5 Things You Should Know About the Farmington Hills Fire Department

Farmington Hills Fire Chief Corey Bartsch told city officials Monday that his department responded to more calls for service in 2012 than in any other time in its history. 

The majority of calls, 66 percent, were related to medical emergencies. Fires accounted for just 2 percent of the department's activity, Bartsch said.

Here are five other things you should know about the annual report:

1. Farmington Hills Fire Dept. is a unique blend of 47 full-time firefighter/paramedics and 64 paid, on-call firefighters. Only Fire Station No. 5, on the city's municipal campus at 11 Mile and Orchard Lake Roads, is staffed 24 hours a day. The other four stations are staffed during regular business hours and covered by on-call firefighters at night. 

2. Fire losses in 2012 reached $10,994,335, one of the highest in department history. The total was a more than 400 percent increase over the previous year, and more than three-quarters of it is attributed to large fires at Green Hill and Freedom Village apartment complexes, and a home on Ballantrae. 

3. Two people died in Farmington Hills fires last year. In February, Bartsch said, firefighters responded to a home and found a 73-year-old man burned to death as the result of a garage fire. A 53-year-old man died in December as the result of a smoking-related fire. There were also 9 civilian injuries, and one firefighter was injured.

4. The department's call numbers have increased 4-6 percent every year since 2009, and numbers are up 10 percent already this year. Bartsch said the increase may result from a combination of an aging population and older homes and commercial buildings.

5. Most calls occur on Thursdays, and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Call dip to their lowest levels between midnight and 5 a.m.

The complete report is available online at fhgov.com.