(Des Moines, IA) -- The Des Moines Fire Department answered a record 32,496 emergency calls in 2022. That's an average of one call every 16 minutes for the year.
Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe said the record is a 5% increase from 2021.
"This is part of a larger trend we’ve been seeing for a decade now,” said TeKippe. "About two-thirds of those calls, or 20,000 or so, are for emergency medical services."
962 of the calls were for fire-related emergencies. TeKippe said many of the medical service requests could have been avoided.
"When there are things that aren't emergencies, we all need to take the time to make sure we have either a personal physician or a clinic, that when we start to get a little bit sick, we make contact with those people that know us," said TeKippe. "They can help us do things that are over the counter, before they need an emergency."
The increase in calls is partially due to a growing metro.
"We are a growing community," said TeKippe. "We're a destination point for a lot of big events, so those things are predictable."
In a release, the City of Des Moines listed the 2022 DMFD Fast Facts:
- 32,496 calls responded to in 2022
- 63% or 20,625 calls were EMS calls
- 964 calls were fire-related incidents (vehicle fires, structure fires, etc.)
- Fire Station 1 (1330 Mulberry Street) was the busiest station in 2022