photo by: Journal-World File Photo

This Journal-World file photo shows Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical personnel responding to a fire in October 2019.

Despite a growing population, Douglas County saw a decrease in calls for fire and medical services for the second year in a row in 2020.

But that trend is not destined to last, Tom Fagan, division chief of administration for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, said.

According to the department’s recently published 2020 annual report, LDCFM responded to 12,659 calls in 2020, which is a decrease of about 2.7%. In 2019, the number of calls dropped by 2.23%, or 297 calls, which was the first reversal of the trend of increasing calls since 2011.

Those calls represent the department’s responses for fire emergencies in Lawrence and medical emergencies throughout the county. Rescue and emergency medical services make up the vast majority of the calls, coming in at 68%.

Fagan said the noticeable decrease of calls in 2020 was related to the coronavirus pandemic that emerged in March 2020 because it led to social distancing and a decrease in community activity.

photo by: Contributed

This graph from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical’s 2020 annual report shows a recent decline in calls for service.

But as the pandemic began to recede in recent months, the calls of service began to spike. Not only have calls increased, but the department may respond to the most amount of calls it has ever experienced, Fagan said.

“(So far) 2021 is entirely different with heavy demand on fire medical emergency services, the highest demand in our history as an organization,” Fagan said in an email to the Journal-World. “Based on current trends, we project running approximately 14,000 incidents in 2021 but could be more if the moving daily average continues to increase.”

Between Jan. 1 and June 29, the department has already responded to a total of 6,887 calls for service, Fagan said. That is a 10% increase compared to the same period of 2019, 6,260, and an 12.4% increase compared to the same period of 2020, 6,127.

Additionally, Fagan said the daily call average for 2021 has increased by nearly 42 calls a day and is continuing to grow.

“Based on this trend and the additional populations returning in the fall with the universities, we anticipate the increasing tendency to continue,” Fagan said.

But there are always actions the public can take to help avoid emergencies, Fagan said. The department recommends county residents prepare by checking their homes for working smoke alarms and having a plan for when there is a fire. The department also encourages residents to go to the doctor for a regular check up to avoid unexpected medical emergencies.

“We strongly encourage the community to be prepared for emergencies,” Fagan said. “Minimizing risk prevents emergencies from occurring and can be the difference in a life-changing event.”