Forest Park first responders report lower crime, staffing updates and holiday safety tips
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Summary
At a ward meeting, city fire and police officials reported October call volumes and staffing changes, said crime is down about 9% from last year, outlined holiday patrol plans and offered fryer-safety advice ahead of Thanksgiving.
At the monthly ward meeting, Forest Park public safety officials reported October response statistics, staffing updates and holiday safety plans.
A fire department representative summarized October activity, saying the city ran about 334 EMS calls and provided mutual aid roughly 17 times. The speaker reported 19 trauma-type calls and four cardiac arrests in October, noting one patient was resuscitated. On the fire side, the department logged residential and apartment fires, vehicle fires, brush fires, 14 false alarms and a total of about 232 fire-related calls. The representative also said the inspections division completed about 38 inspections and reported an out-of-station time averaging about 2 minutes and a total response time near 6.5 minutes across the city’s three stations.
"Make sure it is completely thawed and completely dry," the fire department representative advised residents preparing to fry turkeys for Thanksgiving, adding safety tips to fry only outdoors, check oil levels before heating and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
Police Chief Brandon Chris told residents the department recently onboarded a new dispatcher but still has officer vacancies. He announced a turkey giveaway next week, a December "Shop with the Hero" program to assist families during the holidays, and congratulated participants in the department’s 50th Citizens Police Academy. "Crime is still down by 9% from last year," Chief Chris said, and he noted the department’s holiday action plan began Nov. 1 with extra officers on patrol through the end of the year.
Chief Chris also said code compliance has been moved under the police department and asked residents to report concerns via the city’s 1-click reporting tool. He encouraged residents to follow the department’s social media for dates and details of community programs.
The meeting materials and the full recording will be posted on the City of Forest Park website for residents who could not attend.