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Article highlights changing trend in fire service as responses for EMS continue to grow
Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com:
Chief Tony Huemann of the McHenry Township Fire Protection District grew up dreaming of rushing into a burning building. While his extensive firefighting career provided ample chances to live out that ambition, advancements in fire safety and the rising demand for medical assistance have made such scenarios increasingly rare.
These days, the responsibilities of being a firefighter seem to evolve away from traditional firefighting roles over time. Fire calls have decreased significantly while emergency medical services continue to gain prominence. Huemann noted that aspiring firefighters must now be certified paramedics upon application and usually possess more formal education than in the past. He also mentioned that contemporary firefighters undergo regular training to keep their skills sharp, even though these skills are used less frequently.
For the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, statistics show that emergency medical responses have consistently surpassed fire responses since at least 2001. Medical calls accounted for 53% of total responses back then, but climbed to 68% by 2012. Conversely, fire responses dropped from 47% of the total to just 32% during this period.
Crystal Lake's fire and rescue department, which merged fire and EMS services in 1980, reported nearly double the number of EMS calls last year compared to 2000. Fire calls, however, have dwindled dramatically: from 169 in 2003 to only 56 in 2014.
This trend aligns with national figures. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire calls nationwide fell by 58.5% between 1980 and 2013, while medical calls surged by 323% during the same timeframe. Kenneth Willette, manager of the association’s public fire protection division, attributed this shift to improved fire safety measures, including modern codes mandating better detection and suppression systems in both commercial and industrial buildings. "As a nation, we're becoming much safer when it comes to fires," he explained.
Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts growth in firefighter employment due to the aging population, which tends to rely more heavily on emergency medical services. The bureau projects a 7% increase in firefighter roles from 2012 to 2022.
Ralph Webster, Woodstock's Fire Chief, acknowledged that local authorities are considering reallocating personnel to handle the changing demands. "We're exploring options to direct more resources toward managing emergency medical calls and redistributing resources from fire apparatus," Webster stated. "Our role has fundamentally shifted."
These changes highlight how firefighting has evolved beyond its original scope, reflecting broader societal shifts and advancements in public safety infrastructure.