A more than double the number of emergency medical calls in February resulted in a 23.55 percent increase in the total number of calls answered by Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services firefighters in February, compared to January.
According to the department’s monthly report, firefighters responded to 450 calls in February, 106 more than in January.
Of those 450 calls, 279, or 62 percent were emergency medical calls. The 279 calls were also 143 more than the 136 EMS calls that occurred in January.
There were 13 structure fires in February, four more than in January. Of the 13, four were reported in Ward 1, six on Ward 2 and three in Ward 3. Five vehicle fires were reported in February, 10 less than in January while brush, grass and rubbish fires increased from one in January to 18 in February.
According to the monthly report, there were six hazardous material emergencies in February, a 100 percent increase over January, which reported none.
