Wright City Fire Protection District has seen a relatively steady number of calls for service over the last three years, despite a growing population base, according to Fire Chief Ron MacKnight.
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Wright City Fire Protection District has seen a relatively steady number of calls for service over the last three years, despite a growing population base, according to Fire Chief Ron MacKnight.
There were just under 940 incident calls in 2019, according to data provided by the fire district. That’s up from about 920 calls in 2017, while 2018 had fewer than 910 calls.
Although the total number of incidents has fluctuated up and down, calls specifically for fire response are on a downward trend over the last three years. Damages caused by fire are also down.
“I’m seeing people taking our fire prevention messages seriously,” MacKnight commented. “Our losses are down, and I think that has to do a whole lot with our prevention efforts and our ability to get out and talk to people about how to be fire safe.”
The other major block of calls Wright City Fire responds to are life-threatening medical incidents and vehicle crashes. Wright City firefighters began responding to medical calls in 2017, as did Warrenton Fire Protection District.
Those incident numbers have fluctuated more than fire calls since 2017, but MacKnight said they haven’t gone up as much as one might expect in a growing area like Wright City.
“We’re running pretty steady since we (started running) EMS calls,” he commented. “You would think with the population growth going up and our EMS calls staying the same, people are taking care of themselves.”
Still, MacKnight said it’s likely the district’s annual call volume will rise as more people move to the area. That’s why he’s grateful area voters approved a tax increase last year to retain much of the district’s professional staff. MacKnight said that will help the district handle whatever comes.
“I think we’re prepared for the future, but we’re constantly evolving and adapting to the environment that we’re operating in,” MacKnight commented.
Going forward, MacKnight said the district will focus on preparing for more “overlapping” calls, when two or more emergencies happen at the same time. That would be done by recruiting more active volunteers to supplement career staff.
“Ultimately I’d like to see Station 3 on the north side (of the district) staffed with volunteers for a certain number of days a month,” MacKnight said. “That’s our focus now, getting some volunteers in here to have that second crew.”
