The Richland Fire Department reported 2016 as the busiest on record.
Officials said they see an increase in calls almost every year as our Tri-Cities area continues to grow.
From 2015 to 2016, they had a three percent jump in calls.
RFD responded to 5,000 medical calls, 100 structure fires, 80 wild land fires and several other crashes and accidents. "Due to the increase of population in the Tri-Cities, fire departments like Richland Fire, adapt by building new fire stations and adding personal to offset the increase population which in turn means more call volume," said Keith Ramsay, Deputy Fire Marshall for the Richland Fire Department.