Recently a reader asked if fire and ambulance calls (for service) increase with the warmer weather and if the fire department get more calls in the winter or the summer.
And the answer is yes. The calls never seem to stop--morning, noon, night and day, 365 days out of the year.
Actually I did not know the answer, so I asked someone smarter than me. Jim Bangerd is a longstanding veteran firefighter, past president of the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No.1 and the current chief of the fire suppression side of the department.
Bangerd said, “The calls are pretty consistent throughout the year. They, the numbers that is, do not vary that much. You get some calls that are winter, or weather related. Maybe a sledding accident in the winter…"
“You get calls that are specific to the time of the year. I mean, we’re not going to get too many sledding calls in July,” said Bangerd with a chuckle.
“Then maybe in the summer we’ll get a call for a lawn mower accident, or an ATV (all terrain vehicles) accident. The bulk of our calls remain motor vehicle accidents and unfortunately they remain pretty steady throughout the year.”