The Wheeling Fire Department released its annual statistics for 2024. All departmental incidents for last year totaled 7,768 – a 3% increase from the prior year.
The most significant event of 2024 was the consecutive Ohio River floods in April, which led to numerous rescue and service calls for those affected by the flooding, marking it as the busiest event of the year. Other key moments included the department’s relocation from its Centre Wheeling headquarters in February, the resumption of work on a new headquarters in East Wheeling in the fall, and the installation of a Safe Haven baby box at Station 5 on Wheeling Island this past summer.
In 2024, the EMS division also acquired new equipment to improve patient care and safety, including automated CPR auto pulse devices, CPR training equipment, power stair chairs, and ballistic vests for responders.
“2024 presented distinct challenges with the temporary relocation of fire headquarters. The move early in the year brought a sense of nostalgia after being based in Centre Market for 45 years, while also generating excitement as we look forward to a new building in East Wheeling. Overall, the year was consistent with previous ones, with a slight call volume increase. Despite the relocation and other obstacles, we were able to get the job done,” Wheeling Fire Chief Jim Blazier said.
Calls for service are categorized in nine areas by the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Code Guide: Fires, Overpressure/Overheat (or no fire), Medical/EMS calls, Hazardous Conditions, Service Calls, Good Intent Calls, False Alarm/False Calls, Severe Weather and Special Incidents.
Medical/EMS-related incidents make up the majority of WFD’s call volume, representing 65% of all department-related calls. This category saw a slight increase of 1.7% compared to the previous year. In total, 5,086 calls were recorded in 2024.
All other categories increased, except for fires, which remained unchanged from the previous year (95 total), and the overpressure/overheat category decreased slightly. On average, the WFD responds to about 100 fire-related incidents annually.
In the upcoming year, the fire department aims to finish and open its new headquarters at the corner of 17th and Wood Streets in East Wheeling, unveil a new rescue truck, hire several new classes of firefighters, and further enhance EMS education.
TOTAL INCIDENTS: 7,768
NFIRS Category Breakdown:
- Fire – 95
- Overpressure/Overheat (no fire) – 25
- Medical/EMS/Rescue – 5,086
- Hazardous Condition – 143
- Service Calls – 1,045
- Good Intent Calls – 546
- False Alarms/False Calls – 811
- Severe Weather – 7
- Special Incidents – 10
