Fort Thomas fire chief reports record annual call volume; council discusses ambulance capacity and mutual aid

The Fort Thomas Fire Chief reported that the department handled 2,070 runs for the year, an all‑time high for calls for service, and that calls have increased largely for emergency medical services.

During the December report the chief told the council that mutual-aid arrangements remain in place: the department received 25 mutual‑aid responses and provided 15 mutual‑aid responses in the period discussed. The chief said nursing homes account for a substantial share of the department's call volume and estimated the four nursing homes represented about 40% of call activity during the recent months discussed.

Council members pressed whether the city has considered adding a second ambulance because of rising EMS demand and concerns about units being temporarily out of service. The chief said the Campbell County Fire Protection Association purchased a spare ambulance available to jurisdictions across the county and that the department sometimes borrows units from neighboring jurisdictions when needed. The chief said adding a second permanently assigned ambulance is a substantial financial commitment and that the matter is discussed countywide among neighboring chiefs.

The chief also described operational mitigations: fire engines carry advanced life‑support equipment so firefighters respond and begin treatment if an ambulance is unavailable or on another call; the city continually evaluates call volume and resource needs and noted that staffing (people in seats) drives capacity decisions.

Council did not vote on adding a second ambulance during the recorded portion of the meeting; the discussion was exploratory and focused on capacity, mutual aid and long‑term planning.