VIDEO: Peoria firefighters responded to almost 5% more calls in 2023 than in 2022, the department said Wednesday in their annual report.
The report said of the 21,267 calls, nearly 80% were medical in nature. Only 4% or about 851 calls, were fire-related, the report stated.
Response times, a key point of contention the department has had when it comes to budgetary issues, were less than six minutes for medical calls and about 10 minutes for fires.
“I want to congratulate the entire department for their unwavering dedication and daily professionalism to lead this Fire Department into the future,” Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said. “Without every last firefighter, the excellent service we provide would not be possible.”
The increase, the report said, was due to changes in seasonal illnesses and changes in the weather.