FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash.- According to the National Fire Protection Agency fire stations across the nation are seeing an increase in calls each year.
According to Franklin County Fire District #3 Fire Chief Mike Harris, 2023 saw a 10% increase in calls with 882 calls reported.
According to Harris, a fire station of their size would typically see between one and two calls a day but are now seeing an average of 2.5 calls each day.
As a station that has both volunteer and career firefighters this increase in calls has been impacting everyone said Harris.
In response to the increased call volume the volunteer system for FCFD #3 has changed.
According to Harris volunteer firefighters used to be on-call. meaning each firefighter would have a pager and would be paged every time there was an emergency.
However, with 2.5 calls a day this became unrealistic. Now the station askes the volunteers what they can give. With each volunteer giving the station days they are available and coming in for full 24-hour shifts.
Harris says volunteers can work one day a week or once a month depending on availability.
The increase in call volume is primarily being seen with medical or EMS calls according to Harris.
Between the City of Pasco and Franklin County Fire Stations there are six ambulances according to Harris.
This requires FCFD#3 to rely on neighboring stations for help 30% of the time. And while they prefer to ask for assistance from Kennewick and Richland during busy times the station requests help from as far as Walla Walla said Harris.
According to Harris if you are experiencing a minor medical issue and request transportation from an ambulance you may still be waiting in the emergency room for hours.
when your are taken to the hospital by ambulance when you enter the emergency room you will be assessed just like any other patient and treated accordingly said Harris.
Harris Said that the best ways to reduce strain on local firefighting agencies is to practice fire safety and do your best to stay safe and healthy during cold and flu season.
