Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighter Graduates from Mass. Fire Academy

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Watertown Firefighter Cory Donahue, left, graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s training course on Friday. He is pictured with Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn. Watertown Fire Chief Robert Quinn announced that firefighter Cory Donahue graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy’s 10-week training program. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Department of Fire Services provided the following announcement about the graduation and Firefighting Academy course:

State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Massachusetts Firefighting Academy (MFA) Director David C. Evans announced the graduation of the 275th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighter Training Program on August 9, 2019. “This rigorous professional training provides our newest firefighters with the basic skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey.

Police/Fire

Tree Falls on Major Watertown Roadway, Impacts Bus

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Bus service on the MBTA’s 73 route was impacted Sunday after a tree fell on Belmont Street in Watertown. A tree fell across a major road in Watertown Sunday afternoon, impacting MBTA bus service in Watertown. The tree fell on Belmont Street near Prentiss Street, according to an Instagram post from the Watertown Fire Department. It struck wires used by the MBTA’s 73 bus. View this post on Instagram Early this afternoon a large tree fell across Belmont Street at Prentiss Street.

Police/Fire

Watertown Youths Learn What It’s Like to be a Firefighter

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A cadet in the Middlesex Youth Public Safety Academy uses the fire hose as at Saltonstall Park. Holding tightly to a real fire hose, a young camper from the Middlesex Sheriff’s Youth Public Safety Academy shot a wide stream of water hundreds of feet across the field at Saltonstall Park on Wednesday morning. The Watertown Fire Department welcomed 31 youngsters from town to show them what it is like to be a firefighter. The campers are part of the week-long summer camp, and later in the day they stopped by the Watertown Police Station to learn about what police officers do. Watertown Fire Capt. Bob Power helps a camper use a fire hose.

Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighters Battled 2-Alarm Fire Sunday Morning

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Parts of a 2.5 story home in East Watertown were damaged by a fire on Sunday morning, and one firefighter suffered an injury. The alarm came in at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 23 for the home at 51 Quimby Street, according to Watertown, and Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, the incident commander, called for a second alarm at 8:13 a.m.

The fire did extensive damage to the third floor apartment in the home, and the other two floors had smoke and water damage, according to the report released by Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn. View this post on Instagram This morning Group 2 responded to a structure fire on Quimby Street. Two alarms were ordered by Deputy Chief Nicholson to control the blaze. All occupants evacuated safely.

Police/Fire

Budget Increase Allows Watertown Fire Department to Run Two Ambulances

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The Watertown Fire Department will now be running two ambulances in an effort to respond to the increasing number of medical calls. By adding additional staffing, the Watertown Fire Department plans to run a second ambulance, which will enable them to cover more medical calls in Watertown, and cut down the time it takes to reach someone in need of medical attention. Currently the Fire Department runs an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance, that can provided paramedic level care to patients. The WFD has a second ambulance that currently sits idle. By adding two more people to a shift, that ambulance can hit the streets with a Basic Life Support (BLS) crew.

Around Town

Watertown Firefighters Attend Graduations of Children of Lost Comrades

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Jocelyn Orangio, daughter of late-Watertown Fire Chief Mario Orangio, was joined by members of the Watertown Fire Department at her graduation from Clark University. Firefighter pictured, L-R: Captain J. Russo, Deputy Chief R. Nicholson, Firefighter T. Donovan, Deputy Chief T. McManus, Lieutenant R. Mannix, Lieutenant E. Allen, Firefighter T. Davis, Firefighter G. McManus. Members of the Watertown Fire Department showed they do not forget their fallen colleagues by attending their children’s college graduations this week. On Thursday, several members of the Watertown Fire Department headed to Bridgewater State for the graduation of Alyssa Toscano. She is the daughter of Joe Toscano, who died while fighting a fire in East Watertown two years ago.

Government

Increases for Police, Fire, Schools Library & DPW Included in Watertown’s FY2020 Budget

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Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll revealed the Fiscal Year 2020 budget on Tuesday. Next year’s Watertown Budget includes money for an additional police office, a new leadership role in the Fire Department, and at the Library. Tuesday night, Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented the Fiscal Year 2020 budget to the Town Council. The total operating budget is $147.76 million, which is an increase of 3.89 percent or $5.53 million. When Driscoll presented the budget projection in October, there was a shortfall of about $800,000, but Tuesday he said the Town’s revenues came in close to $1.5 million above the projections.

Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighters Remember Fallen Colleague Two Years After His Death

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Watertown Firefighters salute Joseph Toscano on the second anniversary of the firefighter’s death. Two years after Watertown Firefighter Joseph Toscano lost his life at a fire in East Watertown, members of the Watertown Fire Department gathered to pay their respects. Sunday’s ceremony took place at the corner of Bigelow and Merrifield avenues, just down the street from the home where the fire occurred. The corner was named Firefighter Joseph A. Toscano Square last year on March 17, the one-year anniversary of his death. The event was attended by hundreds of people and drew media from around the region.