THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 1, 2019 Page 3 ASKS | from page 1 year? What percentage of the fires are electrical? A: I’d have to run the list to give you an accurate number, so I couldn’t really tell you. But they are very common, next to improper disposal of smoking materials; electrical fires are very, very common. We’d have to run an analysis of all structural fires, and a lot of fires wind up being undetermined. Q: So, last weekend’s electrical fire is very typical of the electrical fires you respond to in town? A: Yes. That was a very typical. Because we had a quick response and early notification, that’s why there was a positive outcome. There was damage, but we were able to stop the fire with an aggressive attack. The men really fought on their feet and used great tactics to locate the fire and extinguish it and minimize the damage. Q: So, is an electrical fire something that is easily preventable? A: Is it easily preventable? I would say don’t attempt to do your own electrical work if you are not a licensed electrician, so in that respect, it would be somewhat preventable. If you don’t know how to do electriPAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNING SIGNS: Saugus Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Chief Thomas D’Eon Jr. offers some advice to residents on how they can prevent an electrical fire in their home or respond to it before it becomes damaging and deadly. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) cal work – I would advise people not to do their own electrical work unless they are a licensed electrician. Electricity is potentially dangerous and potentially hazardous. Q: Some of this bad wiring is hidden. A: If it wasn’t done correctly and there are hidden splice points … Any splice points are supposed to be accessible and visible so you can inspect them. You are not supposed to hide them in ceilings where you can’t get at them. Q: So, last Saturday’s fire broke out after the breaker had tripped multiple times and the homeowner tried to reset it twice. A: Breakers are made to pop due to overload, typically. It worked by design when it tripped, but they reset it and it caused a failure at some place in the wiring. Q: So, the prudent thing to do, once it tripped the first time after being reset, would have been to contact the Fire Department right away. A: Yes, they should have. If you left it off and smelled no smoke and there was no sign of fire, you could call a licensed electrician and tell him, “It’s tripped a couple of times; can you come check it out?” It could be a couple of things: You could have a defective fixture or you could have defective wiring; could be a short; could be a defective breaker; you could have a defective splice. You need an electrician to diagnose that type of stuff. Q: Anything else that could have been done in this case? A: No. They called us. That’s best thing they could have done. They realized something was wrong; they smelled something was burning; they smelled smoke and they called us. We got there and we had a “As a parent, I’m very protective of my son and want to see him develop to the best of his abilities. Adult Foster Care of the North Shore has been a vital asset to our family over the past five years in helping find resources for Brett.” Ted, Caregiver to Son, Brett 978-281-2612 AdultFosterCareNS.com Celebrating 18 Years good outcome. Unfortunately, there was a lot of damage to ASKS | SEE PAGE 4 $2.59 GALLON GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 $3.39 You deserve more than a job. You deserve an Encore. Encore Boston Harbor is hiring. Explore thousands of fulfilling careers. You deserve an Encore. In accordance with our host and surrounding community agreements, hiring preference is given to properly qualified residents of the cities of (1) Everett, (2) Malden, and (3) Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Medford, and Somerville.
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