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Wellfleet Fire Department

    This Week In Wellfleet

    Meetings Ahead

    By

    Meetings are held remotely. From wellfleet-ma.gov, hover over a date on the calendar on the right of the screen and click on the meeting you’re interested in to open its agenda, which includes information on how to view and take part remotely.

    Thursday, Feb. 25

    • Rights of Public Access Committee, 12 noon
    • Local Housing Partnership, 5 p.m.

    Friday, Feb. 26

    • Bike and Walkways Committee, 9 a.m.

    Monday, March 1

    • Dredging Task Force, 7 p.m.

    Wednesday, March 3

    • Conservation Commission, 5 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Garage Fire on Chequessett Neck Road

    In the wee hours of Monday morning, the Wellfleet Fire Dept. responded to a garage fire at 300 Chequessett Neck Road. Six fire departments, including Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, Brewster, and Chatham took part in the effort and by 4:24 a.m., within a half hour of the report, the fire was extinguished. A residential garage, used for storage, was destroyed. No one was injured.

    The Wellfleet firefighters on duty were on Route 6, on their way back from the hospital when the call came in, Fire Chief Richard Pauley told the Independent. Wellfleet and Eastham firefighters were on the scene by 4:13 a.m., and firefighters from the other towns arrived soon after. Assistance from adjacent towns, or automatic mutual aid, is a standard practice on Cape Cod. With the freezing temperatures causing potential hazards and the property located outside the fire hydrant district, making more on-truck water necessary, the support from additional towns was welcome, Pauley said.

    The owner of the property, Marion Bowers, 80, was at her home in Freedom, Maine at the time of the fire. Her daughter, Jennifer Carriere, told the Independent, “We’re just so thankful that nobody got hurt.”

    The home, where Carriere said she spent her childhood summers, is “a beloved place.” The current tenant has lived there “for quite some time,” said Carriere, “and many of her belongings were lost in the fire.” Neither Bowers nor Carriere would disclose the name of the tenant.

    Carriere said the detached garage was uninsured at the time of the fire. There is also a small cottage on the property, and Bowers had unintentionally removed both the cottage and the garage from the insurance policy, leaving only the home insured, Carriere said.

    “The garage and its contents were destroyed in the fire,” the fire dept. reported. “Damage is estimated at $40,000.”

    The resident awoke to the sound of loud bangs — the sound of aerosol cans (“or anything under pressure”) bursting is “typical in a garage used for storage,” explained Pauley. The cause of the fire was, as of Tuesday, still under investigation by the state fire marshal, said Pauley. But, he said, “we believe it to be accidental.”

    —Tessera Knowles-Thompson

    AN INVESTIGATION

    Why Wellfleet Elementary School Has No Sprinklers

    Thirty years ago, the fire chief ‘was asked not to do his job’

    By

    WELLFLEET — At the Sept. 12 annual town meeting voters agreed to spend $110,000 to design a sprinkler system for the Wellfleet Elementary School, because, the fire chief said, one was not installed in a $4.5-million 1990 renovation.

    BOMB SQUAD

    Man Doing Landscaping Found 9 Bombs

    Experts called in to ‘neutralize’ live World War I ordnance

    By

    WELLFLEET — While doing landscaping chores on Sept. 12, Donald Thimas came across nine World War I-era bombs, including six powerful anti-tank devices that later rocked neighborhoods when they were exploded by the U.S. Navy and state police bomb squads.

    “I saw what looked like a pipe sticking out of the ground, and I found these things and they were fairly shallow,” said Thimas, who has lived at 2013 State Highway for 16 years.

    Some of the World War I−era bombs found while a man was doing yard work at his Route 6 home on Saturday afternoon. (Photo Richard Pauley)

    He dug around with his hands and unearthed about five or six rusted metal objects before he stopped and said, “I think I’ll call the fire department.”
    Thimas knew he was dealing with bombs; they all looked like “large bullets,” he said.

    But how did they get into his yard?

    “I have no idea,” he said.

    The home was constructed in 1950 and the previous owners have no obvious military connection, he told the Independent.

    Thimas’s home isn’t near Camp Wellfleet, the former military base that is now in the Cape Cod National Seashore. He guessed that someone found them elsewhere and buried them many years ago. Fishing draggers do recover bombs with some regularity, he said.

    About once or twice a year, the Wellfleet Fire Dept. is notified about small World War II devices found on Marconi Beach or areas near the former base, said Fire Chief Richard Pauley.

    “Most of the time, you only need a minor amount of C4,” said Pauley, referring to the explosive material used to detonate old bombs. “But six of these were anti-tank, so it took a lot to have them neutralized.”

    The State Police Bomb Squad joined firefighters at 5 p.m. and attempted to X-ray the explosives to see if there was live material inside. But the armor was too thick, Pauley said.

    There were four 12-to-14-inch armor-piercing anti-tank grenade shells, two nine-inch anti-tank type grenades, and three smaller target shooting type explosives, Pauley said.

    Two U.S. Navy bomb technicians who arrived at 8:15 p.m. by helicopter managed to X-ray them and found that all of the explosives were “live/active, highly unstable, military grade and of the World War I era,” Pauley wrote in a prepared statement.

    The DPW filled a dump truck with sand to transport the bombs to the sand pit at the transfer station.

    The bombs were buried in yards of sand and detonated in four explosions; the last one so powerful that homes around the transfer station vibrated and the sound carried across the highway to Pauley’s house at Gross Hill Road, he said.

    Pauley said many people were alarmed by the sound and complained that they should have been warned. He understood their perspective, but Pauley made the decision to keep the detonation on the down low, because he did not want a crowd to gather and watch.

    “We wanted to keep people safe,” he said. “It took an hour to destroy these things. Six of them were anti-tank. They can do great harm.”

     

    currents

    This Week in Wellfleet

    By

    Meetings Ahead

    Meetings are held by videoconference. On the town’s website, wellfleet-ma.gov, look on the right side under the calendar and click on All Upcoming Events for a calendar of meetings. Click on the name of the meeting you want to join.

    Thursday, April 9

    • Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m.

    Tuesday, April 14

    • Select Board with Emergency Management Team, Covid-19 updates, 10 a.m.
    • Board of Water Commissioners, 4 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 15

    • Water Commissioners, 4 p.m.

    Thursday, April 16

    • Barnstable County HOME Consortium, 8:30 a.m.
    • Cape Cod Commission, Herring River Executive Committee, 3 p.m.
    • Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m.

    Conversation Starters

    Coronavirus Update

    Wellfleet has had four confirmed cases of coronavirus as of April 7, according to the health department.

    Don’t Hesitate to Call 911

    Some people have not been calling the Wellfleet Fire Dept. when they need help because they didn’t want to go to the hospital or waste first responders’ time. “Please don’t do that,” said Fire Chief Richard Pauley on April 7. “Your health is still important.”

    No Tennis, No Playground, but Beaches Open

    The town holds weekly Covid-19 update Zoom meetings on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Anyone may listen and participate in these by following the link on the town’s website.

    On April 7, Becky Rosenberg, the recreation director, announced that the Baker’s Field recreation area, including the playground, the skateboard park, and the tennis and pickleball courts, are closed until at least May 1. The U.S. Tennis Association recommended a “collective pause” due to the common touching of tennis equipment, Rosenberg said. Beaches are still open.

    Mask Making

    Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, the town health agent, recommends people do wear masks outdoors. They can be homemade, but they must be tightfitting and cover the nose and mouth, she said. They should have two fabric layers and should be washable with soap and hot water. Town officials are compiling a list of sources where Wellfleet residents can get masks. First responders have recently received shipments of personal protective equipment, said Fire Chief Pauley on April 7. The police and fire departments have enough for the next 30 to 40 days, he said. —K.C. Myers.

    DOING GOOD

    Tots Won’t Lack Toys

    By

    Toys For Tots
    Members of the Wellfleet police and fire depts. collected Toys for Tots on Saturday, Dec. 7. The toys will be distributed to families in need throughout Cape Cod. From left to right, officer Nick Daley and retired Police Chief Ron Fisette joined fire dept. members Paul O’Neil, Shawn Clark, Allison Gray, Gary Doolittle, Joshua Wagner, Marylou Wood, and Theresa Townsend. Paul Townsend volunteered to check the toys. (Photo Nancy Bloom)

    WHISTLE-BLOWER

    Driver Knocks Wellfleet FD for Behaving Badly

    Provincetown woman says fire chief and select board ignored her complaint

    By

    WELLFLEET — Barbara Jacobs is demanding a refund of $256 after members of the Wellfleet Fire Dept. ordered Silver Cloud Towing to take away her disabled car rather than the AAA-authorized towing service she had arranged.

    Barbara Jacobs
    Barbara Jacobs and her 2011 Kia Soul outside her home in Provincetown. She would like a refund from the Wellfleet Fire Dept. after she was forced to hire Silver Cloud to tow her car after a gas leak. (Photo Nancy Bloom)

    Chief Richard Pauley has refused her written request, saying the tow had to be done quickly because her car, which had sprung a gas leak, presented a public safety hazard.

    “It’s not about the money,” said Jacobs, who lives in Provincetown and Arvada, Colo. “It’s about the way I was treated.”

    On July 28, a Sunday, Jacobs went to the Wellfleet Flea Market and was driving her 2011 Kia Soul home on Route 6 when other motorists began signaling her to pull over. She pulled into the plaza that includes the Dunkin’ doughnuts shop, where she discovered gas pouring from her car.

    She dialed 911. A call firefighter, later identified as Lt. William Grozier, arrived in his business vehicle and Lt. Mary Lou Wood came in a fire truck.

    The car could not be driven, so Grozier suggested that Jacobs call AAA, Jacobs said. After explaining her predicament, the AAA dispatcher told her someone was on the way, and that she could get a ride in the tow truck. It would take her to her mechanic in Provincetown. The total charge would be $44, Jacobs said, and they would be there within an hour.

    Her plan quickly unraveled, however, when Wood informed her that Silver Cloud Towing had been called and that she would not be allowed to ride in the tow truck. Moreover, the driver would be taking her car to Orleans, not Provincetown, Jacobs said.

    When Silver Cloud arrived the driver loaded her car onto the tow truck “over my objections,” Jacobs said. Jacobs argued with the firefighters and driver for about 20 minutes. To prevent the tow truck from leaving she stood in front of it “with my arms raised like I was at Tiananmen Square,” Jacobs told the Independent.

    “I asked why the fire people had made other arrangements without asking or telling me after I’d made the arrangements they had suggested,” she wrote in her letter to Pauley. “The only answer was Silver Cloud could come faster.”

    Finally the firefighters called the police, she said.

    Police Chief Ronald Fisette said Det. Geraldine LaPense was able to smooth things over a bit by arranging for the Silver Cloud driver to take Jacobs to Provincetown rather than Orleans. The charge would be $295 payable in cash up front. Jacobs also incurred a $5 ATM fee getting the cash.

    On July 30 Jacobs wrote to Pauley, explaining what happened and asking for a refund of the tow charge minus the $44. She also emailed a copy to the Wellfleet Select Board. She got no response from anyone, she said.

    Pauley told the Independent that he never received her letter. As he recalled the incident, gas was pouring out of her car to the point where “we were using buckets.” Gas leaks are extremely serious and only tow companies that have certain equipment are qualified to tow the vehicle, Pauley said. Also it had to be done quickly rather than wait for AAA which can take more than an hour to arrive in July.

    But Jacobs said the gas had fully leaked out by the time the firefighters arrived. (She said her tank had ruptured and needed to be replaced, a $2,000 repair.) The firefighters never used buckets but they did put sand on the spilled gas, Jacobs added. Furthermore, she asked, why would Grozier advise her to call AAA in the first place if this were such an emergency?

    Jacobs asked if Silver Cloud enjoyed a preferential relationship with Wellfleet emergency services.

    There are no tow contracts with local police, explained Fisette. But Silver Cloud and the Tinknocker are both on the Wellfleet Police Dept.’s tow list. This is not a written contract but a verbal agreement, which specifies that these two companies will be called to tow disabled or impounded vehicles from crash scenes or following arrests, said Fisette. That is how it works with most Cape tows, claimed Rich Quirk, the manager of Silver Cloud.

    If a car is not a safety hazard as the result of a breakdown, owners can make their own arrangements, Fisette said.

    Quirk said they request cash up front because people are not usually happy to have their cars towed and have written bad checks and disputed credit card charges.

    As for refusing to take Jacobs to Provincetown, Quirk said that’s not the way they operate.

    “Not being there that day I’m not sure what happened,” Quirk said. “But we always try to work with people.”

    Once they are called, however, they need to be compensated, he added.

    Pauley said he empathizes with Jacobs but “we just follow a protocol … The town of Wellfleet won’t reimburse her for her towing costs.”

    Fisette offered to write her a letter, which she can send to AAA and perhaps get the $44 reimbursed.

    “It’s very disillusioning,” said Jacobs. “I know they [the fire dept.] do good work. But instead of being helpful they were the opposite.”

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