Some fire departments across the Ozarks say they had a substantial increase in call volume in 2021.
Firefighters in Purdy, Mo. saw quite an increase in calls last year, jumping by 20% from 2020. The Purdy Fire Protection District reports that medical calls went down, but fires and car wrecks rose.
“That 20% increase represented kind of an anomaly,” said Purdy Fire Protection District Chief Nicholas Mercer. “Our medical calls went down, around 10% fell to around 60% of our call volume, while motor vehicle accidents and fires significantly rose compared to normal.”
Mercer said the increased call volume was not the only issue.
“We feel that almost all situations we responded to were much worse,” he said. “Significantly higher acuity of patients, significantly more challenging calls than in years prior.”