Liberty Township firefighters Lt. Abbie Buday of Poland, formerly of Warren, left, and firefighter / paramedic Kaitlyn Mason of Youngstown, run a user test on an ambulance LIFE PAK 15 cardiac monitor Friday afternoon at the station on Logan Way. Staff photo / Allie Vugrincic

It was another busy year in 2022 for fire departments in Mahoning and Trumbull counties as they responded to more than 69,000 calls.

The Boardman Fire Department alone responded to 5,354 calls, and Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley, who did not have exact numbers at his disposal, said his department took “well over 4,000 calls” last year.

Austintown, which may be the second-busiest fire department in Mahoning County, ran 4,943 calls in 2022 — up from 4,895 in 2021, 4,286 in 2020, 4,370 in 2019 and 4,310 in 2018.

“The numbers are definitely up because we run EMS calls,” Austintown fire Chief Andy Frost said.

He said the department started running fire engines as a first response to medical emergencies when call volume increased because of COVID-19. Since then, township trustees have given the department some American Rescue Plan Act funds to bring on ambulances and staff to fill the gaps when Lane LifeTrans, the private EMS service in the county, is not available, he said.

Frost said the department typically has two staffed fire- trucks on the road, but often gets three or four calls at one time.

“We make it work,” Frost said, “but if we increase very many more calls per year, it could be a struggle that we have to address.”

The department has 27 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees, but Frost said with a large population to serve and high call numbers, that is “actually a very small staff.”

However, Austintown is not the only community that has seen an increase in calls for service from fire departments.

MORE THAN DOUBLE

The Eagle Joint Fire District, which serves the city of Hubbard and Hubbard Township, more than doubled its previous record, according to the department, by running 2,037 calls last year.

The Western Reserve Joint Fire District, which serves Poland Village and Poland Township, has seen its call numbers climb by leaps and bounds — from 1,298 in 2020 to 1,447 in 2021 and then 1,859 in 2022.

In Liberty Township, the fire department finished the year with 3,595 calls — 439 more than it ran in 2021.

Chief Doug Theobald said the increase likely has to do with the area’s aging population and a change in attitude to where people are inclined to call for emergency medical services.

“We’ve been trying to staff more people,” Theobald said, adding that he tries to keep five or six people on any given shift.

The department averages about 10 calls a day, or approximately 300 calls a month. Theobald said about 13 percent of the calls are “multiple hits” where two or even three calls happen in quick succession.

Many of the calls are to bring people to hospitals, but the department also does lift assists and other service calls.

When it comes to those frequent transports, though, part of the problem is that hospitals have been struggling to handle an influx in patients. For the fire / EMS units, that means sometimes waiting for as long as three or four hours at a hospital to transfer care of a patient, Theobald said.

WHEN TO CALL?

The situation hasn’t been helped by the closing of several private EMS companies in the Mahoning Valley, both Theobald and Frost said.

Frost said Mahoning County has started an EMS committee that is working to develop public education about when a person should call an ambulance versus driving herself or himself to a physician’s office or urgent care.

He said emergency responders countywide understand that people are using EMS when it might not be necessary. He said people often believe that they will be seen quicker at the hospital if they arrive by ambulance, but that isn’t necessarily the case. People with minor injuries or health problems are sometimes asked to get off a cot and move to a waiting room.

Frost stressed, however: “If you need an ambulance, by all means call an ambulance.”

He added that area fire departments and private EMS services are working together to handle the rising need.

By the numbers

Total calls to these fire departments in the Mahoning Valley in 2022:

Boardman 5,354

Austintown 4,943

Youngstown* 4,000+

Liberty 3,595

Cardinal (Canfield)

Joint Fire District 2,536

Eagle (Hubbard) JFD 2,037

Western Reserve

JFD (Poland) 1,859

Weathersfield 1,717

Campbell 1,695

Sebring 1,536

Struthers 1,490

Springfield 1,481

Jackson 553

Milton 439

Lowellville 422

Ellsworth 389

Coitsville 290

Beloit 265

New Middletown 216

Craig Beach 164

*An exact number was not available for Youngstown.

SOURCES: Area fire departments and Austintown 911 dispatch center