ARLINGTON MASSACHUSETTS FIRE DEPARTMENT
3 stations - 5 square miles - 44,000 population
Sta 1 - Center - E1 E4 L1
E1 - spare 1974 Maxim 2 door cab forward
1250/?500
E4 - ?1994 Pierce ?4 door walk thru side mount
L1 - ?1996 Pierce 4 door cab forward 3 axle
RM100'
Sta 2 - Highland - E2 L2 R1
E2 - ?1992 Pierce ?Dash 2 door + 2 jump seats
L2 - ?1976/1998 Maxim/Murphy 4 door cab forward
CM85'
R1 - 1999 box on van
Sta 3 - Park Circle - E3
E3 - ?86 Pierce 2 door + 2 jump seats (was formerly tractor on L1)
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Online Info
New faces: The Arlington Fire Department welcomes three new firefighters. They are, from left, Margaret E. Carrigan, Alfred E. Sharpe and Shawn P. Sullivan. July 2000 - ...Photo of the 3 New Recruits...
Directory of Cross Streets in Arlington
Extensive FD Info at the Town Website - last updated 3/00
John Galla's Color Photo Profile of Arl FD - May 2000
"Ted E911" Color Photo Report on Bartlett St 3rd Alarm - January 2000 - ?site gone - Oct 2000 - search for "First Due" website
The "First to the Net" website by Ed Burke also has this fire online with photos
April 15, 2000 Photo of Station 3 and Engine 3 taken from the Standpipe by Paul Fox - thanks Paul
Frank San Severino has a photo of Arlington's 1911 Knox Combination on his website. (Sept00) - www.franksfireengines.com
see www.massmetrofire.org for Arlington info and photos - photo of Highland Station with rigs in front - 10 alarm running card shown
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November ?12, 1999 Arlington Advocate newspaper - article about FinCom and Capital Projects - Fire Chief seeks to replace all 3 old fire stations due to their deterioration [I need to find the newspaper article on this]
03 May 2001 - article in Arlington Advocate newspaper concerning danger signs placed on the old Times Olds building by AFD
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Rigs
Innovation - July 20, 1999 - E4 now has a 2 wheel dolly loaded with hose on the rear step/tailboard - probably for hirise fires
Rescue 1 got new vehicle in ?September 1999 - it is still a box on a van chassis - has more strobes (blue and red on right rear - orange and red on left rear) - only 2 small black bumps on box roof for antennas (old rig had 3 fins) - approximate info
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Response Levels -
Building fire/Box Alarm - 2E + 1L + R1
Street box - 2E + 1L
Master Box - 2E + 1L + R1
Highrise Master Box - 2E + 2L + 1R - Feb 2001
Gas Leak - 1E + 1L
Chimney fire - 1E + 1L (no box transmitted)
Local alarm system/no fire no smoke reported - 1E
Car Crash - 1E + R1 + ALS
Major Car Crash - 1E + R1 + ALS + 1L (L1 + L2 carry Jaws)
Ambulance call - 1E + 1R + 1 police officer + NSP3 (NSP3 is a small truck staffed by 2 paramedics at the Armstrong Ambulance Company HQ on Brattle St)
Working Fire - 1 additional Engine to incident - 2E + 1L for coverage of fire stations - 1E + 1L to Arl Center Station - 1E to Highland Station
2nd Alarm Building Fire - 4 (?2) more E + 1 more L - coverage by ?2E + 1L from out of town (1E from FS2 - 1E + 1L to FS1)
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High Hazard Locations
Symmes Hospital (contains doctors offices only as of 2000), High Rise Public Housing (to 14 stories), High Rise Apartment Buildings (to 10 stories)
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Dispatch Operations
2 police/fire dispatchers are on duty at the communications center in the police station at all times. NSP paramedic units operate on the Arlington FD radio system when responding to calls with Arlington FD units.
Boxes (struck, master, + street) are beeped via radio channel 1 following 1 alert bell (which activates all lights in all stations). Hydrant locations are given for most fire calls (taken from a street directory - not a map). Street and master boxes sound for 4 rounds - dispatchers and mobiles can talk over them. Transmitted boxes (based on info received by telephone or radio) are sent for 2 rounds. A Class A street box system is used (alarms are automatically sent from the street to the stations without being retransmitted by the dispatcher).
Test Bells - 1 blow on circuit daily at 0645, 0800, and 1800. Box 9123 is transmitted when testing or displaying the telegraph system.
February 2001 - dispatchers now tell units responding on a "box" to switch to Channel 2 while enroute to the box - Channel 2 is 460.60 simplex - the dispatcher cannot hear units when they transmit on Channel 2, however the field units can hear the dispatcher when he transmits on Channel 1
February 2001 - apparently more portable radios are now available - Engine 400 and Engine 200 Rescue 100 Ladder 200 Ladder 100 Engine ?300 etc are tested on Saturday morning only (around 1005AM) - AFd may have 1 portable radio per onduty member now.
May 2001 - Fire Alarm has the capability of switching ops from the Police Station repeater site to the Park Circle repeater site - it is possible that neither site has remote receiver sites - or maybe they both do - use of the park circle repeater allows units in the Dow Ave area to hear the repeater better
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Ambulance Operations
R1 is staffed by 2 firefighters who have EMT training. Patients are usually transported to Symmes Hospital in Arlington. Serious trauma cases are transported to hospitals in Boston (Mass General or Beth Israel) or to Lahey Clinic in Burlington. The MedFlight helo is rarely used. Backup ambulances repond from Armstrong Ambulance Company. R1 will only take critical cases to out of town hospitals. Non critical cases are taken out of town by Amrstrong Ambulance units. $48 is charged for defibrilation (1998).
June 25, 1999 - Update - Symmes Hospital in Arlington is no longer accepting emergency patients brought in by ambulance. All patients are now being transported out of town by Arlington Rescue 1 or the backup Armstrong units. Fire Chief Maimone is quoted in the local online newspaper article that he is concerned because this will reduce the availability of firefighters for fire calls within the town.
3/16/99 - Would you believe that as I type this (here in Arlington) E1, L1, R1, and NSP3 just pulled up at my building for an apparent fatality which involved a water leak on 5 floors? How weird is that!!!??? (3/16/99)
Starting in June 1999, Rescue 1 started to use the UHF Med Channels to give patient reports to hospitals. Previously, this was done via 460.60 (Symmes ER was tied into the channel via a landline) or via the dispatcher (who called the ER via telephone). (Med7 used to contact Wichester Hospital per Boston CMED - May 2001)(Med 2 usually used to contact Lahey + ?Mt Auburn)
The 1999 Annual Town Report talks about the policy concerning transports to out of town hospitals by the Rescue.
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A few Notes from the Arlington Advocate - 29 December 1899 and 5 January 1900 - typed up 10 April 2000 from the microfilm at Robbins Library
Holiday Supplement - after 22 Dec paper and before 29 Dec paper - several panoramic photos of Arlington - looking west from Arlington center, and looking towards Spy Pond from Kensington Hill - several photographs of large buildings around town (churches + ?)
29 Dec news - the son of one of Arlington's residents was almost killed on Winter Street in downtown Boston when a workman dropped a sign towards him.
29 Dec news - page 4 - Woburn had a large fire in a machine shop last Tuesday - damages were $25,000
29 Dec news - a ton of iron was stolen - Officer Duffy traced the iron to a store in East Cambridge - two men were arrested (1 was from Somerville)
5 January 1900 news - a false fire alarm was wrung on Cleveland Street - 2 youths saw some rubbish burning and thought that a garage was on fire - they pulled fire box ?23 - "the fire department responded with its usual promptness but of course there was no need for its presence." (no word on how the rubbish got lit :-)
5 Jan news - a gentleman was thrown off his horse on ?Teele Street - a police officer took the man to the police station where he was treated and then sent home via train - the horse was later found in good condition
5 Jan news - both men arrested in the iron theft received 2 month jail terms - 1 man appealed his sentence
5 Jan news - the editor reminds readers that many people have not paid their subscriptions
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The Wellington diaries being posted to the Arlington Email list tell that fire box numbers are heard and understood by the general public. (May 2001)
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Town Laws Affecting the Arlington FD
1838 - Chapter 18 - Wages for Engine Men
1855 - Chapter 98 - FD created
1894 - Chapter 481 - Section 11 - Fire Limits of
Buildings
1873 - Chapter 242 - Water in Arlington
1908 - Chapter 209 - Forest Fires
1916 - Chapter 291 - Length of Tenure for Fire
Chief
source - Town Bylaws at Robbins Library Reference Desk - 1999
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Arlington Fire Alarm Box Locations - 1900
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Odds and Ends
4/28/99 - Town Meeting - Y2K committee seeks change to Town Bylaws to allow propane units in homes without gas service - Fire Chief opposes to keep propane trucks out of town and to increase firefighter and towns safety - Town Meeting votes No Action on changes.
July 20, 1999 - The Town Of Arlington website has been updated to include a copy of the FD Union Contract and the 1998 FD Annual Report - FD Contract - PD + FD Annual Report - 1998
July ?22, 1999 Arlington Advocate - photo of 2 alarm house fire on ?Beacon St - L1 didnt get stick to roof - neither did anyone else - reportedly someone threw debris out a window and hit Medford officer in the helmet (knocked him out - held ?overnite at hospital)
Starting July 1, 1999 - L2 is not being manned for the summer - the daily lineup is E123 L1 R1 C2 pretty much constantly now - L2 gets manned about 1 day per week. Update - L2 was manned all winter - so the daily lineup was E234 L12 R1 C2
Starting June 1, 2000 - L2 not being manned on a regular basis for the summer
October 1, 2000 - L2 back in service for the winter
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BUDGET
Community Safety - Fiscal Year 1998 - Administration - $242,000 - 2 Directors (One Each - Fire + Police) + 3 Principal Clerks - 0 Expenses + 0 Out of State travel
Note - Town Meeting passed a Public Safety reoorganization in ?1974 - the "strong chief" Civil Service powers were taken from the chiefs and given to the Town Manager - apparently this means that the Town Manager has the "hire/fire" power, not the chief/directors
Fire Department - FY1999 - $3.9 milliom + $228,000 Expenses - FY1997 spent $105,000 on overtime pay - request $10,000 for computer maintenance in FY99 - Salaries and Wages - FY99 - 5 Chief Officers (Deputy Fire Chiefs) - F4 grade - $54,000 base ($60,000 with all items) - DiRosario + Long + Maimone + Parciello + Smith / McEwen - 7 captains at grade F3 - $47,000 each - 15 lieutenants at Grade F2 $40,000 - 59 firefighters at $35,000 each (?4 vacancies) - 1600 ambulance calls in ?1998 earned the Town $211,000 - Capital Items - FY2000 $335,000 for new engine - FY2001 $100,000 for new ambulance - FY2003 $29,000 for new Fire Chiefs car - $20,000 per year for SCBA in FY2001/2/3 - auto defib FY2002 $20,000
Dispatch - 9 dispatchers - average salary $30,000 - variable longevity pay of $300, $500, $700, or $900
Public Safety Support Services
Fire and Police
Signals Division - $42,000 for supervisor - $32,000
for signal maintainer - $29,000 for helper -
Automotive Repair Division - $40,000 for master
mechanic - $32,000 for fire apparatus repairman -
$32,000 for Motor Equipment Repairman
1999 Annual Town Report mentions 9 dispatchers + 3 wire repairpeople + 3 vehicle repair people
1999 - Apparently the Signal Supervisor position has been made into a part-time position and combined with the Electrical Inspectors position. (As of January 2000, M1 (Mechanic 1 = Al LeBlanc) is apparently still "the radio Man".)
Other Town Departments - Wire Inspector $50,000 - Building Inspector $54,000 - Town Manager $111,000 - Deputy Town Manager $63,000 - Assistant Town Manager / Purchasing Agent $48,000
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Past Chiefs -
Blomquist - ?1972
Casey
French
Cayton - 1993 - 1998
Maimone - 1998 - present
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Info About Propane Safety in Arlington
May 2001 - www.town.arlington.ma.us now has info on AFD from the 2000 Annual Town Report - Arlington Advocate recently ran article telling that AFD received 3 Thermal Imaging Cameras (1 at each station) + 1 new multi gas meter + ?10 sets of turnout gear - legal advertisement in 03May2001 Arl Advocate seeks consultant to do study of FD - new agreement has been apparently signed between Board of Selectmen and Armstrong Ambulance for ALS (over ?3 years)
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Compiled - 3/15/99
Updated - 4/29/99 - 5/6/99 - 6/2/99 - 6/26/99 - 11/16/99 - 31Jan2000 - 26 March 2000 - 10 April 00 - 8 May 2000 - 22May00 Sta3 photo - 15Sept00 1911 Knox + misc - 02Oct00 - misc corrections - 07Nov00 - 1900 Baptist Church fire - 11Feb01 - hirise box - Ch2 for boxes - 1900 diary - 05May01 - misc info (2 reptrs + new HTs + Times Olds + Frank S website + FD study + 2000 Annual report)
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