Beverly Fire Department

Fuel Spill

An unknown amount of heating fuel was spilled over the roads after a tank on a trailer began leaking its contents while the operator of the vehicle towing the trailer drove down route 128. State Police stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of 5 Dodge St.

The crew of Engine 5 found the vehicle and trailer in the parking lot opposite their station and immediately began to use an absorbent material to try to corral the fuel leaking from a 275 gallon home heating fuel tank. Public Services and Mass Highway also responded and spread sand across Dodge St which was made slippery by the spilled fuel.

The fuel leak occurred when the partially filled tank on top of the load shifted in transport. The shift caused the bottom of the tank to contact another object in the trailer shearing off a valve that was holding the fuel in the tank.

It was clear that the leak was severe, but no exact amount could be determined due to the extent of the fuel spill area which continued from route 128 down Dodge St onto Longmeadow Rd. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was notified and the operator of the vehicle called ENPRO Environmental Services to come clean up the mess.

It did not appear that the fuel had entered any storm drains in the area where the vehicle stopped.

Firefighter Graduates 12 Week Recruit Program

Firefighter William Moran graduated the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Recruit Program on Friday, June 20. Firefighter Moran joined the Beverly Fire Department in September of 2007, underwent a two week orientation and was assigned to a group before the slot in the class opened up.

Throughout the 12 weeks firefighters are taught everything from how to don their turnout gear to how to rappel in order to make a high angle rescue. The program is as challenging as it is informative. Firefighter Moran returned to his shift as of Monday. Firefighter Albert Petronzio Jr will begin the program July 7.

6/16/08
Chief Pierce given “Above and Beyond” Award

The Beverly Fire Department is proud to have in its employment several firefighters that also serve their country in the military. In turn, Firefighter Matthew Kowalski nominated Chief Richard Pierce for the an award through the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

There are currently 7 Firefighters that have deployed to foreign lands in support of military operations since 2001 alone. Many other firefighters served the country and deployed in support of other military operations before 2001. Each time a Guard or Reservist is deployed they need reassurance that they will be able to come back to the same job they left upon their return from active duty and that any need that arise while they are away will be taken care of. This network of support is essential for the morale of the deployed troop as well as the family members that are left at home.

Chief Pierce also wanted to commend Veterans Agent Jerry Guiebbe Jr who works tirelessly to ensure that all of the veterans in the city get the information and supplies they need. “From care packages, to email’s about benefits that shouldn’t be missed, Jerry is always on top of Veterans needs” said Pierce.

The EGSR is a Department of Defense organization that ensures that cooperation and conflict resolution between reservists and their employers. Chief Pierce and the Beverly Fire Department signed on as partners with ESGR in 2007.

Firefighters made short work of a fire in the engine compartment of a 2002 Ram 2500 on Sunday, June 8. Engine 4 was dispatched to 27 Odell Ave at 1715 for the report of a van on fire. Upon arrival the crew found smoke and fire confined to the area of the engine compartment. Firefighters used a dry chemical extinguisher to knock down the fire before it had time to extend further into the vehicle.

The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature.

Early Wednesday morning group 3 was dispatched for a motor vehicle accident on Brimbal Ave  opposite Herrick St Extension. Upon arrival crews found that a Jeep had come down Herrick St, gone across Brimbal Ave and up the hill on the opposite side of the street. The jeep narrowly missed a very “busy” telephone pole, but wound up resting on the guy wires running from the pole down to the hill. Removal of the vehicle proved to be the tricky part of the operation requiring a tow truck at the top of the hill and another at the bottom. Firefighters had to cut down small trees at the bottom of the hill in order to facilitate removal.

In all crews were tied up at the scene from 0132 until 0258.

Agencies Work Together to Educate Kids

As emergency workers descended upon the scene of a two vehicle accident with serious injuries, Seniors at Beverly High School were given the opportunity to witness tragedy in order to prevent it. They watched two of their classmates die and several others struggle for life as firefighters and EMT’s cut their car apart in a desperate effort to free them. Fortunately, this time it was just a mock crash intended to get out a message.

“The scene is typical for a significant accident. We try to make it as lifelike as possible without getting anyone hurt” said Deputy Chief Paul Cotter. All vehicles are strategically placed by New Beverly Auto who also makes the cars safe for students to be in while firefighters are working by removing all of the vehicle glass and fluids. While fire crews went to work on the car prying off doors, cutting off the roof Paramedics and EMT’s from Northeast Regional Ambulance work inside and outside the car to stabilize the critically injured until they can be safely removed from the scene.

All the while Seniors sit across from the scene watching, some chuckle while others cry. All of them get the message as two of the victims are pulled from the cars and placed on the hot top with sheets over them. They represent two of their classmates that won’t have a chance to graduate, go to college, get married or have kids. Lives cut short as the result of a single moment’s error in judgment, an error that will haunt a network of families and friends for years to follow.

While the scenario is playing out, statistics from the State Department of Public Health and Executive Office of Public Safety were read.

Agencies involved were the School Department and Student Groups, Beverly Police, Fire and Emergency Management, North East Regional Ambulance, Campells and Grondin Funeral Homes, New Beverly Auto.

Statistics

·         430 people died in Massachusetts crashes in 2006

·         Approximately 57% of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes in Massachusetts were unrestrained.

·         Young drivers were at highest risk for fatal motor vehicle crashes.   Drivers 20-24 years old had the highest rates of motor vehicle traffic deaths, followed by teenagers 15 - 19 years old.   Adults 75 and over had the third highest rate of motor vehicle traffic deaths.  Motor vehicle crashes killed more young adults ages 15-24 than any other injury.

·         Men in Massachusetts are 2 times more likely to die from motor vehicle injuries than are women. 

·         nearly 90,000 Massachusetts residents in 2005 required hospital in-patient and emergency department treatment for injuries related to motor vehicle crashes (including occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists

·         53% were not wearing seatbelts

·         40% (174) were alcohol related

·         34% (148) were speed related

·         21% (91) occurred at intersections

·         14% (61) were pedestrians

·         12% (50) were motorcycle riders

·         1% (6) were bicycle riders

Traumatic Brain Injury

·         In 2005, the estimated total economic cost to Massachusetts for motor vehicle crashes was over $6.4 billion. This figure only accounts for acute medical care and does not include rehabilitation costs.

·         From 1995 to 2005, 38% of Traumatic Brain Injury deaths were to young adults 15 -24 years old.

·         Motor vehicle injuries to occupants were the third leading cause of traumatic brain injury death in Massachusetts between 1995 and 2005.

·         In FY 2005, motor vehicle injuries to occupants accounted for more than a quarter of all Traumatic Brain Injury hospitalizations.

Heavy drinking is especially dangerous for teenagers, whose brains are still developing, and alcohol-related damage incurred at a young age can have long-term effects. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25. This information serves as a wakeup call to parents, physicians, elected officials, law enforcement officials, purveyors of alcohol – including the alcohol industry – and teens themselves. Many people believe that underage drinking is an inevitable “rite of passage” that adolescents can easily recover from because their bodies are more resilient, but the opposite is true.