Pasadena Fire Department Releases Top 10 Emergencies It Responded to in 2016 — And Actual Fires Isn’t One of Them

The Pasadena Fire Department responded to more calls about medical emergencies than actual fires in 2016, according to a report submitted last week by Pasadena Fire Chief Bertral Washington to City Manager Steve Mermell.

Of a total of 19,354 incidents that the Fire Department responded to last year, only 288 — or about 1.5% — were actual fires, according to Fire Dept. spokesperson Lisa Derderian.

In contrast, 7,334 incidents, or 38 percent, were medical related, including elderly people who had fallen (1,413 incidents), people struck by shortness of breath (1,348 incidents), persons with chest pain (990), persons down (825), altered level of consciousness (737), miscellaneous medical (714), persons unconscious (654), and persons suffering a seizure (653).

Traffic collisions also made Pasadena’s Top 10 list, summing out at 722 incidents, or four percent of the total.

Pasadena’s experience is normal for most U.S. fire departments. According to a 2015 report by the National Fire Protection Association, only four percent of the average fire department’s emergency callouts are for fires. Medical aid calls, on the other hand, made up 64 percent of the average American fire department’s calls.

Fire Chief Washington said the data collected from both local and national records helps the Fire Department analyze categories of risk and gives it direction in formulating more responsive public education programs.

“By tracking and incorporating valuable information such as this into our programs, along with our continuous progress towards updating current public education policies and procedures, we aim to improve the effective and efficient use of our resources to serve our community at our highest capacity,” Washington said.

City Manager Steve Mermell said the Fire Department is also moving towards focusing on preventing the situations which lead to so-called “preventable” medical emergencies.

“By identifying high-risk categories, we can raise community awareness about these incident types and address needs that are specific to Pasadena,” Mermell said. “Sharing this information and educating our community members can better prepare them during incidents, and also help to reduce preventable emergency calls for services.”