The La Crosse Fire Department responded to more than 6,000 incidents in 2018. That number, however, is only a slight increase from 2017. This year was kind to the La Crosse Fire Department under first-year Chief Ken Gilliam. He said there's still a lot to catch up on, but that there are plenty things to be proud of. "We have had a great year," Gilliam said. "I am not driving everybody crazy yet but I am working on it." He said there were challenges, especially being the the new kid on the block. "We certainly saw some significant retirements of some of our aging population here," Gilliam said. "It's really been a year of me getting to know the organization better and really starting to give it a little bit of a steer." There were also a lot of changes for the better.