South Central Reporter

Salem Fire Protection District responded to 116 calls in 2018 - 24.7 percent more than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Salem included 65 fires - 28 structure fires, six vehicle fires and 31 other fires. The fire department also responded to one call for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

In all, the department saw $207,700 in fire loss - or about $3,195 per fire.

The department also received 50 false calls, including one malicious call and 49 other false calls.

The Salem FPD Firefighters Pension Fund, which has four active employees and five retired or inactive employees, was $71,825 in debt as of April 2017, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $984 for every fire in 2017.

	2017	2018	Year-over-year change (%)
Building Fires	30	28	-6.7
Vehicle Fires	15	6	-60
Other Fires	28	31	10.7
Total Fires	73	65	-11
Total Calls	93	116	24.7