It happened early one morning: Transcripts and recordings of fire department calls
Beginning at about 2 a.m. Sunday, Northampton Fire Department personnel responded to a blizzard of emergency calls, starting with a house fire on Union Street. Over the next hour, crews scrambled to quell fires across the Ward 3 area east of downtown. The following is a digest of those calls, culled from reports posted online by the Web site firescene audio.com. The calls from a variety of fire crews at working fires are identified as "from the field," unless their locations at specific command sites could be determined.
About 2 a.m.
DISPATCHER: Respond Union Street ... for a structure fire. ... Attention all available fire units. ... reports of people inside.
FROM THE FIELD: Responding 26 Union St., reported structure fire ... everyone is out of the house.
Do you have the nearest hydrant for us? ... We have flames showing on the exterior of the building in the back.
A sound of sirens. A dispatcher's tone sounding to alert all fire crews.
DISPATCHER, at 2:05 a.m.: Northampton fire alarm recalling personnel for a second box alarm for a structure fire at 26 Union St. Please contact fire alarm.
Audio from the Northampton fire department's radio traffic during the fires Sunday night
DISPATCHER: Command, I have a report of a second structure fire at 10 Highland Avenue.
FROM THE FIELD: Received. Send mutual aid Easthampton directly to that location please.
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FROM THE FIELD: Can I have an update on that report of a second fire please?
DISPATCHER: (Reporting party) stated that the fire is out. Someone is going to investigate. We may have a third fire ... We have a third person on the phone reporting possibly a third structure fire.
FROM THE FIELD: Received. Send Hatfield that was going to do station coverage directly to that third structure fire, please.
VOICE FROM FIELD IN BACKGROUND: Where's that?
FROM THE FIELD: Where is the address on that third fire please?
It is later identified as 17 Fair St.
FROM THE FIELD: The porch is on fire, we're sending Hatfield to that location. ... Have the first available ambulance go and investigate that if they can and give me an update.
A fire official urges less radio traffic due to conflicting calls.
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FROM THE FIELD: I understand that the Fair Street location is completely engulfed in fire. Have Amherst units respond directly to that location. ... We have a two-and-a-half story, wood-frame construction; we have a fully engulfed side of the building.
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FROM THE FIELD: It's been reported that the fire at Highland is extinguished.
The Easthampton Fire Department is now responding to the Fair Street fire.
FROM THE FIELD, at 2:21 a.m.: We've received reports that two people may be trapped inside Fair Street. ... Due to the nature of Fair Street, continue all apparatus to that call.
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DISPATCHER: We now have a report that Highland may have a fire again. We just got a report that Williamsburg engine is in route, should we divert them to Highland?
CHIEF BRIAN DUGGAN, FROM THE FIELD: Continue Westhampton as I requested and divert Williamsburg direct to that (fire on Highland Avenue).
DISPATCH: We also have a report of a vehicle fire in front of 24 Williams St.
CHIEF DUGGAN: Call Hadley ... see if we can get a Hadley engine to go to that vehicle fire on Williams Street.
The chief proceeds to the Fair Street fire.
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FROM THE FIELD: Fire alarm, find me two cover companies and a cover ladder to bring in to the city, based on the volume of incidents please.
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FROM UNION STREET FIRE COMMAND: Report coming in that a car fire involving a second car may be impinging on a house - do you have somebody over there?
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DISPATCH, at 2:32 a.m.: Northampton fire alarm recalling all personnel for numerous structure fires. Please contact fire alarm.
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FROM THE FIELD: Can you give me a count of available pieces of apparatus coming in to the city?
UNION STREET COMMAND: Fire alarm (dispatch), PD is reporting a car fire on Pomeroy Terrace to me here
DISPATCH, 2:35 a.m.: We just received a report, 16 Pomeroy Terrace, of a vehicle fire.
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DISPATCH: Greenfield, we'll have you responding to 17 Fair St.
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FROM THE FIELD: (Renewing the request for information) Can you give me a count of available pieces of apparatus coming in to the city? Or is everything committed at this point?
DISPATCH: Chesterfield Goshen and Holyoke are in route at this time.
Engine 5 is ordered sent to the area of 10 Highland Ave. for a reported structure fire.
FROM THE FIELD: Those fires are all under control. Send Engine 5 to Pomeroy Terrace; I'm on scene there, fire in a car is impinging on a house.
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FROM THE FIELD: We need two spare ambulances to the city, however you can accomplish that, as well as at least two pieces of apparatus that are not committed. So keep following the run card pertaining to that.
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FROM FAIR STREET COMMAND, 2:43 a.m.: Fire is 30 percent contained, still active ... approximately seven firefighters on the fireground working this fire. ... We're going to need an ambulance for rehab and support.
A call comes in from Williams Street reporting a search of a building; no one found.
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FROM THE FIELD: If you've got an additional company, you can send them our way.
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A call comes in at 2:47 a.m. about a structure fire at 16 Northern Ave., with a "garage fully involved."
DISPATCH: "We're getting another house fire on Elizabeth Street."
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FROM THE FIELD: Are there any fires without apparatus there?
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Chief Duggan sends a Hadley company from Pomeroy Terrace over to the Northern Avenue fire.
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FROM WILLIAMS STREET COMMAND: FYI, we're going to need air bottles as soon as possible.
NORTHERN AVENUE COMMAND: (Reports that fire has been knocked down.) We're going to be able to contain this. You can divert resources to other areas.
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CHIEF DUGGAN: We still have a heavy layer of smoke downtown. ... I'm going to ask that we set up roving patrols. We have a heavy layer of smoke and multiple reports.
FROM UNION STREET COMMAND: I need to add another free engine and an ambulance ... we have one firefighter potentially injured on the scene.
Chief Duggan radios in that he is heading back to headquarters. He orders continued roving patrols from the fairgrounds to Pleasant Street ... and more responses "for public visibility."
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DISPATCH: We have another vehicle fire. It is at 11 Crescent St., involving a vehicle parked close to a structure.
FRANKLIN STREET COMMAND: At 112 Franklin St. for a vehicle fire. That turns in to a "fully involved car fire." Hatfield's Engine 12 is on the scene.
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Comments
Outstanding job by Hamp
Outstanding job by Hamp dispatchers and firefighters, everyone stayed calm and were very professional.. Great Work. Your citizens should be proud