Record-high calls for emergency services in DeKalb show more are calling 911 for medical care

DeKALB – Emergency calls to DeKalb firefighters and paramedics reached record levels in 2021, adding to a decade-long trend that shows more are calling 911 for medical services, according to data released this week from the DeKalb Fire Department.

From 2020 to 2021, the DeKalb Fire Department reported a 15.06% increase in call volume, with the majority of 911 calls for people requesting medical aid, according to the 2021 DeKalb Fire Department annual report.

The trends mark a noted increase in call volume during the pandemic era, though volume has steadily rose annually over the past decade, records show.

New DeKalb Fire Chief Mike Thomas, who’s served in the role officially since April though was in an acting capacity since former chief Jeff McMaster’s November retirement, is expected to present the report’s findings to the DeKalb City Council during its regular meeting Monday. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. in the Yusunas Room of the DeKalb Public Library.

“Our employees are our most valued resource, committed to providing the highest quality service our community has come to expect and deserves,” Thomas said in the report, released Thursday ahead of Monday’s meeting. “We strive to improve efficiency both operationally and administratively.”

Thomas, a 26-year veteran of the department, served as acting chief and deputy chief of operations prior to his appointment in April. During his time as acting chief, Thomas oversaw the creation of the fiscal 2022 budget; operations and training of department staff, including hiring nine new firefighters under a $2.7 million grant; helped the department get approval to buy two new fire engines; and served on the city manager’s executive team.

By the numbers

The 54-person DeKalb Fire Department operates three fire stations across DeKalb. With an $11.3 million budget, 33 firefighter and paramedics, along with 15 officers, share three 24-hour shift rotations to address calls. Each shift must have at least 13 firefighters on at all times.

In line with trends dating back pre-pandemic to 2012, calls for service show a significant increase in residents – especially in the city’s more densely populated northwest side, data shows – calling 911 for medical aid.

In 2012, the DeKalb Fire Department reported about 5,000 calls for service. By 2015, that number rose to 5,6000. In 2019, calls for service exceeded 6,500 in a year, dipping slightly in 2020 to 6,300.

In 2021, DeKalb firefighters and paramedics responded to 7,446 emergency calls. That number is expected to grow based on trends, according to the report. September 2021 was the busiest month, the report shows, recording nearly 750 calls for service.

Tuesdays were the busiest day of the week for calls, records show, averaging 1,150 calls, followed by an average of 1,100 calls on Fridays, with 2 to 3 p.m. reportedly the busiest hour of the day.

As DeKalb County’s largest emergency service agency, DeKalb firefighters and paramedics often get called to neighboring towns to aid first response efforts. In order to ensure adequate service isn’t lacking in other areas if first responders are needed elsewhere, DeKalb also participates in a mutual aid network.

According to the report, DeKalb firefighters and paramedics are most often called to Sycamore to provide additional aid, along with Malta, Cortland and Waterman. During 2021, the DeKalb department provided aid nearly every three days and request aid nearly every five days.

The department also has 13 first responders trained in emergency hazard cleanup. Illinois’ Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) includes DeKalb County’s MABAS Six strike team, which has an ambulance from DeKalb and Sycamore fire departments, along with engines from Genoa-Kingston, Maple Park, Shabbona, Malta and Cortland.

About a year ago, DeKalb’s MABAS team was sent to Rockton just south of the Wisconsin border to aid more than 150 firefighters in battling a blaze at the Chemtool Inc. plant on the Illinois-Wisconsin border. An explosion at the plant sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

[ Local fire departments send MABAS teams to help fight massive Chemtool fire in Rockton ]

While medical emergency service makes up the majority of responses provided by DeKalb firefighters and paramedics these days, first responders were called to nearly 180 fires in 2021, data shows.

According to the report, DeKalb crews responded to 177 fires in 2021, about on par with the 175 reported in 2020. Of that, 49 were building fires, 46 were cooking fires and the remaining 82 were from fires reported in vehicles, equipment, trash and vegetation.