Area Fire Department Calls Increase in Six Categories
By: Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
December 4, 2025
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. Every fire department in Baldwin County has experienced a rise in call volumes, especially in the fastest growing cities.
Some departments have gone from a few calls a week to a few calls a day or more.
The majority of Baldwin County continues to receive much of their fire and EMS services from volunteer fire departments, though this is beginning to change with the rapid growth in cities across the county.
Some of those volunteer fire departments have beefed up manpower and response times by adding paid staff to cover primary response times primarily during daytime hours and decreasing their response times.
Though the call volumes continue to rise, the types of calls that firefighters are being sent to are also changing.
In 2024 and again in 2025, most dispatched calls came under six categories for Baldwin County and other fire departments nearby.
This list shows the areas of the highest volume of calls.
Most of the calls dispatched were:
MEDICAL
MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISIONS
FIRES
RESCUES
MENTAL HEALTH and SUICIDE THREATS
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE/Non-Emergency
Nationwide, firefighters are responding to less fires, primarily because of education and alarm systems, but the volume of medical response has dramatically risen.
There is a combination of reasons for this including an aging population, a shift from preventive to emergency healthcare, and fire departments expanding their EMS services. Factors like the cost of healthcare, limited mental health support, and individuals delaying care due to fear of COVID-19 have also contributed to a greater reliance on 911 for medical issues.
Baldwin County fire departments, like those nationwide are struggling to maintain an all-volunteer roster and often depend on “mutual-aid agreements” to cover their calls when no volunteers are available.
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