WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The Williamsport Bureau of Fire has been busy. Firefighters here have responded to nearly 100 calls just this week.
"One of the days, it was a 30-hour period, and we had 24 calls. We are a pretty small department, so it puts a lot of stress on us, and the guys being up all night long and running anything from med calls to crashes to fires," said firefighter Trevor Lupp.
But firefighters say this has been a recurring trend. Call volume has significantly increased. Two years ago, the station averaged about 2,500 calls in a year. Over the last year, that number increased to more than 3,000.
"Keeps us busy day-to-day, but it does stress the guys. You have house chores you need to accomplish, trainings, and all sorts of stuff, but you're staying busy running all sorts of calls," added Lupp.
Firefighters say that house fires are typical during this time of the year. They told Newswatch 16 that most fires are avoidable.
"Careless smoking, unattended cooking, people fall asleep while they are cooking quite frequently. The fortunate thing here in the city is that we are staffed 24/7, so we get there relatively quick, so they don't turn into a catastrophic event," said Lt. Kenny Smith at the Williamsport Bureau of Fire.
They tell Newswatch 16 that many fires are caused by impractical home heating methods. Space heaters also cause issues.
"If you have space heaters, I do at my house. Keep them clear. Don't put anything in front of it. Don't let your kids come home from school and put their backpack in front of it. That is an easy way to start a fire," Lupp said.
Firefighters say some homes they visit don't have smoke alarms. Anybody in need of a smoke alarm can contact the Bureau of Fire directly, and they will come to install them.
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