Last year, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 14,308 calls for service, performed 256 fire investigations and conducted over 53-hundred inspections and re-inspections. A report from Chief Morgan Hackl reviewing 2018 was presented at the City’s Planning, Development and Community Services Committee meeting this morning (Tues). Every year, the department sees an increase in calls and inspections.

Fire Station No. 3 was relocated from York Avenue to Clarence Avenue, which Hackl says has improved response times for the southeast. In 2018, $15-million worth of property and infrastructure caught fire, but almost 94 per cent was protected and saved, while $9.4-million worth was lost.

There are 336 staff in the Fire Department in 6 divisions providing response, proactive prevention and education programs. Hackl adds 75-hundred-71 discarded needles were collected and the Mobile Command Unit was activated 25 times, mitigating 17 emergencies, overseeing 7 special events and participating in 1 training exercise.

In this digital age, the Fire Department reached over 1.7-million people on social media with 496 posts last year. Separately, notifynow, which sends out emergency public safety messages by phone, text or email, reached over 85-thousand people last year.

In his report, Hackl says Saskatoon has one of Canada’s most renowned Fire Departments, serving an estimated 268-thousand residents and 111-thousand homes.