A high number of fire calls led to a busy 2018 for Algonquin Highlands firefighters.
Just like their colleagues in Highlands East, the Algonquin Highlands Fire Department saw a jump in calls over 2018. Unlike Highlands East, the jump in calls for Algonquin Highlands was because of an increase in fire-related calls.
Fire Chief, Mike Cavanaugh, says the uptick in calls is a 12.5 per cent jump over the previous year. Cavanaugh shows in his report to Algonquin Highlands council that in 2017, the department had 228 calls over the year whereas the calls in 2018 were 256.
Cavanaugh attributed the higher fire calls to the fire ban and the dry conditions that went throughout Haliburton County this past summer. According to Cavanaugh’s report, the three stations in the township responded to a total of 39 fire-related calls compared to the 18 in 2017.
The only other type of call that was up compared to 2017 was rescue calls, and that increase was only by one call.