Calls for fire service in North Bay climbed significantly, says fire chief

Calls for the North Bay Fire and Emergency Services have gone up each year for the last five years. It’s a worrisome trend when fire crews are already stretched thin at another emergency.

"We’ve had multiple calls when we’ve had a fire going on and we had to try and get resources in and move resources around,” said fire chief Jason Whiteley.

New data from the fire department shows 911 calls for fire service are up by 15 per cent this past year. The calls range from structure fires, to medical emergencies and outdoor burning.

Medical calls will be up 13 per cent by the time 2023 comes to an end.

"I’m always planning for a depth of response to have a fire vehicle available when somebody requests service,” said Whiteley.

The fire department recorded 32 structure fires in 2022. The year before that, there were 54. And 11 per cent of the time, firefighters are needed to extinguish structure fires, outdoor or vehicle blazes. Cooking fires remain the most common type of calls.

New data from the fire department in North Bay shows 911 calls for fire service are up by 15 per cent this past year. The calls range from structure fires, to medical emergencies and outdoor burning. (Photo from video)

"We always trend about the same, about 225-250 fire-related responses every year and we’re going to trend to about 2,300 total requests for service this year,” Whiteley said.

The fire department staffs three vehicles with a command officer 24 hours a day. That means a minimum of 13 people on duty at a time and up to 18 when at full strength.

“If I have fire vehicles tied up at less-urgent calls, then that puts us behind the eight ball,” said Whiteley.

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