SUNDRE – Sundre firefighters responded to a record-setting number of calls for service this past year.
“It was the highest we’ve ever had in the history of Sundre Fire Department,” said chief Ross Clews.
In 2024, the local hall logged a total 427 runs, Clews told the Albertan earlier this month.
Further breaking down that number, he said 187 were in Mountain View County, 203 were in Sundre, 34 were in Clearwater County, and another three were in the Municipal District of Bighorn.
Overall, the total call volume represented an increase of approximately 23 per cent compared with 2023, when the department logged a total of 347 runs, which broke down to 165 in Mountain View County, 160 in Sundre, 19 in Clearwater County and three in the Municipal District of Bighorn.
The year-over-year increase continued what seems to have become an annual upward trend.
“Since I’ve been back, we’ve seen increases every year in the number of calls,” he said.
While firefighters responded to a variety of calls including structure fires, wildland fires, motor vehicle collisions, backcountry as well as water rescues, the bulk of the responses were medical in nature, also continuing a long-standing trend.
“The most significant increase was medical assistance calls in 2024,” he said, adding they represented 254 of the total volume.
In 2023, there were 99 medical first responses as well as 78 medical assists.
Heading into the new year, Clews said the department’s roster currently stands at 27 members, which he added was more or less on par with recent years.
Due to the nature of volunteer firefighters who are paid on-call but otherwise have a full-time job or career to focus on, the number of members does tend to fluctuate.
“We have people that have left town because of job opportunities,” he said, adding that in turn, new members also join the ranks.
Applicants between the ages of 16 and 18 who are interested in joining are encouraged to contact the fire department.
