PERRY TOWNSHIP — The Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department remained busy in 2024.

In 2024 the department responded to 432 calls in 2024, a slight increase from 414 calls in 2023. That increase was driven by the department’s non-fire calls, with 279 calls being EMS related, an increase from 261 in 2023, and 153 were non-EMS related, which was the same number of calls as last year.

Calls on the township’s north side (with State Street as the dividing line) decreased this year, with 140 calls in 2024 compared to 153 in 2023. In contrast the township’s southern half had 292 calls this year, an increase from 261 in 2023.

When dividing calls by incident type, medical calls continued to represent the majority of the department’s annual responses in 2024, with 251 incidents. Motor vehicle accidents being the second most common with 26 calls for accidents with injuries, and 19 calls for accidents without injuries in 2024.

Fire calls in 2024 included 14 building fires, 10 outside rubbish fires, three brush fires, one cooking fire, one mobile property fire, and one rail vehicle fire. The department received mutual aid less frequently in 2024, with 17 calls compared to 31 in 2023, and gave aid more frequently, with 23 calls in 2024 and 20 calls in 2023.

Calls occurred most frequently between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., with 195 calls, followed by 4 p.m. through midnight with 129 calls, and midnight through 8 a.m. with 108 calls compared to 133, 211 and 70 calls in 2023 respectively. Calls were most commonly received on Wednesdays, with 74, followed by Tuesdays with 71, Saturdays with 62, Fridays with 60, Mondays with 58, Sundays with 57 and Thursday bringing up the rear with 50.

Between training, calls, and other duties the department accrued 1,566 man hours in 2024.

mahart@mojonews.com