MASON CITY, IA – The Mason City Fire Department set a new department record for call volume this past year. The department responded to 5,938 calls for service in the period beginning January 1st, 2017 and ending on December 31st, 2017. This represents an average of 16.3 fire and EMS calls on a daily basis throughout the year, making MCFD one of the busiest fire stations in the state. The number of calls responded to in 2017 follows a steady trend of increasing call volume since the department began the ambulance service in June of 2004.
2017 – 5,938 responses
2016 – 5,836 responses
2015 – 5,577 responses
2014 – 5,577 responses
2013 – 5,175 responses
2012 – 5,259 responses
2011 – 5,110 responses
2010 – 4,748 responses
2009 – 4,406 responses
2008 – 4,671 responses
2007 – 4,877 responses
2006 – 4,785 responses
2005 – 5,443 responses
2004 – 1,690 responses (June 1st thru Dec 31st)
The Mason City Fire Department provides fire protection to the city of Mason City and mutual aid to surrounding communities. The department is the designated transporting ambulance service for Mason City, Cerro Gordo County (minus Clear Lake), and Worth County, which forms the largest ambulance response area in the state of Iowa at over 750 square miles with a population exceeding 45,000 people. The department also provides emergency and non-emergent interfacility medical transports to hospitals in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Mason City Fire Department is staffed by 46 dedicated and skilled men and women who are dedicated to the department’s mission of “Serving Those in Need – Safely”.
I agree with sad but true. they run them engines to a lot of things that they don’t need to be at. put miles on them, wear them out so the citizens can spend $750,000 on a new one. when the aero-chief was in operation, I saw them respond to a twig fire in a alley with it. what was they gunna do, go up in the boom and drop a gallon of water on it. way way to many un-needed trips with the trucks. they brag they can get anywhere in the city in 3 minutes, so why not stay at the station and wait and see if they are needed.
I always wondered why?? they go to a fire where the building is fully engulfed in fire, a total loss, why do they risk life and limb trying to put it out?? why not let it burn and just protect anything around it. seems sensless to have people go inside a building burning like that.
one thing about it, they respond to a big fire and they are able to save the basement.
90% of the time they are not needed. They show up at any little fender bender just so it looks like they are needed more and more.
I was in a 3 vehicle fender bender in front of Wallmart. Each car tapped the other. Did not know if we should call the cops or not as there was no visible damage.
5 min later, here comes a ambulance and fire truck. We stood there wondering where they were headed. Come to find out they were scrambled for us. No damage, no call, no chance of injurys, but that shows as a call for them
its a shell game.