Bryan and College Station Fire Departments answer nearly 30,000 calls in 2023

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Bryan and College Station Fire Departments spoke with KBTX Wednesday to discuss 2023 in review.

The College Station Fire Department answered 12,005 calls. The Bryan Fire Department answered 15,124.

“It’s like every year – busy,” Chris Lamb with the Bryan Fire Department said.

The majority of those calls weren’t for fires.

“Between 70 and 80 percent of our calls are EMS in nature, that’s people who are injured and need help,” Captain Stuart Marrs with the College Station Fire Department said.

For those EMS calls, car accident injuries, falls and breathing emergencies were the most frequent. According to Marrs, they work to keep their response time around six and a half minutes.

“We track that, and then when we are not getting there quick enough that’s when, you know, we need to add more resources to the fire department,” he said.

In 2023, the College Station Fire Department added a new ambulance to their fleet and announced plans to build their seventh fire station on Greens Prairie Road.

It’s all part of their work to keep up with population growth and maintain their average response time.

”We’re aware of where the growth is and what’s coming into certain areas so that we can plan accordingly and put our resources where they’re needed,” he added.

The Bryan Fire Department also added a new ambulance in 2023, and plan to add another fire truck in 2024.

By adding the ambulance, the fire department has staffed their community paramedic program for 24 hours a day, freeing up critical resources for where they’re most needed.

”We’re always striving to get better and better response times. We’re good this year. We always have a goal to get to our citizens the quickest and obviously the safest way possible because we know a lot of times this is a life altering event,” Lamb said.

Structure fires and wildfires were at the top of the list for both departments, but Lamb said they’ve watched the number of structure fires fall over time.

Which one happened more? According to Lamb – check the calendar.

“It’s kind of situational with the seasons. Is it cold out? People using their heaters, their fireplaces? Is it hot or dry outside? Are we getting a lot more wildfires?” he said.

Throughout the year, the two fire departments spent time working side by side. They’re helping the whole community, not just their own city.

“At a moment’s notice, we’re always willing to go help our neighbor,” Lamb remarked.