By Ray King
With new guidelines in place as a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services Department reported 159 fewer calls in March that in March 2019.
According to the monthly reports released Monday, firefighters responded to 329 calls last month compared to 488 in March 2019. They answered an average of 10.61 calls last month compared to 15.74 calls in March 2019.
A big part of the decline was far fewer emergency medical calls being answered by firefighters, 154 last month compared to 273 in March 2019, a difference of 119.
Fire and Emergency Services Chief Shauwn Howell said last week that dispatchers are now asking more questions than before, which eliminates the need to go on some calls they would have gone on previously.
There were decreases in almost every category, structure fires (5 last month, 11 in March 2019); vehicle fires (4 last month, 5 in March 2019); and the category of other (84 last month, 127 in March 2019).
Of the five structure fires reported, two were in Ward 1, two were in Ward 3, one of them a fatal fire,, and one in Ward 4.
Because so many businesses are closed, firefighters responded to 17 fewer traffic accidents with injuries last month compared to 24 in March 2019.
