Tumbler Ridge Fire Department responded to 167 calls in 2021

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. – The Tumbler Ridge Fire Department presented its 2021 annual report to council on Monday.

According to the report, the department had 18 staff members in 2021 and responded to 167 calls for service.

In May 2021, the department transitioned from a volunteer organization to a paid on-call model, so the firefighters no longer risk the potential loss of income.

The department’s received calls in 2021 were up 41 per cent from 2020. The report says the increase is mainly due to a return to the pre-pandemic British Columbia Emergency Health Service medical priority dispatch system and clinical response model.

The most common call the department responded to in 2021 was medical, with 72 calls.

Firefighters also responded to 35 calls for “alarms ringing,” according to the report.

In the report, the department says it kept “meticulous track” of when calls occurred. The busiest day was Monday, and the most active hour was from noon to 1 p.m.

As expected, the busiest month was June, likely due to wildfire season.

The department reported that their average response time in the community was 4 minutes and 31 seconds and out of the community was 7 minutes and 20 seconds.