Washington Fire Department Calls Decrease in 2012

Washington Fire Department Calls Decrease in 2012 - The Missourian: Washington

Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2013 6:30 am

Washington Fire Department Calls Decrease in 2012

The Washington Fire Department responded to 634 calls for service in 2012, which is down more than 10 percent over 2011.

And that is a 25 percent decrease from 2007, according to a year-end report from the fire department.

In 2012, 420 responses were in the city limits, 132 in unincorporated areas and 82 mutual aid responses assisting neighboring fire districts.

The largest decrease in calls was in the central part of the city from High Street to Highway 47 with a reduction of 50 calls.

The average response time for alarms was five minutes and one second for the 65 square miles the department covers.

The average response time for the city limits was four minutes and 14 seconds.

In 2012, the department responded to five working structure fires, and another 11 reported structure fires or flue fires.

There were 100 automobile accident responses, which was down 25 percent compared to 2011.

Nine accidents required extrication from vehicles.

There was an average of 10 firefighters per call, and the all-volunteer department documented over 5,679 hours of training in 2012.

The Washington Fire Department received mutual aid assistance from other agencies 21 times.

On Aug. 4, the department responded to 29 calls in three hours when a severe thunderstorm hit.

In 2012, the department celebrated its 160th anniversary, broke ground on a new training classroom that is nearly complete and reviewed its codes.

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Posted in Washington on Thursday, January 10, 2013 6:30 am.