P.A. fire department responded to 1,700 calls in 2022, busiest year on record

He noted the significant increase is somewhat concerning, however, it’s not something they can’t handle. The department has two fully staffed engines which allow them to go to multiple calls at once.

“Fifteen to 20 years ago, that seldom happened,” said Paul. “(Now) it’s a fairly common occurrence that we have two calls simultaneously.”

Once three simultaneous calls start to become a common occurrence, then Paul explained it’ll become a big concern as that’ll mean some people will have to wait for service.

Meanwhile, false alarms may be one of the reasons for the significant jump in calls from previous years.

Throughout August and into September, the department was experiencing a 480 per cent increase. This averaged out to around four false alarms a day.

“I don’t know if it contributed to the entire increase from 2021, but it did play a role,” added Paul.

The number of false alarms did drop near the end of the year. Paul believes fines under the Fire Services Bylaw may have played a part in this.

However, they were still a problem, especially those done on purpose.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Jaryn Vecchio

P.A. fire department responded to 1,700 calls in 2022, busiest year on record

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