Acushnet Fire & EMS Department

Acushnet Fire and EMS personnel responded to a reported shed fire at 489 Middle Road on February 19, 2010. Upon arrival of Chief 1, the large storage shed was fully involved by a wind-fed fire. Fortunately, the wind was blowing away from the nearby residence, and there was no damage to the home. Photos provided by The Standard-Times.

Acushnet Fire and EMS personnel responded to a location on Quaker Lane for a report of a male party that had fallen off of a horse. Upon the arrival of EMS personnel, it was determined that the patient needed to be transported to a trauma center via helicopter. Fire/Rescue personnel setup a landing zone in the fields of the Acushnet Elementary and Middle Schools and a helicopter from Boston Medflight landed shortly thereafter to evacuate the patient from the area.

Town Hall, the Parting Ways building, and the surrounding area were cordoned off and evacuated after a concerned town resident found what he considered to be a possible explosive device and brought it to the police station. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was immediately called in and a secure perimeter was maintained by local and state police agencies as well as members of the Acushnet Fire Rescue Department and EMS. After careful examination by Bomb Squad technicians and a remotely operated explosives handling robot, the State Police determined that the device was not explosive, but was an item of interest. Below are photos from the incident:

Members of the Rescue Squad along with Acushnet EMS responded to a single vehicle rollover accident on Nye's Lane in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 31, 2008. Upon arrival, rescue workers found a single vehicle on its roof that had left the roadway, rolled over and impacted a house causing serious damage to the home. The single occupant of the vehicle suffered serious injuries and was extricated by Rescue Squad members and transported to the hospital by EMS.

Firefighters responded to a working vehicle fire on Morse's Lane just west of Hunter Street. On arrival firefighters found a pickup truck with heavy flames coming from the engine and passenger compartment. The single occupant of the vehicle escaped without injury and the fire was extinguished shortly after the arrival of Squad 2.

In the afternoon hours of Tuesday, August 19, 2008, severe thunderstorms whipped through the SouthCoast region, carving a swath of damage throughout the town of Acushnet and surrounding communities. Some residents reported spotting funnel clouds in the area, and the National Weather Service in Taunton confirmed that a "Microburst," strong horizontal directional winds possibly gusting up to 100mph, whipped through the north end of town leaving a path of damage and destruction in its wake. Large trees were uprooted by the sudden violent winds and many trees were snapped in half, breaking windows and cutting power to many residents. Members of the Acushnet Fire/Rescue Department were called to multiple incidents to protect the public from dangerous downed power lines and to assist in the re-routing of traffic in many of the affected areas.

The day following the storm, state and local officials toured the affected area to assess the damage and the evaluate the amount of property damage. Town administrator Alan Coutinho, Selectmen Wojnar, Dakin, Cioper, as well as State Senator Mark Montigny and State Representative Robert Koczera all joined fire officials in touring the affected area of town.

The Acushnet Fire / Rescue Department responded to a brush fire in the early afternoon hours of Saturday, April 26th 2008. First arriving units found a permit fire out of control and extending into the wooded yard of 705 Middle Road. Numerous forestry lines were placed into use and the fire was contained before it was able to extend further into the woods. Engine 5 and Squad 2 took positions on nearby Barksdale lane in order to prevent the fire from spreading toward a residential neighborhood. Engine 3 and Tanker 1 were positioned on the Middle Road side. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation wildland firefighters provided assistance on scene with a tanker truck and two patrol trucks.

Firefighters responded to a reported fire at 49 Coulombe Street and found heavy black smoke coming from the rear of a 2-story residential structure. First-in crews found the fire to be largely exterior and knocked down the main bulk of the fire from outside. There was extension into a rear bedroom on the first floor of the building. a vehicle parked the driveway also sustained heavy fire damage. The fire was brought under control within 20 minutes.

The Acushnet Fire / Rescue Department received a phone call for a house fire at 59 Gill Street, less than half a mile from Station 1. First responding apparatus could see smoke shortly after leaving the station. Upon Squad 2's arrival, fire was issuing from a wooden bulk-head on the south side of the structure. All occupants had already exited the building and firefighters quickly contained the fire to the bulk-head area. Squad 2, Engine5, Engine 1, and Tanker 1 responded. A ladder truck from Fairhaven was requested to the scene for mutual aid. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

One of four separate motor vehicle accidents that occurred during the daylight hours of Sunday, January 27, 2008 amid foul winter weather.

At approximately 6:30am, the Acushnet Fire Rescue Department was alerted to a reported structure fire on Archer's Way. First arriving units found a two-story occupied wood-frame dwelling that was fully involved. All occupants of the home had managed to safely escape the blaze. Due to the heavy volume of fire issuing from the structure, an exterior attack was immediately mounted. With the lack of adequate water supply in the area, close to 2000' feet of 4" Large Diameter Hose (LDH) was laid from a hydrant on the corner of Middle Road and Bow Drive. Firefighters were on scene for well over 4 hours, with the last unit clearing the scene at approximately 11:15am. The Rochester Fire Department responded to the scene with their tanker, which carries 3000 gallons of water. The Fairhaven Fire Department provided Mutual Aid station coverage at Fire Station 1. (Photos taken by Captain Mike Rothwell)

On December 10, 2007 at approximately 1930 hours the Acushnet Fire / Rescue Department responded to a reported structure fire on Myrtle Avenue. The fire was contained to a 12x18 foot shed that was used for taxidermy. An unattended hotplate used for boiling water was determined to be the cause of the blaze. Four apparatus and 18 firefighters had the blaze under control within a few minutes and prevented the fire from damaging the adjourning home. Photos by Captain Mike Rothwell.

Members of the Rescue Squad responded to Hamlin Street for a single vehicle crash. Squad 2 responded to the scene and firefighters quickly placed the Jaws-of-Life into operation to extricate the victim. The Command Light on Squad 2 was used to provide ample lighting during the nighttime operation. The victim was removed from the vehicle shortly thereafter and transported to the hospital. Below are photos from the MVA.

Acushnet Firefighters responded to a report of a working structure fire at 203 Quaker Lane in the vicinity of the Acushnet/Rochester town line. Upon arrival, firefighters found a residential wood frame structure fully involved. Click here to read the full story from The Standard-Times.

Members of the Rescue Squad responded to a single two vehicle accident on Leonard Street, and found a victim trapped within one of the vehicles. Engine 1 responded to the scene and firefighters immediately put the Jaws-of-Life into service to extricate the victim. Once the driver's door was removed, the victim was removed from the vehicle and transported to the hospital.

The powerful storm that brought several inches of rain and heavy winds to Massachusetts on Sunday, April 15th caused damage across Acushnet. The storm kept the Acushnet Fire / Rescue Department, Police Department and Emergency Management Agency busy for several hours. No injuries were reported. Flooded yards, downed trees, power outages and flooded basements kept the first responders spread out all over town well into Saturday.

On Saturday, March 31, 2007, Acushnet firefighters were dispatched on Mutual Aid to Rochester for a working fire at the SEMASS Resource Recover Facility on Route 28. An explosion inside the main building had ignited a large and stubborn rubbish fire that would last for approximately a day and a half. A Tanker shuttle operation was established early during the incident, and Mutual Aid task forces were called in from Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable Counties. In all, nearly 40 fire departments throughout Southeastern Mass. dispatched apparatus and firefighters to the scene to help battle the stubborn fire. The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Incident Command Unit and Mobile Rehab Unit were also dispatched to the scene, as well as the Mass. State Police Air Wing. Acushnet Engine 1 and Tanker 1 responded to the scene, and were committed from Saturday night until later in the day on Sunday, 4/1/07. Below are some photos from the initial night operations. (More info to come)

On Thursday, March 29, 2007, Acushnet Firefighters were dispatched to the P.J. Keating facility on South Main Street for a working fire in a rock-crushing tower. Upon arrival, units found heavy fire and smoke showing from the top of an approximately 75 foot tall rock crushing tower. Thick black smoke was visible for miles as thick rubber conveyer belts were involved in the fire. Multiple lines and master streams were immediately put into operation to knock down the fire, and a special call to Fairhaven brought in a Mutual Aid ladder truck to the scene. Mattapoisett Fire Department provided station coverage during the incident, and extinguished a small brush fire while Acushnet companies were out.

On Saturday, January 13th members of the department responded to a motor vehicle crash into a gasoline pump at a local service station. Safety mechanisms in the pump limited the amount of gasoline released to a small amount.

On the evening of September 8, 2006, members of the Acushnet Fire/Rescue Department, as well as Acushnet Police and Acushnet Emergency Medical Services responded to a report of a small plane crash in the woods off of Perkins Lane. The sole occupant of the plane was injured in the crash and had to be removed from the area using all-terrain vehicles. The pilot was then airlifted to Boston Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. Below are some photos from the rescue operation (All photos taken by Ed Pepin).

The following photos were taken the days after the ultralight crash and reveal the damage done to the craft.

On Monday, February 13th, 2006, a motor vehicle accident was reported in the area of South Main and Pembroke Streets. Upon arrival of Chief 1, a Ford Explorer was found to have impacted and severed a utility pole, causing several primary electrical wires to fall into the street. Engine 1, Engine 3, and members of the Rescue Squad responded to the location and quickly sealed the area off to avoid any electrocutions. When the primary wires came into contact with the vehicle, the electrical current physically blew holes out of the Explorer. Acushnet EMS tended to the single occupant of the vehicle. Power in the area was knocked out for several hours while the utility company worked to repair the downed power lines.

In the afternoon hours of Wednesday, May 11, 2005, a call was received reporting a possible structure fire at 26 Coury Drive. Upon arrival, units found smoke pushing from the eves of the home and reported a working structure fire. An aggressive interior attack was conducted and the fire was contained and extinguished in about 15 minutes. An elderly female resident was displaced by the fire, which was determined to have been caused by food left unattended on a stovetop in the kitchen. Fire damage was limited to the kitchen, however the entire house had smoke damage.

Around 6:00am on the morning of Sunday May 22, 2005, the call went out for a reported structure fire in the area of 370 New Boston Road, near the Acushnet / Fairhaven town line. Upon the arrival of Engine 5, a heavy fire condition was observed penetrating the roof of the two-story wood frame house. The house had previously been condemned by the town's Board of Health. It was determined that a defensive attack would be mounted against the fire. It took well over an hour and a half and numerous 2.5" attack lines to finally extinguish the fire, which the State Fire Marshall later determined to have been intentionally set.