After making 16,833 responses in 2017, the Racine Fire Department saw its responses grow by 13% in 2018, up to 19,023 total.
“We’re going on over 1,000 calls a month,” Fire Chief Steve Hansen told the Racine Police and Fire Commission on Sept. 9.
However, fires made up a tiny portion of the increase. There were 2,341 responses to fires in 2017, compared to 2,400 — an increase of less than 0.4%. In total, Hansen said that emergency medical responses consistently takes up 85% to 88% of the department’s calls.
The biggest percentage jump came from “Mobile Integrated Healthcare” calls, during which the Fire Department checks up on patients at their homes after being discharged by Ascension All Saints Hospital. The goal of the program is to help reduce readmission rates at the hospital.