Town of Brookfield firefighters save man from bitter cold

When temperatures dip as low as they have been recently, call volumes can go up for departments like in the Town of Brookfield

Emergency calls

What we know:

On Tuesday morning, Jan. 21, paramedics responded to a group home. They said a man got out of the building and into the bitter cold. He was not wearing shoes or a jacket. The man was evaluated and did not have frostbite.  

Firefighters and medics said that is just one of the many cold-weather-related calls they receive on days like this. 

Common mistakes

Cold weather issues:

Assistant Chief Tony D'Amico said some of the most common mistakes people make are with space heaters and ovens. D'Amico reminds everyone to not put space heaters near curtains – and make sure you purchase models that turn off if tipped over. 

Assistant Chief Tony D'Amico

Ovens are another issue that can create carbon monoxide dangers in small places. 

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The Town of Brookfield Fire Department also inspects commercial and multi-family buildings twice a year. D'Amico said out of 203 violations the department flagged in 2024, 17 of them involved fire sprinkler systems. He said a lot of people do not realize those systems need to be treated for bitter cold – so pipes do not burst.

"Make sure they don’t freeze up because water will freeze and anti freeze won’t – then when it’s time for the sprinkler system to work it will do it’s job.  Otherwise, water will expand it and it will crack the pipes and we’ll have a water problem," D'Amico said.

Recognition

Local perspective:

The department also received a proclamation from the governor's office on Tuesday, Jan. 21. It acknowledges "Community Risk Reduction Week."

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Leaders there say departments all across the state are using and sharing data to help enhance response times and targeted areas.  

The Source: The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.

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