Rochester Fire Department sees record number of calls in 2022
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(ABC 6 News) – The Rochester Fire Department is reporting their call volume hit a record high last year.
For the first time, Rochester Fire responded to more than 12 thousand calls in one year. The fire department said the population spike in Rochester is part of the reason for this increase.
After a two-year decline in calls in 2019 and 2020, RFD responded to 11,000 calls in 2021 to only top that number with an over 10-percent increase last year (12,147).
Even though their calls to structure fires and hazardous responses went down, RFD responded to almost 700 more medical calls than the previous year.
Captain Ben Davis with the Rochester Fire Department says since the pandemic they have been responding to significantly more medical calls.
“The call volume right now in my opinion is manageable.
For the first time, Rochester Fire responded to more than 12 thousand calls in one year. The fire department said the population spike in Rochester is part of the reason for this increase.
If it continues to grow 10 or 12 percent every year then obviously, we are going have to face those challenges when they arise,” said Captain Davis.
Captain Davis added that even though fire and hazardous responses have gone down doesn’t there is any less danger.
He says newer homes contain a lot more artificial materials that burn hotter and faster and also give off toxic emissions that could be deadly.
RFD says that as the population continues to grow it’s inevitable that medical calls will go up, but the community can continue to help prevent fires by practicing fire safety at home.