Anthrax fears, automatic fire-alarm systems, and changed response procedures are responsible for a 15 percent jump in 2001 in Evanston’s fire department responses, officials said, citing a report released in March.
“We saw our largest year … in total call volume,” said Division Chief Alan Berkowsky of Evanston fire department, which last month released results of an 18-year study of fire department and emergency medical calls in Evanston.
Calls regarding hazardous materials skyrocketed from six calls in September to 62 calls in October, then dropped to 28 calls in November, the study showed.
“We were going out on (anthrax calls) on a pretty daily basis,” he said. “It definitely added to the call volume.”
The study showed that the number of calls handled by the fire department has increased about 35 percent since 1984.
In 2001, they received 3,255 fire calls, an increase from 2,831 calls in 2000. The number of emergency medical service calls decreased slightly from 4,685 in 2000 to 4,677 in 2001. From 1984 to 2001, fire calls have gone up by 38 percent and emergency medical service calls have increased by 33 percent.
A December 2000 change in how the fire department responds to calls at Northwestern is also a factor in the growing number of calls, Berkowsky said.
According to the new procedure, both University Police and the fire department simultaneously respond to fire calls at NU. Previously, the fire department responded to calls between only 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., while UP handled the other shift.
The new procedure has added to the number of calls the fire department receives, Berkowsky said, but the department is “more comfortable” with the change because safety officials can now “keep an eye on buildings” at NU and make sure they remain safe.
Emergency medical calls at Northwestern did not change significantly from 2000 to 2001, Berkowsky said.
But the increase in activity can be attributed to the growing number of automatic fire-alarm systems in the city, Berkowsky said. The systems are a by-product of city expansion and the construction of more buildings with alarms installed.
In 2001, the department responded to 1,272 automatic fire alarm calls that ended in false alarms, up from 1,039 in 2000.
“The more buildings, the more people, the more systems, the more potential there is (for false alarms),” Berkowsky said.
Only about 3 percent of calls received from automatic fire alarm systems result in an actual emergency, he said.
