Longmont Fire Services received 547 more calls in 2022 than the average from the previous several years, according to new statistics released by the department.
The number represents a 4.63% increase — crews were called to 11,822 incidents in 2022, the data shows.
“That’s a decent increase,” Longmont Fire Chief Dan Higgins. “I think the city itself is just a little bit busier — we’re growing, and there’s more people coming into town, and that just generated more calls.”
He said another factor behind the increase was likely the drop in calls the fire department experienced during the pandemic. While calls are back up, there’s no doubt Longmont’s growing population is the main factor behind call number growth, Higgins explained.
“Overall, this is our highest call volume to-date that I’m aware of — in the time I’ve been here,” he said.
Around 65% of calls throughout 2022 were emergency medical services calls — a breakdown that’s been consistent with the past several years, Higgins said. But the number of people who needed to be taken to local hospitals via ambulance increased, the data shows. The spread of respiratory syncytial virus, the flu and COVID-19 could have been a factor behind the surge in hospital visits, the fire chief said. Fire personnel accompanies nearly all ambulance 911 calls in Longmont.
A nurse line was established in 2022 to help filter local 911 calls that are less serious — ones that may not require fire crews.
“It’s a win-win, if we can help find (callers) a better fit where they don’t have to go to the emergency room … then they don’t have to wait there and all that, and then it keeps our units in service for high-acuity medical needs,” Higgins said.
But residents are always encouraged to call 911 for any medical condition that may be serious, he said.
“Some people maybe are ignoring the signs of a heart attack, or something like that, you know, and they’re like ‘ah it’s just indigestion — I’ll be OK’ or ‘I’ll wait’ — and in those instances, I would much rather have us called to come help them, and then we can find out later that maybe it was really indigestion, but that’s way better than the other side of it — if they were truly having a heart attack,” he explained.
The fire department is working with city officials to ensure crews have enough personnel and resources as Longmont’s population continues to grow, the fire chief said.
“Longmont fire has been very fortunate over the years with the City Council and the city manager getting us the things we need — especially with equipment — we have great equipment,” Higgins said. “We hire great people, so I’m pretty happy with where we’re at, but that doesn’t mean we’re not looking forward and trying to plan for changes that’ll come.”
The fire department is in the process of hiring three new firefighters — one per shift, he said.
“We made job offers and if all goes well, they’ll be starting an academy in February,” he explained. “So that’s a step in the right direction.”
