CANMORE – Canmore Fire-Rescue responded to fewer calls in 2018, according to its annual report provided to council on (Tuesday) March 19.
Last year the fire department responded to 586 calls, 74 calls less than in 2017.
“As far as overall call volume, we saw a small reduction that was unanticipated,” said Fire Chief Walter Gahler.
He told council the fire department was on track to surpass the number of calls it responded to in 2017, however for whatever reason there were significantly fewer calls through the final few months of 2018.
Breaking the numbers down, calls for medical assistance accounted for 40 per cent of the fire department’s responses last year, while alarms accounted for the second largest call volume at 27 per cent.
According to Gahler, the fire department was on scene first for 34 per cent of all medical calls last year and, on average, 2.5 minutes before paramedics arrived.
The fire department also responded to 44 calls for a fire, representing eight per cent of its call volume. Structure fires and wildland fires accounted for eleven calls each.