Ocala Fire Rescue’s January call report

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

In January 2024, Ocala Fire Rescue (OFR) responded to a total of 2,172 calls for service. Among those calls were 25 fires (7 affecting structures), 20 hazardous material calls, 106 false alarms, 1,187 EMS/Rescue calls, and 834 calls categorized as “other.”

The department serves the most densely populated portion of the county, the city of Ocala, under the leadership of Fire Chief Clint Welborn.

With 132 dual-certified line personnel – firefighters/EMTs and firefighters/paramedics – OFR provides emergency responses in Ocala and neighboring areas conveyed in mutual aid agreements.

Fire personnel make up three shifts. Each shift works 24 hours a day and reports to one of seven fire stations in the city from which they respond to fires, vehicle collisions, hazardous conditions, aerial emergencies,  medical emergencies, et al.

OFR uses a matrix to determine the number of vehicles responding to call, varying from one rescue for a minor call (such as a fall or reports of aches) to as many as seven units ((3) engines, (1) rescue, (1) tower, (1) battalion chief, and (1) safety officer) as an initial response to a fire.

The standard department response for a motor vehicle accident is one engine and one rescue.

Suppose the call involves a commercial structure, a multi-unit residential building, a business, or a location with a vulnerable population, such as assisted living facilities, hospitals, or schools. In that case, the department increases its internal response or, if necessary, includes units from partnering agencies.

A spokesperson for the department, Ashley Lopez, said that “while these are the department’s standard responses, it’s important to note that units are added or removed to calls as information is received by dispatch or as the incident develops.”

The personnel count above does not include the department’s prevention, training, or administrative divisions.