Maple Ridge fire department has had a busy holiday season – so busy they intend to look at the stats to figure out why.
Since Wednesday, Dec. 21, the department has been responding to more than 20 calls a day.
That’s a lot of calls, according to deputy chief Geoff Spriggs, who considers around 16 calls a day to be normal.
On Dec. 21, firefighters responded to 23 calls, on Dec. 22 they responded to 16 calls, on the 23rd they answered 25 calls for help, on Dec. 24 they responded to 24 calls, and on the 25th they went to 21 calls – including a fire on the back deck of a house on Lougheed Highway at Carshill Street.
And just 10 minutes before that fire they went to another possible fire that ended up being an electrical short.
“That’s a pretty busy Christmas Day,” said Spriggs.
On Wednesday, Dec. 28, they attended 16 calls, including a garage fire in a detached building at Kent and Beckley Streets due to a smoking material, or something like a cigarette. There was considerable damage, said Spriggs.
Just yesterday, Thursday, Dec. 29, he said they answered 25 calls, including a car that left the road and crashed through the front yards of homes along 240th Street, just south of Kanaka Way.
RELATED: Maple Ridge firefighters douse bungalow fire
ALSO: Family loses everything in overnight Maple Ridge fire
Not every call is due to a fire or car crash, said Spriggs.
The local fire crew attends medical calls too like cardiac arrests, seizures, and breathing problems. In fact, the deputy chief noted, a vast majority would be medical in nature.
Now, he said, it is time to examine why the calls for help have spiked.
During the next couple of months, he noted, they will be looking at the data to determine the cause. They will be trying to figure out how much of it is an anomaly, how much is due to weather, or how much is simply the growth of the community.
“All of those things are obviously contributors now,” said Spriggs.
Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.