The recent fatal fire on Coffin Ave has brought renewed attention to the fire department’s blackout policy.
First responders were able to locate and evacuate 85-year-old Louise Barboza on the third floor of her three-story home after receiving reports of a structure fire, but she suffered second and third degree burns and later died at the hospital.
On Thursday, the president of the local firefighters union Tom Carreiro sent out a statement, he said, in response to media questions about blackouts following the “tragic fire on Tuesday evening.”
The statement said that, “The First Due apparatus (for Tuesday’s fire) were Engine 8 and Ladder 4 from Station 8 located at the corner of Acushnet Avenue and Davis Street. On this day Engine 8 was the ‘blacked out’ (closed) apparatus for a 24 hour shift.”