Between March 30 and April 12 the Harvard Fire Department responded to three illegal burns and three car fires. Lt. Andrew Perry conducted nine inspections.
Sunday, March 30
Lt. Justin Warren and firefighter Rob Williams trained seven recruits on air packs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Seven firefighters and two recruits responded to a report of a car fire on Ayer Road at 6:37 p.m. The owner extinguished it.
Sunday, March 31
At 8:57 a.m. Lt. Bill Barton went to a Bolton Road residence to check on an illegal burn. Open burn fires cannot be started until 10 a.m. Barton advised the resident of the rules and assisted him in getting a permit online.
Monday, April 1
Nine firefighters, Chief Rick Sicard, and four recruits responded to a car fire on Route 2 westbound west of Ayer Road at 3:25 p.m. Chief Sicard was first on scene. The fire was in the trunk of the car; the trunk would not open. The chief removed a tail light and sprayed fire extinguisher foam through the opening. When additional firefighters arrived they were able to pry open the trunk and confirm the fire was out.
Tuesday, April 2
Harvard Fire Department was dispatched at 8:43 a.m. to a vehicle fire on Route 2 westbound, east of Ayer Road. Seven firefighters and three recruits assembled at the station, but before they left, Littleton Fire Department radioed that there was no fire.
Wednesday, April 3
Chief Sicard responded to a 2:26 p.m. call that reported arcing wires on Ayer Road. When he arrived he found a demolition crew taking down a house, but the power was still on to the building. The chief called the building inspector to check on the demolition permit and discovered that National Grid had not signed off on the permit. Work was halted for the day.
Thursday, April 4
Lt. Perry answered a 10:27 a.m. report of someone burning on Woodchuck Hill Road. Thursday was a “red flag” day; no open burning was allowed. Perry found contractors burning construction material in a barrel without a water source. Perry called for a full response and was joined by three firefighters with the forestry truck. The firefighters extinguished the fire and gave the contractors a verbal warning.
Friday, April 5
Chief Sicard and Lt. Perry repaired the pulley on the flagpole at the Public Safety Building using Tower 1. Chief Sicard responded to a 3:46 p.m. report of a possible burning violation on East Bare Hill Road. Sicard found no violations and saw that the homeowner was putting out the fire before the 4 p.m. deadline.
Saturday, April 6
Seventeen firefighters, Chief Sicard, and five recruits spent the day training on forcibly gaining access to a house. At 9:55 a.m. three firefighters assisted a Glenview Drive resident. A hot water pipe had separated and water had collected in the basement. The firefighters pumped out most of the water. The homeowner had shut off all water to the house; the firefighters were able to isolate the problem pipe and shut it off. At 4:22 p.m 12 firefighters and two recruits responded to a reported smell of burning plastic in an Ayer Road business. They checked the building with the hand-held gas meter and the thermal imaging camera; all readings were normal. At 5:25 p.m. Lt. Barton went to a Bolton Road residence to check on an after-hours burn. Barton helped the homeowner extinguish the fire.
Sunday, April 7
Lt. Barton responded to an 8:40 p.m. call from a West Bare Hill Road residence about a sounding CO detector. Barton metered the home; all readings were normal. He helped the owner replace the batteries.
Monday, April 8
The department received a report at 7:08 a.m. that a transformer on Stow Road was on fire. Lt. Barton went directly to the scene; five firefighters and two recruits assembled at the station. Barton found a branch on the wire but no fire. National Grid was notified. Chief Sicard attended an all-day course on “Homemade explosives and post-blast training for first responders” at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow.
Tuesday, April 9
Lt. Perry responded to a reported sulfur smell at a Cameron Road home at 3:04 p.m. The thermal imaging camera revealed an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that was warmer than normal. Perry moved the UPS outdoors and advised the homeowner to replace it. At 6:46 p.m. three firefighters and two recruits responded to an automatic alarm from a Still River Depot Road home. The alarm triggered while the residents were cooking dinner.
Wednesday, April 10
The seven firefighters who serve as engineers of the department’s vehicles met from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Lt. Warren and Lt. Perry trained six recruits on how to handle fire hose at the same time.
Fire Department Factoid
The winners of the Hildreth Elementary School/Fire Department 2018 Home Escape Plan Contest have been announced! The two winners from each of the first, second, and third grades will have breakfast with their families at the fire station on April 25 and then will be driven to school in a fire engine. The teacher trophy this year goes to second-grade teacher Cindy Steeves, who also won in 2017.
The Fire Department Log is written every other week by a Harvard Press reporter based on information gleaned from daily logs and interviews with a department firefighter.
