The Rochelle Fire Department was kept busy in 2016 as they responded to nearly 1,565 ambulance calls along with 259 fire and rescue responses.
The ambulance calls saw an increase of 7 percent compared to 2015 numbers. The fire and rescue incidents were down by 5 percent from the year before.
Fire Chief Dave Sawlsville was not surprised with the numbers in both areas for 2016. He said its a national trend involving ambulance and fire calls.
The number of ambulance and fire calls were not any records set for the department in 2016.
Chief Sawlsville said that additional training this year will include hazardous materials due to new state regulations.
Additional training is also needed for the paramedics in the department.
The Rochelle Fire Department currently has 13 full-time firemen along with 25 paid on-call individuals. Chief Sawlsville said they are looking to increase the number of paid on-call people in the near future.
The Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District currently has around 60 individuals who work out of stations in Hillcrest, Flagg Center, Creston, and Steward.
