UPDATE: 'Medical Episode' Could Have Caused Maynard Man's Accident

A Maynard man was pronounced dead following a Jan. 2 accident in West Concord, but police say a 'medical episode,' and not the car-into-snowbank collision, may be the cause of death.

The death of Maynard man involved in a motor vehicle accident earlier today may not have been caused by the crash, according to Sgt. Jack Kennedy, a spokesman for the Concord Police Department. Around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2, the Concord Police and Fire departments responded to the area of 2194 Main St. in West Concord for a report of a car off the roadway and into a snow bank. On arrival, officers found the vehicle locked and running, with its driver unconscious inside, a CPD press release said. Officer Richard Hodgson unlocked the car, removed the driver from the vehicle and, with assistance from Officer Michael McGrath, preformed CPR on the driver. The driver, later identified as Peter Porrazzo, 84 of Maynard, was the only person …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: EMS Community Forum Tonight at Harvey Wheeler

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Concord.

1. EMS Community Forum at Harvey Wheeler: According to a committee tasked with studying the town's EMS system, Concord could use another ambulance. They'll make the case for it at 7 p.m. tonight at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. 2. Sustainable Concord Coffee: Megastorms are the focus of this last coffee until 2013. The topic du jour is the impact of superstorm Sandy and how we can prepare for the storms and power-outages of the future. The coffee's at 7 a.m. at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center, and special guests will be Concord Fire Chief Mark Cotreau and Deputy Fire Chief Chris Kelly. 3. Other Public Meetings: According to the town website, other public meetings posted for today include the Trails Committee at 8 a.m., the …

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Concord Fire’s EMS Strategic Plan Recommending Another Ambulance

Adding a primary ambulance to the West Concord Fire Station is the primary recommendation of a strategic plan to solidify CFD’s emergency medical service, which will be presented publicly next Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Not being a big fan of hyperbole, Concord Fire Chief Mark Cotreau pauses for a moment before carefully articulating four words he’ll repeat several times during a media briefing on the Emergency Medical Service Strategic Plan to be presented during a Nov. 27 public form. The words, “acute critical service gap,” describe CFD’s increasing reliance on mutual aid for EMS calls and medical transports, a trend Cotreau and a team of CFD and finance department members have examined over the past year. Their findings: That CFD, with one ambulance cross-staffed with another piece of fire apparatus, can no longer adequately respond to all requests for emergency medical transports in Concord, a town with about 17,600 residents but a service population…

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Possible Hazmat Situation at Emerson Hospital ER

According to scanner and social media reports, the emergency room at Emerson Hospital has been shut down after a "suspicious white powder" was discovered outside of it.

Emerson Hospital's emergency room has reportedly been shut down following the discovery of a "suspicious white powder" outside of the entrance to the ER, according to scanner and social media reports. The ER was reportedly shut down at about 6 p.m. Patch has left messages with emergency responders in Concord, and will update this story as more information becomes available.

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PHOTOS: Two-Alarm Fire Doused Friday Night in Concord

An appliance fire leapt up into the walls of an Elm Street residence before companies from Concord and surrounding towns were called in to battle the blaze.

The call came in reporting a microwave fire already extinguished, but the incident escalated quickly to a second alarm after firefighters found flames licking up the walls toward the attic of the single-family home on Elm Street. That was the scene Friday night in Concord, where the Fire Department, with mutual aid from Acton, Bedford, Lincoln, Maynard and Sudbury went to work on a house fire on near the Acton line. The call came in at 8:14 p.m., according to CFD, and the fire was largely knocked down within the next hour or so, and companies readied to clear and start an investigation by 10 p.m. Three chiefs—from Bedford, Lincoln and Concord—were on the scene, along with dozens of firefighters and several apparatus. Local and state police…

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Patch Facts

Five Things: Art, Meetings and Nor'easter Rolling In

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Concord.

1. ArtMatters: Music and Dance, Matisse, and Renoir: At 1:30 p.m. this afternoon, Jane Blair of ArtMatters returns to Carlisle for a celebration of Auguste Renoir’s life and work at the St. Irene Church at 181 East St. in Carlisle. 2. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town webiste, public meetings posted for today in Concord include the Concord Local Emergency Planning Committee at 9 a.m., the Cemetery Committee at 7 p.m., the Natural Resources Commission at 7 p.m., the Comprehensive Sustainable Energy Committee at 7:30 p.m. and the West Concord Advisory Committee at 7:30 p.m. 3. Goodbye and Good Luck! Accoding to the most recent Town Manager's Report, 18-year CFD veteran Firefighter Scott Wodzinski’s last shift was October 30. He…

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Bedford Woman Arrested for OUI After Striking Cyclist in Concord

The Sept. 20 accident snarled traffic along Route 62 during the afternoon commute and sent a Concord man to Lahey Clinic with apparently serious injuries.

The motor vehicle vs. bicycle accident that snarled traffic around Bedford Street and sent a Concord man to an area trauma center last Thursday afternoon also resulted in the arrest of a Bedford woman for operating under the influence and speeding. According to a police report, multiple 911 calls came just after 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 20 reporting a bicyclist was unconscious and breathing after being struck by a motor vehicle on Bedford Street, near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Concord Police shut down the street, normally heavy with traffic at that time of day, at Monument Square, while a unit from Bedford closed off the street at Old Bedford Road, the incident report said. The man was transported with a family member to Lahey Clinic. According to…

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Accident Snarls Traffic, Sends Bicyclist to Trauma Center

Or, why the afternoon commute through Concord took so long on Thursday, Sept. 20.

A motor vehicle accident shut down Bedford Street and sent an adult male to Lahey Clinic with apparently serious injuries on Thursday, Sept. 20, Concord Fire Chief Mark Cotreau confirmed today. According to Cotreau, CFD received a call at 4:18 p.m. reporting a bicyclist was struck by a motor vehicle near the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Emergency responders treated the adult male cyclist, who appeared to have serious injuries, and then transported him to Lahey, the nearest trauma center, Cotreau said. The road, ordinarily heavy with commuters at that time of day, was shut down for a period of time and traffic rerouted to nearby arteries. Some commuters have reported the accident more than doubled their typical commute.  According to Cotreau, …

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