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Cranbrook, BC (October 17, 2023) – It was a hectic summer for Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services, with the team responding to over 575 calls for service in July, August, and September 2023 – an increase of 36 percent over the third quarter of 2022.

Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services reported this information with an update to Council at their regular meeting on Monday, October 16, 2023.

36 percent of the calls for service were for fire rescue response, with 64 percent of those calls for pre-hospital care. The geographic distribution of those calls across the City remains steady with higher call volumes around the downtown core and near Ridgeview Road.

“Unfortunately, the number of calls this quarter fails to relay the severity of the wildfire season that we all just experienced. Our friends and partners in the ?aq’am community experienced a loss on July 17 that is unimaginable for many of us.  10% of the community’s homes were lost in one afternoon, to a fire that forced almost the entire community out of their homes for just over three weeks,” relays Scott Driver, Director of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services.  “Our members worked tirelessly, around the clock for days to reduce the loss to the community, pushing the limits of our capacity.  This single, yet extraordinarily impactful incident was followed by what continued to be a steady increase in our ‘regular’ call volume.  I must express my condolences to the ?aq’am community, and my thanks to the many individuals on my team that worked tirelessly over this past summer to get us through very challenging times.”

With respect to fire responses, Fire & Emergency Services attended 6 structure fires, 73 outdoor fires and 75 fire alarm activations. Rescue services were required at 52 incidents for a total of 206 incidents related to Fire or Rescue.

Pre-hospital care accounted for 369 of the incidents in the third quarter of this year, of which there were 30 different types of medical emergencies reported. Overdose related emergencies were the most common incident numbering 66 in total over the quarter, followed by: chest pain (41), breathing issues (36), strokes (31), sick (31) and persons in convulsions/seizures (27).