Between March 31 and April 13 the Harvard Fire Department responded to one car crash, two automatic alarms, three officer calls, three reports of smoke, two possible structure fires, one unpermitted burn, one incident of wires down, and two medical assists. Lt. Andrew Perry inspected one oil burner system, one residential sprinkler, and seven smoke/CO alarms.
Saturday, March 31
A chirping detector called Lt. Greg Harrod to an Ayer Road residence at 11:15 a.m. He checked the house with the department’s gas meter. All readings were normal, and he replaced the batteries in the detector.
Monday, April 2: Firefighter Justin Warren trained one recruit on the self-contained breathing apparatus and the tools carried on the engines. At 7 p.m. Lt. Bill Barton responded to a report of smoke in the area of Littleton County Road. He found a cooking fire; the owner extinguished the fire.
Tuesday, April 3
Boxborough police called about heavy smoke coming from the chimney of an Eldridge Road house at 1 a.m. Six firefighters and one recruit responded. They inspected the three wood stoves in the home; the homeowner reported that all chimneys had been serviced in the past year. No assistance was required.
Wednesday, April 4
Seventeen firefighters and three recruits attended the department meeting and training. They learned about a new hose nozzle and friction loss, that is, how much pressure is lost in each 100 feet of hose, depending on hose diameter and change in elevation.
Thursday, April 5
Lt. Barton was called to Warren Avenue at 2:30 a.m. by the Police Department when a tree snapped, resulting in downed wires and a small fire. Barton waited on scene for National Grid to arrive. The fire self-extinguished, and a police officer relieved Barton at 4:30 a.m. Chief Rick Sicard met with the new director of the Nashoba Valley Regional Dispatch District to explain the alarm system in all of Harvard’s public buildings. At 3:35 p.m. seven firefighters assisted the ambulance crew at a medical call on Route 2 eastbound between Jackson and Ayer roads. Two firefighters trained two recruits on personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, and search and rescue.
Friday, April 6
One fire officer and one recruit provided a lift assist to a Deerfoot Trail resident at 3 a.m.
Saturday, April 7
The department conducted a live fire training from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (see the April 6 Harvard Press); four Littleton firefighters covered the station. At 9:02 a.m. the Littleton crew went to an unpermitted burn on Littleton Road; the fire was extinguished. At 9:23 a.m. they responded to an automatic alarm at an Old Littleton Road residence. The alarm was triggered by burned food; no help was needed. And at 10:34 a.m. they assisted at the Fellowship Building when a car hit the building. The Harvard building inspector was not available to check for structural damage; the Littleton building inspector was called. At 6:06 p.m. 11 Harvard firefighters and one recruit responded to a single-car accident on Route 2 westbound, west of Ayer Road. The Harvard ambulance took one person to the hospital. At 7:27 p.m. seven firefighters and one recruit returned to Woodside Road, where the training fire had rekindled. An additional 4,000 gallons of water was put on the site while Lt. Harrod used an excavator to move the ash.
Sunday, April 8
At 9 a.m. Lt. Barton assisted a Blanchard Road resident accidentally locked out of the house.
Monday, April 9
Lt. Perry responded at 10:10 a.m. to a report of smoke in the area of West Bare Hill Road. Ultimately he found a Tahanto Trail homeowner who had forgotten to activate his permit burning a brush pile. At 1:13 p.m. four firefighters were called to Fruitlands Museum by an automatic alarm triggered by a low battery. They found the maintenance team on site resetting the alarm.
Tuesday, April 10
At 4 p.m. firefighter Warren conducted driver training for firefighter Andrew Miller on Engine 2. A Trail Ridge Way resident called at 11:36 p.m. and reported a problem with a detector. Lt. Tony Shaw responded; he recommended that the homeowner call an electrician.
Wednesday, April 11
Chief Sicard spent the morning in Leominster at the monthly meeting of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts. Firefighter Ian Sears conducted driver training for firefighter Warren on Tower 1 for two hours. The eight firefighters who also serve as engineers of the department’s vehicles met from 7 to 10 p.m., performed regular maintenance, and got the department’s rescue boat operational.
Friday, April 13
At 11:13 a.m. four firefighters responded to a report of smoke in the area of Still River Road. They found a permitted fire; no further assistance was needed
Fire Department Factoid
Still River station, located in Still River village, houses Engine 3, which is the reserve engine, and “Antiquee,” the town’s original Engine 1, which is always driven in the Fourth of July parade.
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