make a quick knock down of the fire, however heavy overhaul was needed. Firefighters also were able to rescue a dog from the blaze. One person was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation. There were no other reported injuries at the morning fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

August 2007- Firefighters battled an intense fire in the attic of a house on Sherwood Drive and prevented the fire from spreading further through the home. Firefighters found heavy smoke pushing from the eaves of the house on arrival and discovered heavy fire in the attic. The fire quickly went to a 2nd Alarm calling in mutual aid engines to the fire and to cover stations. Firefighters were able to knock the fire down quickly, though access was limited. Firefighters needed to cut a hole in the roof to allow hot gases to escape as well as smoke. No one was injured in the daytime blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

May 2007- Firefighters responded to reports of a building fire at Brookside Mills on Brookside Road in Nabnassett. Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire in a backside condo unit above the garage. Firefighters were able to gain access from the outside deck with ladders. It appears the fire started outside on the deck and burned up the side of the building. The heat from the fire broke the window and the fire went inside catching the curtains and wall by the window on fire. A nearby residential fire sprinkler activated and was critical in keeping the fire at a controllable level, allowing Firefighters to make a quick knock down of the fire. The sprinkler helped prevent any further extension of the fire and helped keep the fire contained to the unit. The unit suffered...See Full Story Here

May 2007- Firefighters battled a large brush/wildland fire on Keyes Road. Firefighters faced several difficult challenges right from the start of the fire. The fire was being spread from the intense wind across several acres and was threatening a house at the top of a hill. With an initial response of just the seven Firefighters on Duty, they battled the fire, dealing with several wind changes, engulfing Firefighters in heavy smoke, fire spreading in the trees, and a lack of a sufficient water supply, Firefighters were able to keep the house safe. Firefighters also had to battle this fire on a hill with a 45 degree slope, making it a very exhausting task. Command asked for more help from surrounding communities to help with manpower and tankers to help get the fire under control. Firefighters were able to use...See Full Story Here

May 2007- Firefighters have battled several Brush Fires in Westford already this year, and the season for these types of fires has only begun. Residents are reminded the season to burn yard brush is over and they are no longer allowed to burn brush piles or yard scraps until next year. Residents are also reminded how important it is to dispose of smoking materials properly. Improper disposal can lead to devastating fires and injuries, especially during the dry season. It is staggering how many wildland/brush fires are started by people throwing smoking materials out of...See Full Story Here

May 2007- The Fire Department, in cooperation with the Cameron Senior Center, were able to reach out to our senior residents this month, by replacing Smoke Detector batteries, replace old Smoke Detectors with new Smoke Detectors and provide the residents with new Carbon Monoxide Detectors so they would be in compliance with new State CO laws. The Fire Department was able to purchase the new Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors through a special SAFE Grant from the state.. See Full Story Here

April 2007- The Fire Ops 101 Class, put on by both Westford Firefighters and Billerica Firefighters, was a huge success. The class gave an opportunity for local Town Administrators, Town and State politicians, and Press, including Fox 25 News, to get a small glimpse first hand what a Firefighter's job entails. In order to actually take part in the event, participants had to get cleared by their physicians first, due to the very hands on activities including Motor Vehicle Extrication using various tools including the Jaws of Life, Raising Ladders, Hose Advancement and use, Search and Rescue, and facing an actual live fire in the Flashover Trailer. Participants had to dress in Firefighter's turn out Gear and where air packs most of the day. The weather was perfect for the event and all came away with a better appreciation and understanding of what Firefighters do. Click Photo above for Photo Galleries of the day.