Stoneham Fire Department

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Stoneham Fire Department Quickly Extinguishes Fast-Moving Kitchen Fire on MacArthur Road

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STONEHAM — Chief Matthew Grafton reports that the Stoneham Fire Department quickly extinguished a kitchen fire on Sunday afternoon, putting out the flames before they spread through cabinets into the ceiling.

On Sunday, March 2, at approximately 12:51 p.m., the Stoneham Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at 99 MacArthur Road.

Companies quickly arrived to find flames showing in the kitchen of the single-family home, before swiftly knocking down the fire, which spread from the oven to the microwave and cabinets above. Stoneham firefighters stretched two hose lines into the home to douse the blaze, then conducted a search of the building, checking for an extension of the fire.

Due to the swift action of Stoneham firefighters, the fire damage was confined to the kitchen of the home.

“Fortunately, the resident who was there notified 911 immediately,” said Chief Matthew Grafton. “Thanks to her quick reporting and the efficient actions of our firefighters, we were able to contain the fire to the kitchen and prevent further damage to the home.”

As a result of the smoke and water damage from the fire, the home’s three occupants were displaced. They are now lodging at a nearby hotel.

Everyone was evacuated from the building by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.

Stoneham firefighters remained at the scene until around 2:45 p.m.

Firefighters from the Winchester Fire Department provided mutual aid at the scene, and firefighters from Reading and Wakefield provided station coverage.

Preliminarily, it appears the fire was accidental and was the result of unattended cooking.

The woman suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident and was treated on the scene by EMS from Armstrong Ambulance.

The fire remains under investigation by the Stoneham Fire Investigation Unit.

“A grease fire can escalate rapidly,” said Chief Matthew Grafton. “As a reminder, it’s crucial to stay in the kitchen, especially when cooking with grease.”

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Turn Back Your Clocks, Check Your Smoke Alarms; Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 3

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Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m. and clocks will move back one hour.

Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are vital in reducing deaths and injuries caused by fire. They give everyone in the home an early warning and time to escape.

Be prepared, turn your clocks back one hour, and check your smoke and CO alarms.

For more information about smoke/CO alarm safety, visit the National Fire Protection Agency’s website

Stoneham Fire and Police Departments Offer Safety Tips During Child Passenger Safety Week 

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Fire Chief Matthew Grafton and Police Chief James McIntyre would like to offer Stoneham residents safety tips to make sure their children are properly buckled and in the correct car seat for their age and size as part of Child Passenger Safety Week. 

Sept. 19-25 is recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as Child Passenger Safety Week.

According to the NHTSA, vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of death for children, with an average of two children under 13 being killed and an estimated 374 injured while riding in vehicles every day in America. Of the 608 child passengers who died in traffic crashes in 2019, 38% were unrestrained, according to NHSTA. That figure was up from 33% in 2018.

All parents are encouraged to have their child’s car seat inspected by a professional. Stoneham Police Officer Laura Engel is certified to inspect car seat installations. To schedule an appointment with Engel, email: Lengel@stoneham-ma.gov.

To keep your child as safe as possible, Stoneham Police and Fire Departments  recommends the following steps:

Choose the Right Car Seat for Your Child

  • Children under the age of 2 should ride in a rear-facing car seat. A rear-facing car seat has a harness, and in a crash it cradles and moves with your child to reduce the stress to the child’s fragile neck and spinal cord.
  • Once your child outgrows a rear-facing car seat, they can be moved to a forward-facing car seat. Forward-facing car seats have a harness and tether that limits your child’s forward movement during a crash. Tethers should always be used for forward-facing car seats.
  • Once your child outgrows a forward-facing car seat, they can be moved to a booster seat. A booster seat positions the seat belt so that it ­is properly over the stronger parts of your child’s body. Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.
  • For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. The proper placement of a seat belt restrains the child safely in a crash.
  • Your child should not be moved to the next car seat level until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. In 2015, an estimated 25.8% of children ages 4 to 7 were prematurely moved to seat belts, when they should still have been riding in booster seats.
  • Children under 13 should ALWAYS ride in the back seat.

To use an NHTSA online tool to help you choose the right seat for your child, click here. 

Ensure Your Child is Buckled In Correctly

Choosing the correct car seat, but improperly buckling your child into it can lead to serious injury. These steps will help ensure your child is properly buckled in:

  • Carefully read the owner’s manual for your car seat to ensure you are properly buckling your child according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Always ensure the seat’s chest clip is buckled and at armpit level. If the clip is unbuckled, too high, or too low, a child can slip out of the straps in a crash and suffer serious injury. 
  • Always ensure the seat’s straps are snug enough that you cannot pinch the straps between your fingers. If the straps are too loose, a child can slip out of the straps in a crash and suffer serious injury. 
  • Children who are riding in car seats should wear thin clothing, and keep coats or blankets over the seat’s harnesses. Placing jackets or blankets between your child and the straps can lead to your child slipping out of the straps in a crash.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring children to be secured in appropriate car seats or booster seats based on their age and size.

Additionally, Massachusetts law requires that all children ride in an approved child safety seat until they are at least 8 years old or 57-inches tall. 

Research shared by the NHTSA has shown that, in passenger cars, properly installed car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers. 

For help finding a child car seat inspection station near you, click here. 

It is also recommended that all car seats are registered with their manufacturers in case of a safety recall. This step will help ensure that you will be notified if a defect is discovered with your car seat so it can be repaired or replaced to keep your child safe.

To get NHSTA help with registering your child car seat, click here.

Stoneham Fire Department Receives Donation of Plush Dog Toys from 9-year-old Boy to Ease Trauma of Other Children

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Chief Matthew Grafton is pleased to share that a local boy has donated approximately 40 plush dog toys intended to be distributed by firefighters to children who’ve suffered from trauma.

Trouble the Dog is a plush toy that was designed in 2006 by Sheila Duncan, of Massachusetts, after her own family and a young niece suffered the loss of several family members and a family dog all within a short time. Duncan designed the toy in an effort to help comfort and inspire children who have experienced hardship. In the years since, as Trouble’s popularity grew, Duncan has also collaborated to create a book series about Trouble. 

The toys were donated to the Stoneham Fire Department by 9-year-old Darius Noonan, of Wakefield, who has turned his realization that he wanted to help other children into a family effort that has spanned two years and benefitted multiple communities.

Darius Noonan (third from right) donated dozens of dog toys to the Stoneham Fire Department so that members may distribute them to children they encounter while responding to emergencies. (Courtesy Photo Stoneham Fire Department)

Darius is the adopted son of Kevin and Maria Noonan, and he has shared his own experiences of dealing with trauma himself early in life while he was in foster care. During that time, someone gave him a plush Trouble the Dog toy.

“That was like his security blanket,” Kevin Noonan said. “Then one day we were just sitting around and he said ‘Mom and Dad, I want to be able to give other kids — if they’re having a bad day — one of these dogs.”

The Noonans, who had previously met Duncan, soon set off on what has become a roughly two-year effort to raise money to buy the plush toys and distribute them around the region. The effort all started with a post on Facebook, but quickly exploded as the family was surprised by the level of support they received.

The family has since raised over $10,000 to buy and distribute the toys, delivering them to offices of the Department of Children and Families, police, and fire departments, among others.

Stoneham Firefighters thanked Darius by giving him a ride through town in a fire truck and even let him honk the horn. 

“I want to thank Darius for his generous donation, which our firefighters will put to good use helping kids in need,” Chief Grafton said. “I encourage anyone who would like to support Darius’ efforts to do so, so that even more children will be helped by this meaningful work.”

The Stoneham Fire Department will now provide the dogs to children who have experienced trauma via car accidents or other incidents to help comfort them.

To learn more about Trouble the Dog, visit: https://troublethedog.com/. To donate to Noonan’s efforts, you can do so via Venmo at @dsnoonan12.

After his donation to the department, Stoneham firefighters gave Noonan a ride through town on a ladder truck. (Courtesy Photo Stoneham Fire Department)

Stoneham Fire Department Extinguishes 2-Alarm Attic Fire on Country Club Road

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Chief Matthew Grafton reports that the Stoneham Fire Department extinguished a two-alarm attic fire on Country Club road tonight.

At approximately 5:20 p.m., Stoneham Fire was dispatched to 34 Country Club Road for a report of an attic fire. Upon arrival, crews observed smoke showing from the attic of the single family home. All occupants were able to safely exit the house before first responders arrived.

Firefighters’ hose streams were unable to reach the seat of the fire due to obstructing duct work. The decision was then made to access the fire through the ceiling from the second floor.

Stoneham Fire struck a second alarm for man power due to the labor intensive nature of the fire drawing mutual aid support from the Woburn, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Winchester and Saugus Fire Departments to the scene. The Malden, Medford and Burlington Fire Departments provided station coverage. 

Firefighters had the fire under control by approximately 6:15 p.m.

“I’d like to thank all responding Stoneham firefighters and our neighboring fire departments who came to assist us in putting out the fire,” Chief Grafton said. “Their quick response allowed us to contain the fire and prevent further damage from occurring.”

Chief Grafton would also like to thank the Stoneham Department of Public Works, Stoneham Police and Action Ambulance for their on-scene assistance.

The home is temporarily uninhabitable and the residents are staying with friends in the area.

No one was injured in the fire.

The origin of the fire is under investigation by Stoneham Fire and Police investigators, but the cause of the fire is believed to be unintentional.

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Message from the Chief

Stoneham Fire Chief Matt Grafton Welcome to the Stoneham Fire Department website. The Stoneham Fire Department is committed to protecting and preserving life, property, and the environment in the community in the most professional and courteous manner possible.

We will be responsive to the needs of our citizens by providing rapid, professional, humanitarian services essential to the health, safety, and wellbeing of the community. We will accomplish our mission through fire prevention, fire safety awareness education, fire suppression, and other related emergency and non-emergency activities. We will actively participate in our community, serve as role models, and strive to effectively and efficiently utilize all of the necessary resources at our command to provide a product deemed excellent by our citizens.

Sincerely,
Fire Chief Matthew Grafton

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Phone
Emergency: 911
General Business: 781-438-0127

For any smoke, fire or carbon monoxide detector sounding, please dial 9-1-1 even if there is no smoke or fire

Address
25 Central Street
Stoneham, MA 02180

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