Between June 9 and June 22, the Harvard Fire Department responded to five officer calls, one hazmat spill, one smell of gas, two trees on wires, two brushfires, three car accidents, and one automatic alarm. The department also provided mutual aid to Ayer and Littleton. Lt. Andrew Perry inspected 13 smoke/CO detectors, three oil burner/oil tanks, and three commercial buildings. He also conducted 18 blasting inspections and issued two dumpster permits. Chief Rick Sicard attended the Fire District 8 board of directors meeting, the Nashoba Valley Regional Dispatch District operations board meeting, and the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts monthly meeting. The Harvard muster team participated in and won the Wachusett Muster June 16.
Monday, June 11
A Woodside Road resident reported smelling gas near the road at 10:49 a.m. Lt. Perry checked the area with the hand-held gas meter; all readings were normal. National Grid was notified.
Tuesday, June 12
Six firefighters responded at 9:36 a.m. to a brush fire on Madigan Lane and brought the fire under control. The cause was the improper disposal of fire pit ashes. At 12:11 p.m. five firefighters and two DPW workers were called to Tahanto Trail to assist with a hazmat spill; the driver of a commercial vehicle stopped and called when the driver realized the truck had a broken hydraulic fluid line. Both the Fire Department and DPW helped contain the spill using an absorbent and sand. Firefighters were on scene for two hours. At 2:07 p.m. seven firefighters and Chief Sicard responded to a multivehicle crash on Route 2 westbound, west of Ayer Road. Two occupants of one of the vehicles were taken to the hospital by Harvard and Ayer ambulances. The firefighters contained spilled fluids and provided scene safety.
Wednesday, June 13
The vehicle engineers held their monthly meeting from 7 to 10 p.m at the fire station.
Thursday, June 14
A Warren Avenue homeowner called at 4 a.m. to request help with a sounding alarm. Lt. Bill Barton responded. He cleaned the detector and it began to function normally. At 3:54 p.m. 10 firefighters were called to Stow Road when a car went off the road and hit a tree. The Harvard ambulance was on another call; the Boxborough ambulance took the driver to the hospital.
Saturday, June 16
Lt. Barton was called to a Still River Road address at 3:47 a.m. for a sounding alarm. He found a dirty detector, cleaned it, re-installed it, and it resumed normal function. He was back at the station in an hour. In the afternoon Harvard firefighters participated in the 92nd Wachusett Muster League competition against seven area towns. The Harvard firefighters competed in five events, and the women’s team—consisting of the firefighters’ wives and daughters—competed in a sixth. The Harvard team’s average over the day put it in first place.
Sunday, June 17
At 2:47 p.m. a residential fire in Ayer went to five alarms; Harvard and several other towns provided mutual aid. Four firefighters went to Ayer and four waited at the station. At 5:10 p.m. an off-duty firefighter driving on Route 2 saw smoke in the vicinity of Still River and called it in. Three of the four firefighters waiting at the station responded. They drove Depot Road to Prospect Hill Road to Still River Road but saw no signs of fire. Just as they reached Still River Depot Road, Nashoba Valley Regional Dispatch notified the department that there was a brush fire on the South Post of Fort Devens. The three firefighters returned to the station. The four firefighters providing mutual aid in Ayer returned around 7 p.m.
Monday, June 18
At 7:09 p.m. a Warren Avenue resident called to report that power was out and there was a tree on the wires. Seven firefighters responded; seven others waited at the station. The firefighters closed the road and stood by until National Grid arrived. At 11:07 p.m. another Warren Avenue resident called to request help with three beeping smoke/CO detectors. Lt. Greg Harrod responded and helped the homeowner replace the batteries in the units.
Tuesday, June 19
At 12:29 a.m. the department was asked to provide mutual aid for a house fire in Littleton. Four firefighters went to Littleton, where they helped with finding hotspots; two firefighters waited at the station. At 1:55 a.m. a Warren Avenue homeowner called to request help with beeping smoke detectors. The two firefighters at the station responded. They discovered the power was out at the Warren Avenue home and the detectors were not working. The firefighters removed the detectors; the homeowner was told to replace the units. All firefighters were back at the station at 3 a.m.
Wednesday, June 20
Four firefighters and Chief Sicard responded to a two-car crash on Ayer Road at 4:58 p.m. Four people refused ambulance transport to the hospital. The firefighters cleaned up debris from the crash; both cars were towed. Fourteen firefighters, the chief, and one recruit attended Wednesday night training. The training officers set up three locations and divided the firefighters into three groups that rotated among the locations. At one site they worked with ladders, at another with hose lines, and at the third they practiced evaluating a scene upon arrival.
Thursday, June 21
At 8:36 a.m. the department was alerted to a ringing detector on Still River Depot Road. Deputy Chief Charlie Nigzus and Lt. Tony Shaw responded directly to the residence while eight other firefighters assembled at the station. Nigzus and Shaw found a defective detector, which they disabled; they called the station and told the other firefighters not to come. An automatic alarm came in later that morning from a Depot Road residence; five firefighters and the chief responded. The firefighters found a detector with bad batteries; they instructed the homeowner to replace all the batteries in the home’s detectors. And at 8:45 p.m. a West Bare Hill Road homeowner called to report an arcing wire on the ground. Lt. Harrod responded and secured the scene; National Grid arrived soon afterward.
Fire Department Factoid
Chief Sicard reminds residents, “Fireworks are illegal in the state of Massachusetts. Please enjoy them as a spectator only.”
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