WHEELING — In the wake of a record-breaking year for services calls in 2019, the Wheeling Fire Department recorded a rare decline in calls for fire and emergency medical services during an unusual 2020.

According to Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms, last year brought not only the first occurrence of a decline in annual service calls in recent memory, but also several different challenges for the department through unprecedented circumstances.

“Overall, our call volume dropped, including most categories of service,” Helms said, reflecting on the Wheeling Fire Department’s year-end statistics that were recently released to the public. “Last year was quite an up-and-down hurdle for the department.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public’s routines changed throughout the year with social distancing and raised consciousness about public safety. Beginning in the spring of 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down businesses, people simply stayed home. For the most part, the vast majority of people continued to stay home through the remainder of the year, and this contributed to the reduced amount of service calls in many ways, Helms noted.

“We believe because of that, people were more attentive to their surroundings, which helped reduce household fire risks,” he said.

“We did not have many severe weather-related events as we did in previous years. Vehicle crashes with injuries were down, and medical calls dropped because we think people did not want to go to the hospital.”

While the pandemic changed the routines of members of the general public last year, it also changed the way the fire department operated. However, the obvious increase in safety practices in light of the coronavirus was not the biggest challenge faced by the department in 2020. According to Helms, responding to different types of calls did not present as much of a challenge as the obstacle of obtaining the necessary safety supplies did early in the year.

But the department was able to overcome that obstacle with the support of other local and state agencies.

“Throughout a normal year, we are stocked with personal protective equipment or PPE,” Helms explained. “However, one of our greatest concerns last year during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was having enough N-95 masks, gowns, gloves and cleaning supplies. Thankfully, with the help of many in the local and statewide emergency management system, we worked through these issues and are prepared now more than ever for this long-lasting health crisis.”

The year kicked off in dramatic fashion in the wake of the huge New Years Eve fire that destroyed the former Wheeling Island Exposition Hall, which for decades housed a popular roller skating rink. Fire officials and investigators spent much of New Year’s Day 2020 on the scene after the fire was extinguished.

City firefighters also battled a major three-structure fire in Warwood last March. A fire on Wheeling Island in September was ruled an arson, and an investigation resulted in the arrest of a suspect. In October, firefighters responded to and investigated a fatal fire at an occupied residence in South Wheeling.

Overall, the total number of service calls to the Wheeling Fire Department last year totaled 6,899, which was down 4 percent from the total from the previous year’s record-breaking total of 7,204. Fire calls declined by 21 percent, followed by a reduction of false fire alarms by 19 percent, mostly because schools, restaurants and businesses were closed for several weeks during the spring stay-at-home order, officials said.

Medical calls were down overall by 4 percent compared to 2019. However, overdose-related calls were up by 22 percent. Of the total calls for service, 65 percent were medically related.

Call types that saw a slight increase were service calls by 13 percent and non-emergency “good intent” calls by 13 percent.

Officials said calls are categorized by the National Fire Incident Reporting System Code Guide. A breakdown of the 2020 calls for service received by the Wheeling Fire Department are as follows:

– Total Calls for Service: 6,899

– Fire: 100

– Overpressure/Explosion/Overheat (No Fire): 51

– Rescue/EMS/Medical: 4,434

– Hazardous Condition/No Fire: 144

– Service Calls: 893

– Good Intent Call: 608

– False Alarm/False Call: 657

– Severe Weather/Natural Disaster: 7

– Special Incident Type: 5