2019 Emergency Responses Overview
The final numbers are in and, as we projected, requests for emergency responses continue to rise. Our total calls in 2019 increased to 3,364 which is 6.52 percent higher than the total in 2018. That’s an average of 9.22 incidents per day. The distribution in types of calls remains constant, with about two-thirds of responses to medical incidents. There were 12 house fires within our fire district in 2019. The balance of non-medical responses was to events such as outdoor burning complaints, wires and trees down, alarm activations (without fire) or other types of fire incidents such as those involving wildlands, vehicles and contained to chimneys or cooking vessels. On average, Sundays were our slowest days. Wednesdays were the busiest. We were most likely to be dispatched to an incident between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and least likely between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Our headquarters station continues to run the most calls, responding to 1,035 incidents in 2019. The Hansville station is the quietest with just 315 responses last year. We have three shifts — A, B and C — each, working 48-hours at a time. Their workload was almost evenly split; A-Shift handled 35 percent of the calls with B-Shift responding to 32.8 percent and C-Shift to 32.2 percent. Though it’s very early in the new year, the trend continues. We’re averaging 11 calls per day in 2020.
Fire service career
Since its inception over 30 years ago, nearly 200 individuals have used the NKF&R program’s training, certifications and real-life experience to better compete for paid positions at more than 50 agencies across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Once qualified to do so, program participants engage in all aspects of our operations, developing skills in firefighting and emergency medicine as well as in public speaking, team building and leadership. While we accept applications for the program year-round, the deadline is March 27 to participate in early April testing for this year’s class. Learn more about the program and get an application at our website (nkfr.org) or by contacting Assistant Chief Sean Moran via email to moran@nkfr.org.
CPR/AED Class
Learn the vital skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) at our class on Tuesday, Feb. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Indianola Clubhouse. Reservations are required. There is no charge for attending the course but students needing cards must pay $25 in advance. To sign up or get more information, call
Fire extinguisher class
Join us for a short class in fire prevention, fire behavior and fire extinguishing, with live fire and real extinguishers, on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at our headquarters station near Kingston. Sign-up by calling
Another team to cheer
Our favorite football team won’t be on the field, but another team — NKF&R firefighters’ tower team — will be training at Kingston Albertsons on Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Come cheer them on as they practice for climbing the 69 floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower on March 8, wearing full firefighting gear and breathing apparatus. You can also support their efforts to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Washington and their efforts to find a cure for blood cancers.
