The Wichita Fire Department celebrates 130 years today.
Sgt. Stuart Bevis says Wichita Fire gets between 60,000 and 70,000 calls a year, although only about 2,000 of those are for actual fires. The rest are medical calls the department responds to alongside Emergency Management Services.
“All of those calls take resources from us," Bevis says. "Even if we may have a little bit of a down-drop where we only have a few significant fires in a few days, there’s always plenty of other things that are keeping us really hopping.”
However, Bevis says the department is now "better equipped than we've ever been." They have more than 400 uniformed and civilian firefighters, and the department recently received a federal grant to add even more positions.?
The department will celebrate its anniversary by recognizing a firefighter of the year and honoring members for their service throughout the year.?
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