The County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service says the increase in calls year over year has continued steadily. In an annual report submitted to County council Monday, the number of calls in 2018 went up 241 from 2017 for a total of 1,888.
Fire Chief Dan Verdun says the uptick in calls is not necessarily from areas which are already heavily populated.
“I wouldn’t it’s exponential of course, but we are definitely seeing a curve which is affecting us regionally. It’s not just our Clairmont/Dunes stations.”
The upward curve in calls also pushed the operating budget for the County up by nearly $400,000. Verdun says that’s well within the capital budget for the year and will not cause any undue problems.
He adds he can’t forecast any financial problems on the horizon.
“We can forecast increases in depreciation of equipment, apparatus and personnel. As a good contingent of our service are volunteers there is minimal impact from a wage perspective,” he says.
The County Regional Fire Service has received more than 5,000 calls to service since 2016.