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Review: Nearly 4 of 5 Mich. fire calls are now medicals

One department which does not respond to medical calls found to be active only 33 minutes of 24-hour shift; trend seen nationally according to NFPA

By Ted Roelofs
Bridge Magazine

MICHIGAN — When the dispatch call goes to a typical Michigan fire station, chances are it has nothing to do with fire. In fact, odds are about four in five it’s some kind of medical emergency. And even then, it may well turn out to be a false alarm.

Not exactly the kind of sirens-blaring drama many associate with their local fire station.

In St. Joseph in Southwest Michigan, officials from the International City/County Management Association studied daily logs for that city’s firefighters. In that department, which does not respond to medical calls, it found firefighters in active service just 33 minutes in a given 24-hour period.

Full Story: Medical calls dominate fire run stats