Spokane Valley Fire Department reports rising call volume; Liberty Lake sees steady annual inspections

The Spokane Valley Fire Department presented quarterly operations data at the Oct. 21 Liberty Lake council meeting, reporting a year-to-date increase in calls and outlining inspection and outreach activity in the city.

Fire Marshal Beau Clifford said the department has seen roughly a 5% increase in total responses year-to-date, with about 19,057 calls so far this year and more than 23,700 total vehicle movements responding to incidents. July was the busiest month so far, Clifford said, with 2,289 calls recorded that month.

Clifford identified the busiest stations and hotspot neighborhoods and explained automatic-aid arrangements with adjacent jurisdictions. He also noted a small number of “gray areas” in nearby unincorporated territory that are not formally served by a fire district; those areas occasionally require out-of-district response.

Clifford described inspection work: crews performed multiple annual business inspections across the jurisdiction and reported hundreds of recorded violations during inspection cycles; he said the department typically completes roughly 5,500 business inspections annually and achieves full compliance by year’s end.

Council members asked about smoke-detector installs and other community outreach. Clifford said the department runs free smoke-alarm installs—truck crews perform installs on scheduled Saturdays and some weekday events— and he offered to provide monthly counts of installations and inspection results going forward.

Council members thanked the department for its service and asked for follow-up mapping and inspection summaries in future quarter reports.

No council action was required; the presentation was for information and planning.