Fire calls up in 2012

Total calls for service among the nine volunteer firefighting departments in Hood County topped the 4,300 mark for the first time since 2009 last year, but the largest category increase came in responding to medical calls.

There were 4,359 calls for service in 2012, compared to 3,986 in 2011. The year fell short of the total for 2009, however, which had 4,518 calls.

The most recent summer months were not nearly as brutal as in 2011, which spawned a major drought across the state and triggered several major wildfires. That trend included destructive blazes in Palo Pinto County, which benefitted from assistance donated by some Hood County firefighters.

Hood County avoided any major wildfires the past two years, Fine noted. According to 2011 information, a 100-acre grass fire was the only one that burned more than 25 acres in the county.

“It seems like medicals were probably where it went up the most,” Hood County Fire Marshal Brian Fine said, noting that overall fire danger warnings were down because the conditions were not as severe. “We were only in a burn ban for 44 days this year (2012). In 2011, we spent the majority of the year in a burn ban.”

Fine said the nine fire departments in the county, all of which are volunteer units, performed quite well.

“Everybody continued to do a great job this past year,” Fine said. “We still had no large grass fires. That’s two years in a row. They were jumping out there and getting a handle on small fires quickly.”

Structure fires increased from 112 in 2011 to 133 in 2012. The number of vehicle fires did not change, with 28 reported in each of the past two years. There were 445 other fires, including grass and various other categories in 2012, compared with 375 in 2011.

There were no fire deaths last year in the county. In 2011 there were six, including five teenagers, all in the tragic fire that struck a residence in the Port Ridglea East subdivision southeast of Granbury.

m.wilson@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 254

2011 2012

Total calls 3,986 4,359

Medical/rescues 2,041 2,923

Fire calls 635 606

Accidents 284 288

Alarms 295 268

By departments

Granbury 1,082

Decordova/Acton 735

Indian Harbor 722

Station 70 620

North Hood 354

Tolar 276

Pecan Plantation 204

+ Cresson 124

+ Lipan 160

+ Does not include calls from other counties partly serviced by these VFDs.

Category: News Archived