Calls to the Racine Fire Department are on the rise in early 2019. And in the next few years, the Fire Department may have to consider expansion to compensate for area growth, Chief Steve Hansen told the Racine Police and Fire Commission Monday.
The RFD has already responded to 2,503 calls between Jan. 1 and March 11. By the same time last year, the Fire Department had only responded to 2,390 calls.
That’s an increase from 34.14 calls per day in 2018 up to 35.76 calls per day in 2019, a jump of nearly 5 percent.
Only 2.7 percent of the department’s total calls this year are for structure fires, although they have increased by nearly 4.5 percent so far this year — from 64 structure fires through March 11, 2018, up to 67 so far this year.
“It’s really a reflection of the community and the demand for service on the Fire Department, which continues to grow every year,” Hansen said.