Midway through 2019, Hanceville’s fire department is on pace to slightly exceed the number of responses it made to emergency calls in 2018.
The department’s response volume through June 30 isn’t dramatically higher than it was a year ago, only 600 total responses versus 592 last year, but paired with recent statistics delivered by the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office, they do highlight some concerning local safety trends, according to Hanceville assistant fire chief Bart Absher.
“One heartbreaking thing that we learned just this week through the state fire marshal’s office is that there have 47 fire fatality deaths in Alabama this year — and Cullman and Blount counties are among the top ten, statewide, for per-capita fire deaths,” he told the Hanceville City Council Thursday.