Phoenix firefighters responded to a record number of calls in 2022. | Phoenix Fire Department/Facebook
Phoenix firefighters responded to a record number of calls in 2022. | Phoenix Fire Department/Facebook
The Phoenix Fire Department was kept on its toes during 2022, answering a record number of calls.
Department statistics showed that firefighters responded to 405,290 calls for the year, up more than 5% from the 385,573 in 2021, a recent news release from the City of Phoenix said.
“The Phoenix Fire Department is aware of the rapid growth our city is experiencing,” Fire Chief Mike Duran said in the release. “Along with that comes a higher demand for our emergency services.”
Phoenix Fire Engine 7 can lay claim to the highest yearly unit call volume ever recorded in the region, with 6,057 calls for service.
“We are working diligently with city leadership, and our partners in U.P.F.F.A. Local 493 to project the needs of the community and build a response system that matches the need and improves response times,” Duran said. “In addition, we are ever mindful of the wellness of our responders, providing the best support services possible to support their needs.”
Six Phoenix fire engines ended the year with call volumes above 5,000, the release said. First was the aforementioned Engine 7; Engine 15 was the second-busiest, having answered 5,183 total calls; third-busiest was Engine 18, which answered 5,102 calls; Engine 42 answered 5,036 service requests; and Engine 33 came in as the sixth-busiest with 5,022 responses.
With the city’s growth and the related increase in call volume, the Phoenix City Council in December set aside nearly $8 million that will—among other things—fund 58 new positions, including staffing of Fire Station 62, which is in the works.
Alerts Sign-up