Hopkinsville Fire Department Chief Steve Futrell presented the quarterly fire and EMS report Thursday to the Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole.
Only around 4% of the department’s calls have been fire-related. That number matches the national average, according to Futrell.
But, over 59% of the calls have been rescue and emergency medical service related. “Most of that is wrecks and assists with an ambulance, anything to that nature,” he said.
He added that the EMS run volume has grown from the beginning of the year.
“When COVID started, us, like most EMS services, we were just low,” he said. “EMS calls were low, the fire calls were low and in this (current) quarter, we saw that kind of get back up and even out and was even a little bit more … than last year.”
The department has had 242 emergency interfacility transfers, and 365 medical transports in the third quarter of the fiscal year.
But, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to longer run times for the fire and EMS departments.