Cheyenne Fire & Rescue responded to 22 percent more fire calls in 2015 than the previous year.

There were 145 fire calls in 2015 compared to 118 in 2014. The highest number of fire calls in the last 16 years was 195 in 2000.

"The increase in fire calls is concerning," said Fire Chief Jim Martin. "We are looking at all the fires we had in 2015 and determining what educational and training programs are working and what we need to add."

"We need to do a better job in educating the public about fires," said Byron Mathews, Prevention Division Chief. "We need to continue the interaction between the community and the fire department to ensure we have a safe community."

The department also saw a significant increase in rescue/emergency medical service calls last year. Rescue/EMS calls jumped from 6,374 in 2014 to 6,657 in 2015, an increase of 4.3 percent.

The total call volume for 2015 was 8,652 compared to 8,189 in 2014, but Martin says the 5.4 percent increase isn't surprising.

"As the city continues to grow, we are seeing an increase in the number of service calls," said Martin. "Cheyenne firefighters do a great job to make sure the public is safe and provide assistance to those in need."

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