The Wheeling Fire Department released its yearly statistics today and noted the department hit another historical milestone in 2022, making it the busiest 12-month period on record with calls for service. Five of the last eight years have been record-breakers for the WFD.

“I am proud of all the men and women at the Wheeling Fire Department. Responding to more than 8,000 calls for the first time in our history shows the dedication and preparedness of our crews to help serve the citizens and visitors to our great city,” said Fire Chief Jim Blazier.

All departmental incidents for 2022 totaled up to 8,313 - up 464 calls from 2021.This in an overall increase of 6% from the prior year.

Calls for service are categorized in nine areas by the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Code Guide: Fires, Overpressure/Explosion/Overheat (or no fire), Medical/EMS calls, Hazardous Conditions, Service Calls, Good Intent Calls, False Alarm/False Calls, Severe Weather and Special Incidents. All categories saw increases except one. 

Medical/EMS calls continue to trend upward and make up the majority of calls for the WFD. 2022’s numbers totaled 5,375, which accounts for roughly 65% of all departmental related incidents.

Fire calls were up for the first time in years increasing roughly 61% from the previous year (139 in 2022 vs. 86 in 2021). “Some years we have more fires than others. Most fires that occurred in 2022 were accidental and thankfully we had no fatalities,” said Chief Blazier.

Perhaps the most notable incident in 2022 was the derecho storm that took place in the earlier morning hours of June 14. Firefighters were called to roughly 100 incidents during a 24-hour period - including a structure fire, several reports of electrical wires and trees down, as well as power outages at various facilities, prompting the Emergency Management Agency to activate for several days. 

Chief Blazier noted despite the busy year, there is still work to do this coming year.

“Not only did we have a record-breaking year, we also were very busy making improvements to our services at WFD. We broke ground on our soon-to-be new fire headquarters in August, received a brand-new engine truck for our Warwood fire house, introduced Indy - the departments first ever Canine, and hired ten new firefighters. I am very happy with the progress we’ve made and am looking forward to more in 2023,” Chief Blazier said.

WFD hopes to move into its new state-of-the art headquarters, located at the corner of 17^th and Wood Streets in East Wheeling at the end of 2023. The chief also hopes to begin much needed structural repairs on Stations 2 (North Wheeling) and Station 10 (Edgewood/Woodsdale).

A breakdown of the 2022 calls are as follows:
 
 2022 Total Calls for Service: 8,313

• Fire: 139
• Overpressure/Explosion/Overheat (no fire): 34
• Medical/EMS/Rescue: 5,375
• Hazardous Conditions: 185
• Service Calls: 1,141
• Good Intent Calls: 541
• False Alarms & False Calls: 871
• Severe Weather/Natural Disaster: 20
• Special Incidents: 7