Anacortes Fire Department reports rising call volume and urges comp‑plan planning for staffing and facilities

Fire Chief Harris told the Anacortes City Council on March 17 that the Anacortes Fire Department’s total call volume in 2024 was 4,767, up about 3.5% from 2023, and that EMS continues to dominate the workload.

Harris said about 80% of calls are EMS-related and that about 47% of EMS calls resulted in hospital transports in 2024 — 2,057 transports in total — with roughly 63% of those at the paramedic (advanced life support) level. Non‑EMS responses included eight structure fires, ten vehicle fires, one recorded boat fire, 12 wildland/vegetation fires, 32 hazmat incidents and 14 water/rescue incidents. The department responded to an average of about 400 calls a month — roughly 13 calls a day.

The statistics matter because the department projects steady growth that will increase demand on crews and facilities. “If that continues, in 2031 we’ll be at around 7,000 calls,” Harris said during his presentation, adding that the city could see about 8,700 calls by 2035 and about 15,000 by 2045 if the 5% annual growth…