KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has reported a significant increase in the number of emergency calls received in 2023.

Commissioner of the JFB, Stewart Beckford, explained that firefighters responded to more than 20,000 emergency calls.

“We saw increases in almost all areas of response. In 2023, we received and responded to 20,152 calls – the highest call count we witnessed in the last seven years,” said Commissioner Beckford.

Of the total number of calls received, 11,389 were genuine fire calls, 1,413 were malicious false alarms, 1,120 were motor-vehicle accidents, and 3,806 were emergency medical services.

The Commissioner further indicated that the number of genuine calls increased by 46.8 per cent when compared to 2022, while malicious false alarms increased by 15.8 per cent and motor-vehicle accidents by 3.8 per cent.

However, emergency medical services saw a 14.1 per cent decrease when compared to 2022.

The Commissioner also pointed out that bushfires, which are included in the total number of genuine fire calls, “increased by a whopping 81.1 per cent,” a total call count of 6,443 when compared to the 3,518 that were received in 2022.

A significant increase was also seen in cultivated farmland fires and electrical equipment fires.

“In relation to call distribution, the three most active divisions across the Fire Brigade were St Catherine, which received and responded to 3,470 emergency calls, an increase of 45 per cent or 1,085; Kingston and St. Andrew [with] 3,378 emergency calls, representing a 28.9 per cent increase or 758 [calls], and St. James [with] 2,490, representing the largest overall increase, that of 81.3 per cent or 1,117 emergency calls,” said Commissioner Beckford.

-JIS