The Kingsport Fire Department saw a 9% decrease in calls for service last year, most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were fewer medical calls, fewer structure fires and vehicle fires, and no fire-related deaths.
When looking at the numbers, Kingsport Fire Chief Scott Boyd thinks the drop in calls — some 800 when compared to 2019 — was a result of people simply staying home during the pandemic.
“Folks were just not being out and the potential for accidents wasn’t there. People were home more and there’s not quite as much chance of catching diseases too,” Boyd said.
However, with so many people staying home, you would think the number of structure fires would have increased.
But that was not the case. “You’d think folks being at home there would be more, but they may end up catching hazards before they become a larger fire,” Boyd said. “And there were no fire deaths (last year). We were absolutely lucky with that.”