Police, Fire & Courts

Town fire departments hold 9/11 memorial ceremonies

The Onset Fire District and Wareham Fire Department held small memorial ceremonies on Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremonies honored the first responders and civilians — one of whom...

Onset Fire Department receives federal grant

The Onset Fire Department received $166,338 in federal funding to help maintain the department’s staffing levels. The funds are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s SAFER Program (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants...
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Gas leak on Cranberry Highway leads to road closure

Just after noon on Tuesday, a gas leak was reported in the area of Harbor Freight on Cranberry Highway. That store was evacuated, along with O’Reilly’s and the businesses near the Sherwood Williams store. It seems that a gas line was hit during the...

13-year-old dead, man injured in dirt bike crash

A 13-year-old girl from Carver was killed and another man was injured in a dirt bike crash at the Wareham motocross track on Monday, Sept. 6, according to a press release from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The Onset Fire Department...

Crashes along Route 25 send five to the hospital

Consecutive crashes on Route 25 sent five individuals to the hospital on Monday, Aug. 23, including a truck driver — whose extrication from the cab took firefighters nearly an hour after first responders were alerted to a “tractor-trailer on its...

Jeffrey Osswald sworn in as Onset Fire Chief

Jeffrey Osswald, a decades-long veteran of the Onset Fire Department, is the department’s new chief. He was sworn in by Onset Fire District Clerk/Treasurer Mary McCoy on Friday, Aug. 13. Osswald was formally named Onset fire chief during an Aug. 12...

New Onset Fire Station ‘substantially complete,’ cleared for occupancy

The new Onset Fire Station, located at 8 Sand Pond Rd. behind the old Salvation Army, is “substantially complete,” and cleared for occupancy. During an Aug. 12 Prudential Committee meeting, Fire Chief Jeffrey Osswald explained that work to set up...

Wareham man dies in one-car accident in Falmouth

A Wareham man died in a single-vehicle accident early Sunday morning in Falmouth. According to Falmouth Police, Austin T. Roberts, 22, was driving north on Central Ave. in East Falmouth when he failed to stop at a stop sign, crossed East Falmouth...

Chief Correia focuses on safety, community outreach

Walter Correia joined the Wareham Police Department in the summer of 1994 — totally new to the profession. This spring — more than 25 years later — Correia was named Chief of Police for the department to which he’s dedicated his career. “In a lot of...

Fire destroys West Wareham home, displaces family

A fire at 33 Long Boat Road in West Wareham displaced three adults and one cat early in the morning of Monday, July 26. Another cat perished in the fire. The Wareham Fire Department received several calls about the home at 2:17 a.m. An engine, along...

Bike and drone pair could help first responders with search and rescue

Wareham’s first responders might soon have technology that would make certain rescue operations easier, courtesy of 1854 Cycling’s bicycle with a link to a drone video feed. The product is still being developed, but Brandale Randolph — the founder...

‘Substantial completion’ of new Onset Fire Station expected this week

Construction of the new Onset Fire Station is nearly complete: Town officials are set to sign off on its “substantial completion” as early as this week, at which point the department can begin moving things into the new building. Project manager Joe...

Committee to explore public safety complex, stand-alone police station

Facing limited funding due to lower-than-expected marijuana revenues and other financial setbacks, the Public Safety Complex Study Committee is considering adjusting its mission and focusing on the town’s most pressing public safety need: A new...

Onset Fire District’s election results are in

The Onset Fire District’s annual election was held at the VFW on Tuesday, May 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. Karl Baptiste ran unopposed and won one three-year seat on the Prudential Committee, receiving 29 votes. Frank Kowzic was re-elected to serve a three-...

All articles approved at Onset Fire District Meeting

With little fanfare and limited discussion, voters at the Onset Fire District Annual Meeting passed all 25 articles on the warrant. In total, 39 voters gathered at the Onset VFW on Monday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. to conduct fire district business. Most...

Everyone ‘safe and sound’ after officers respond to unknown incident at schools

Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood reported “everybody’s out safe and sound,” after police responded to an unknown incident in the area of Minot Forest Elementary School and Wareham Middle School at about 2:30 p.m. No...

New Police Chief Walter Correia says job is ‘an honor and a privilege’

Out with the old guard and in with the new: Wareham officially has its next chief of police. The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved hiring Walter Correia — who has served in the department for more than 25 years, most recently as a lieutenant...

Enos, Crocker win seats on Fire District Prudential Committee

A contested race for two seats on the Fire District Prudential Committee drew steady turnout for the Wareham Fire District’s April 17 election. A total of 284 voters participated in the election — both during the drive-thru style election held...

Wareham Fire District elections are on Saturday

On Saturday, April 17, Wareham Fire District voters will be asked to elect two Prudential Committee members and one Water Commissioner. The election will be held drive-thru style at the Wareham Fire District office, 2550 Cranberry Highway, from 10 a...

Fire departments celebrate dispatchers

In honor of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which falls annually during the second full week of April, The Onset Fire Department and Wareham Fire District recognized their hard-working dispatchers and fire alarm operators. In a...

Funding for new equipment and reduced meeting quorum approved at Fire District Meeting

In stark contrast with the lengthy and controversial Special Town Meeting on April 10, voters at the Wareham Fire District’s annual meeting approved nearly everything on the docket without much discussion or any objection during a speedy 40-minute...

Train conductor shot with pellet gun

Late on Monday morning, the conductor on a train traveling on the tracks near Pierceville Road in West Wareham was hit by a shot from a pellet gun. Police Chief John Walcek said that it may have been an accident and that the train employee received...

Firefighter teaches bike safety at Decas Elementary School

Wareham’s elementary students made the most of their first week back in school full-time, five days a week. On Monday, April 5, firefighter Dana Lofgren from the Wareham Fire Department visited John W. Decas Elementary School to talk with students...

Onset Fire Chief hopes new station will be 'part of the heart of the community'

The new Onset Fire Station — located at 8 Sand Pond Rd. behind the old Salvation Army — is nearing the final stages of construction. The project likely won’t be complete until the end of May, but enough of the building was finished to allow members...

Lt. Walter Correia tapped to be new police chief

Lt. Walter Correia is in talks to become Wareham’s chief of police after John Walcek — the current chief — retires on April 17 . After a unanimous Board of Selectmen’s vote on April 6, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan has been authorized “to go...

Wareham, Onset Fire Departments to receive state grants

The Onset Fire Department and Wareham Fire District are two of 300 departments across the state to be awarded funds through the Fiscal Year 2021 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. The Onset Fire Department will receive $10,380, which will...

New equipment, lower quorum on the warrant at upcoming Fire District Meeting

Voters at the Wareham Fire District’s upcoming annual meeting will be asked to weigh in on a number of big-ticket items — including purchasing new equipment, buying a replacement command vehicle and funding live fire training. In addition, District...

Onset Fire extinguishes fire at The Liquor Locker

The Onset Fire Department extinguished a structure fire at The Liquor Locker on April 1. The Liquor Locker, located at 3021 Cranberry Highway, had been closed at the time of the fire. The building sustained moderate damage, but “the business...

New Onset Fire Station on track for completion in May

Although the new Onset Fire Station’s construction has been delayed by about 30 days, the building is on track to be complete by the middle of May. Project manager Joe Sullivan reported progress on the building, located at 8 Sand Pond Rd. behind the...

Man arrested for intent to distribute drugs

An East Wareham man was arrested on Friday, March 19, following an investigation into illegal narcotics activity in Onset. Police spotted Kyle Pina, 32, on Rte. 25 and stopped his car at 12:45 p.m. as part of the investigation. Police seized seized...