Belmont Fire Log: Just Add a Little Stove Top Grease While Cooking

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‘Nuff said.
Jan. 11 – At 10:11 a.m., fire units were sent to a Common Streeet house for an outdoor water leak. Turned out, as the official fire log reported, the problem was due to a “frozen outside cock.”
It was Sunday
Jan. 11 – Just before half past 11 a.m., members of a Belmont church’s congregation asked Belmont Rescue and Engine 1 to check on a fellow member who didn’t show up for services. Firefighters discovered the congregate had simply overslept.
Second-hand smoke alarm
Jan. 15 – Seconds before high noon, Engine 1 and Ladder 1 were sent to a business on Common Street in Cushing Square due to a fire alarm having gone off. Turns out an employee of a neighboring business had overheated his lunch in the microwave. The smoke circulated through the air vent and activated the smoke detector in the store next door.
Just add a little stove top grease
Jan. 15 – At three minutes past 5 p.m., fire crews were dispatched to Gordon Terrace for a reported kitchen fire. And it was just that; a stove top accident confined to the pot. Engine 1 disconnected power to the stove and it was red tagged for service. A possible piece of evidence: fire fighters noted a long-term, heavy buildup of grease around the top and sides of the stove. In addition, the Belmont Housing Authority was informed that the apartment’s fire alarm was not working. But the occupant said it was beeping away but she ventilated the area which caused the alarm to stop.

Fire Heavily Damages Two Family on Russell Terrace, Occupant Taken to Hospital

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A two-alarm fire heavily damaged a 105-year-old two-family house at the end of Russell Terrace, sending an elderly occupant to the hospital this afternoon, Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Flames and smoke were billowing from the first and second floor windows of the wooden Colonial when the first fire crews arrived at the dead end street off of White Street near the Watertown line, Belmont Fire Chief David L. Frizzell told the Belmontonian at the scene.

The call came into Belmont dispatch at 12:06 p.m. and was quickly upgraded to a second alarm, said Frizzell.

A haze hung over a blocked off White Street as firefighters worked inside the building to douse flames that worked their way into the awes. The exterior was blackened by the blaze.

A Russell Terrace resident who did not want to be named said her husband saw smoke coming from the second floor window just after noon.

“He yelled at me to call 911. I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack running to the phone,” she said.

Frizzell and the resident told the Belmontonian an elderly occupant was seen exiting the building’s rear extension as the fire department apparatus arrived. The man was picked up by a fire fighter and placed into an ambulance and was taken to an unknown area hospital.

It took firefighters an hour to knock down the fire which destroyed the front right of the building and melted the aluminum siding of the neighboring house.

Frizzell said it was too early to determine what started the fire. He said while heavily damaged, about two-thirds of the structure did not suffer fire damage so it would not immediately be seen as a total loss.

Mutual aid came from Watertown, Cambridge, Arlington, Waltham and Weston.

The 2,228 sq.-ft. house, built in 1910, was assessed at $142,000 with the total property valued by the town at $430,000. 

Belmont Fire Log: I’m Locking You Out, Mom

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Where is this arc?

Jan. 4 – About an hour after midnight, Engine 2 was sent to Knox Street to investigate what was reported to be outside wires arcing. Firefighters were told by a homeowner that she saw a flash and heard popping sounds which she believed came from a street light across from her home. One neighbor reported hearing popping sounds coming from the area of Lamoine and Bellington. Belmont Light respond to the scene but couldn’t find such event.

Read the recipe

Jan. 4 – Just after 7 a.m., fire crews were off to McLean Hospital’s Admissions building for a reported cooking fire. Turned out to be a microwave set on the incorrect cooking time.

The need for private time

Jan. 4 – At a quarter ’til 2 p.m., fire department personnel were sent to a Watson Road house to “rescue” a young child who somehow locked himself in the family’s bathroom. Rather than simply kicking the door in, fire crews removed the pins on the outside of the door and extricated the mischevious toddler.

On the side

Jan 5 –  Just before 8 p.m., fire companies arrived at a house on Skahan Road to remove some aluminum siding from the structure’s roof line which had come loose in the high winds buffering the area.

Get out the mop

Jan. 7 – At about a quarter ’til 10 a.m., fire personnel were directed to a house on Hull Street for water in the basement. The culprit; a broken hose to the washing machine. Unfortunately, the amount of water was too low for the fire department’s pumps to be of any use. Turns out the homeowner was going to handle that job.

Locked out, part 1

Jan. 8 – At a quarter past 10 a.m., a fire department crew were sent to a Bartlett Avenue two family. Someone forgot their keys. Turned out that everything at the house – windows, basement doors – was locked and the woman didn’t want to risk any damage to the landlord’s house. So the BPD drove the woman over to McLean Hospital to meet her husband who had an extra set of keys.

Locked out, part 2

Jan. 8 – At 10:45 a.m., the department drove over to Elm Street where they found a woman who left her keys in the truck. As personnel were about to “pop” the entry, the woman’s husband comes along with his set of keys.

Up through the chimney

Jan. 8 – At just about 3 p.m., fire crews rushed over to a Birch Street house after heavy smoke appeared from the chimney. Turned out that the flue pipe had a bit of creosote buildup, at which time the fire department asked it to be cleaned before using again.

A personal note

On Jan. 5 at at 8:42 a.m., the editor of the Belmontonian was running very late and was about to leave his abode on Unity Avenue when the alarms started blaring. “Get out of the building. Fire” A quick look into the basement found black smoke coming from a boiler. A call to 911 was redirected to the Belmont dispatcher and the fire department arrived quickly afterwards. The crew found that it was only a boiler malfunction with the fire confined. The blew out the smoke and made sure everything was OK. I’d like to thank the Belmont Fire and Police departments for their professional manner and response.

Show of Support: Saturday’s Rally Thanks Belmont Police

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Photo: Participants at Saturday’s rally in support of the Belmont Police Department. 

Despite a brilliant, cloudless day, the sun’s warmth was wanting Saturday, Jan. 10 as winter’s deep freeze arrived in Belmont.

The frigid conditions did not stop between 30 to 40 residents from rallying across Concord Avenue from the Belmont Police Stations at Town Hall to show and voice their support for the town’s law enforcement officers.

With signs proclaiming “Thank You,” “We Support Our Belmont Police” and “My Dad, My Hero,” the participants waved to vehicles passing along Concord Avenue just past noon, receiving honks and thumbs up from the motorists.

Thirteen-year-old Conner Shea was with his mother “supporting my dad” who is a Belmont Police officer. Karen Davison said, “all lives matter, including the police.”

For Belmont’s Lynne Mailhot, whose husband is a BPD sergeant, the few hours in the cold holding signs of support was worth the discomfort to show local law enforcement that their work is not being forgotten.

“With all the negative news directed at cops, we just want to come out to show that we support them,” said Mailhot, who helped organize the rally with fellow Belmont resident Kathleen Cowing whose husband is also on the force.

The rally comes after several high-profile incidents in which unarmed African-American men died during confrontations with law enforcement sparking a wave of protests and civil actions across the country – including in Belmont – for the past several months directed towards police and the justice system.

“They need a morale boost because the public perception of the police is not very good at the moment,” said Mailhot, who added Saturday’s action was not a counter-demonstration to those who have an opposing view.

“We just feel that our voices should also be heard,” she said.

Mailhot said Saturday’s gathering was proposed after about a dozen Belmont officers attended the funerals for New York City Police Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, who were shot on Dec. 20.

“It was really hard going to the services. You can imagine how much it hurt because they belong to this brotherhood,” Mailhot said.

Joan Seaver said unlike the work most people do for a living; the police live with an uncertainty that few would want to take on.

“A lot of us go to work in front of a computer with financial spreadsheets. These men and women don’t know if they are coming home at the end of their shift,” she said, saying that more police officers have been killed on duty in 2014 than in the previous decade.

For Mailhot, the rally was one way for those who support the police “can be more visible to the public.”

“And for those guys in the building in front of us.”

 

Belmont Joining Smart 911 Network

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Many Belmont residents own smartphones. Smart watches are just around the corner.

And beginning in the next few weeks, Smart 911 will be available to every Belmont resident.

That’s the word from Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin after he presented what was an upgrade to the town’s existing 911 system to the Belmont Board of Selectmen at its Monday, Jan. 5 meeting.

“We want to get as many people as possible onto the system,” said McLaughlin, calling it “an enhancement to community policing.”

Smart911 – currently being used by the Massachusetts State Police, in Watertown, Medford, Chelsea and Stoughton and on the campuses of Boston College and MIT – allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they wish first responders to have in the event of an emergency.

“It is all voluntary; residents can provide as much or as little information to the system,” said McLaughlin, adding the profile is secured, and password protected. The company – Rave Mobile Safety of Framingham – also verifies the information every six months to keep it up-to-date.

When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is displayed to one of the two Belmont dispatchers located at the Police headquarters on Common Street, allowing them to send the appropriate response teams with the right information for those making the call.

“Right now, we only have the phone number and address. We don’t know what to expect,” said McLaughlin.

Police, fire and EMTs can be aware of a greater amount of information that is not known under the current system: fire crews can arrive at a house fire knowing how many people live in the home and the location of bedrooms including children’s rooms, EMS can be advised of allergies or specific medical conditions and police can have the photo of a missing child in seconds rather than minutes or hours.

McLaughlin said that the system can include all phones used at the location including cell phones, emergency contacts, vehicle identification and even the number of pets.

The chief said an added benefit is the personal information is “portable” which allows it to be used in other communities served by Smart911.

“Let’s say you are in Orlando [Florida] and need to contact 911, [the dispatchers] there will have the callers information because the caller is using a cell phone that is linked to the system,” said McLaughlin.

Outstanding restraining or protection orders can not be placed into the system by residents, said McLaughlin, indicating that local police are informed of those court-issued judgements.

The Smart911 system costs $9,000 annually – $4,500 for each dispatcher – with a three-year contract. The town will begin promoting Smart911 through its website and through social media in the upcoming weeks.

The Selectmen gave their support for the town to join Smart911.

“This is exciting for our community,” said Chair Andy Rojas.

Belmont Fire Log: Toddler and Cooking Lunch Inside, Parent Locked Outside

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Gas, on and off

Dec. 1 – At half past 4 p.m., Engine 2 and Ladder 1 headed over the Belmont Public Library on Concord Avenue for a reported odor of gas in the building. Engine 2 investigated and found a slight odor but not of natural gas. A library representative told the crew the odor has occurred in past and dissipated by itself. What the firefighters did find was excessive stored material around the boiler. It will be corrected, said the library rep.

“Not Dishwasher Safe”

Dec. 1 – At a quarter ’til 11 p.m., Engine 1 was sent to a house on School Street to investigate this “odor” in the kitchen. The discovered the source of the smell: some plastic dining ware which was placed in the dishwasher melted during the drying setting.

Dig Unsafe

Dec. 2 – Barely a minute past 10 a.m., Engine 1 was dispatched to a single-family house on Glenn Road for a “gas emergency.” Turns out some yard workers dug a bit too deep and cut the gas main into the home. The gas utility was called and shut down the main service to the house. Engine 1 reported normal readings for carbon dioxide throughout the abode. After the search, the gas company told the firefighters they would handle it.

Toddler and lunch from the outside looking in

Dec. 3 – At 8:24 a.m., Engine 2 took off to a single-family house on Colby Street where a two-year-old was locked inside the building. He was not just trapped, the oven was also on and there was food cooking on the stove top. Mom allowed the crew from Engine 2 to take their 24-foot ground ladder and force entry through the second-floor window. Sure, there was some minor damage the the window, sash and locking mechanism but they freed the toddler before any thing serious could have happened.

No dessert for someone

Dec. 6 – At half-past 6 p.m., a fire alarm was pulled at a restaurant in Belmont Center. Engine 2 and Ladder 1 got there in no time, only to discover a very young customer was the puller. Bon appetite.

Belmont Fire Log: Sleep-Deprived Tenant Speaks His Mind to Firefighter

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The illustration is a detail from a larger piece called “Sleep Deprivation” by a great young artist Adam Murphy.

Cooking too long

Nov. 23 – At half past noon, fire companies from headquarters were dispatched to a large brick apartment building on Trapelo Road in Cushing Square after smoke was reported in a 6th-floor unit. The crew from Engine 1 broke down the door and discovered that someone left their cooking unattended. The place was ventilated.

Out of date detector 

Nov. 23 – Just about 25 minutes after the incident on Trapelo, fire units were sent to School Street for a possible gas leak. Sure enough, the alarm was buzzing away but there was no odor of gas. A firefighter from the Ladder truck discovered the device was manufactured in 2000. Turns out the average life span for that device is roughly five to seven years. The home owner was advised to replace the carbon monoxide detector.

Nothing to learn here

Nov. 24 – At 20 minutes until 6 p.m.,  Engine 1 and the Ladder truck took off to a private school on Lexington Street to investigate, what else, the reported inside odor of natural gas. Along with National Grid personnel, the crews reported normal readings throughout the building.
Sleep-deprived tenant speaks his mind

Nov. 24 – Just after 11 p.m., crews were sent to investigate an automated alarm at a building on Trapelo Road in Central Square (the area at the corner of Beech Street) with a business on the ground floor and apartments on the second. Each floor has its own fire alarm system. So this is what happened: a tenant on the second floor was hearing this slight buzzing sound coming from a building alarm horn on his floor but which was connected to the ground-floor system. It’s 11 p.m. and since he had no way of stopping the damned-thing buzzing, he pro-actively removed the horn from the wall which then set off the fire alarm panel on the first floor and hence the alarm to the fire department. While firefighters told the tenant tampering with a fire alarm system is not permitted, the tenant gave them a piece of his mind (after putting back the horn).

“I attempted to educate the tenant on the dangers of tampering with a fire alarm system but the tenant felt that I was being unreasonable,” read the report.

The owner of the building was called and made aware of the situation and assured us an electrician would be called in the morning to evaluate system.

“Now where did I leave my keys?”

Nov. 26 – A bit after 1:30 p.m., firefighters were sent to Slade Street to get a person back into their house after they locked themselves out.

What does this say about the tenant’s cooking?

Nov. 28 (Black Friday) – At a quarter ’til 5 p.m., Belmont Fire companies and Watertown Engine 2 were sent to a reported kitchen fire in a two-family on Grove Street. The apartment dweller said she set the oven on self-cleaning (it was the day after Thanksgiving) when it began to smoke. The electrical and gas services leading to the oven were shut down and the kitchen was ventilated by use of a smoke ejector. While they were there, firefighters noticed that the smoke detectors on the first floor were covered over with plastic. The tenants told the crews the detectors would sound each time they would cook a meal and they covered them to prevent a false alarm. The commander at the scene informed them of the dangers of covering the detectors and not to do so in the future. The landlord said he would replace the oven and add another detector to the first floor back hallway.

Belmont Fire: Don’t Get Burned on Thanksgiving

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Several times in the past month, Belmont Fire Department crews have been sent to homes to put out smokey fires that started from a homeowner who took their eyes off the stovetop or oven as they prepared a meal. Nationwide, cooking caused 43 percent of reported home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

On Thanksgiving, a cooking fire is three times more likely to occur than on any other day of the year

“Most fires on Thanksgiving occur between noon and 4 p.m.; the peak cooking hours,” says Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell.

“A lot of those fires can be easily avoided by staying alert and in the kitchen while cooking,” he said.

Here are some common sense take aways about Thanksgiving Day fires:

  • Many home cooking fires are caused by unattended equipment, abandoned material, a heat source left too close to flammable materials, product misuse and cooking equipment that is not properly turned off.
  • The use of turkey fryers – which use a large amount of cooking oil at high temperatures – also poses a significant danger and can lead to devastating burns, other injuries and the destruction of property.
  • If you have a cooking fire, go outside and call 9-1-1 for help. Do not try to fight the fire yourself.
  • Thanksgiving is also a high time for cooking related burns. To prevent scalds and burns, cook on back burners and make sure all pot handles are turned inward so children don’t come into contact with them. Appliances that get hot, such as toaster ovens, should also be well out of a child’s reach. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drinks are prepared or carried.

Belmont Fire Log: A Pair of Incidents Where You Could Have Used Too Many Cooks

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Not on the menu
Nov. 10 – A few minutes past 5 p.m., workers at a restaurant on Belmont Street called the Fire Department for a little bit of assistance; the water pump in the establishment’s basement shut down causing sewage to back up in the eatery. The owner told fire personnel he had a similar issue with the pumps in the past. Lucky for everyone, there was no water “or other associated issues” in the basement as the town’s Highway Division of the DPW was called to respond.
Up in smoke
Nov. 12 – A few minutes after 11 a.m., Engine 1 and Ladder 1 took off towards Lexington and Trapelo for a reported motor vehicle fire. Once they arrived, fire crews found a hot and smoldering vehicle owned by the company doing the paving work along Trapelo. Luckily, the driver and passengers go out of the vehicle on their own and a member of the police force extinguished the fire prior to the BFD’s arrival. Engine 1 personnel used a water extinguisher to cool off the remaining hot spots in the engine compartment and under the dashboard.

No burning around the house

Nov. 14 – A bit past 8 a.m., Engine 1 was sent to a Moraine Street house for a reported fire against the building. The crew discovered a contractor burning wood in a barrel. He was told to put it out.

Very, very, very well done

Nov. 15 – A quarter past 6 p.m., the entire Belmont Fire company was sent to an apartment building at the corner of Trapelo and Mill Street for a reported smoke and possible fire. There was, in fact, a fire but it was restricted to a tenant’s failed attempt to cook dinner.

A neighborly gesture

Nov. 15 – At half past 7 p.m., a fire crew was sent to a house on Walnut Street after the homeowner locked themselves out. Happily, a neighbor had a second set of keys so there was no need to climb ladders or break a window.

Almost famous last words: “Let’s go out to eat instead”

Nov. 15 – At a quarter ’til 9 p.m., all companies were dispatched to a two-family on Lewis Road after a call came in of smoke in the structure. Sure enough, the Engine 1 crew found heavy smoke on the first floor with several alarms sounding. Knocking in the front door, they quickly located the smokey source; the remanent of a dinner on the stovetop. Apparently, someone forgot the first rule of cooking; remember that you’re cooking something. The stovetop was shut down, the burnt pots removed from the building and Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 ventilated the place with two big exhaust fans. Then guess who showed up? Our forgetful tenant! Tom was told to notify the landlord about that broken front door.

Belmont Fire Log: Ambulance Crew Losing Patience With Runaway Patient

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Just a bit of deadly gas; nothing to worry about

Oct. 19 – Just before 8 p.m., Engine 2 took off to a Stone Road house to investigate why the carbon monoxide detector was blaring. The owner said his gas stove burners and oven would “periodically” malfunction releasing gas into the house. “This is the first time the alarm went off,” he said. The firefighters quickly shut off the stove and the heating system. The gas company shut off the main gas supply to the house as well as the air handling unit. Heating unit and stove were red tagged for service, and the homeowner was informed of the process.

Losing patience with runaway patient

Oct. 19 – At 20 minutes past 6 p.m, the Advance Life Savings ambulance was sent to Park Road for a medical emergency. But once there, they couldn’t find the patient! The person who called 911 said her boyfriend did not feel well, but did not want her to call 911. Apparently the “possible patient” fled the scene when his friend called 911. Belmont Police and the Engine 1 crew searched the surrounding neighborhoods for said patient. When the reluctant patient was not found, the department told the woman to call back if the patient contacts her or is located.

Killing a mosquito with a cannon 

Oct. 20 – Two minutes ’til 7 p.m., crews arrived at a Marlboro Street home after a resident called 911: she burned a plastic spoon on the stove.

 

If a tree falls in Belmont …
Oct. 23 – At 25 minutes past 8 p.m., Engine 1, Ladder 1 speed through town heading for Davis Road after a tree fell onto the house. Sure enough, the tree was resting on one side of the house but with no visible inside damage. All occupants were escorted out of the building to a safe area as the Belmont Highway Department, and the town’s tree service was on-scene upon the fire department’s arrival. The town’s building inspector came out also. As the crews were about to leave, a large tree limb fell onto the same electrical wires. Command requested the Light Department come back to the scene.