Riverhead Fire Department reports busiest year
Riverhead Fire Department volunteers in 2012 faced burning buildings, a historic wildfire and a cyclone, shattering the record as the busiest year in the department’s history, according to its annual report released Monday.
The department responded to 1,159 alarms last year, including 86 structure fires, 32 vehicle fires, 38 alarms for odor of gas and 80 carbon monoxide alarms, Fire Chief Anthony White said. More than half of the year’s alarms were automatic alarms, he said.
Mr. White said superstorm Sandy caused more than 60 alarms when she barreled through the area in late October, which led to the spike in total alarms for the year.
In all, fire department volunteers spent 14,228 hours responding to the alarms last year, he said, nearly 4,000 more hours than in 2011.
Firefighters also put in more than 15,000 hours of training, drills, work details and meetings to keep their skills sharp, according to the report.
The department’s volunteers also spent 950 hours working with local children to teach them about fire safety, according to the report.
“As Chief of the Riverhead Fire Department, I would like to thank the community for your continued support,” Mr. White said in the report.
For a breakdown of last year’s annual report and how it compares to 2011, see the graphic below.
