Dupage Policy Journal

Elmhurst Fire Department responded to 812 calls in 2017 - 1.9 percent less than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Elmhurst included 94 fires - 47 structure fires, 17 vehicle fires and 30 other fires. The fire department also responded to seven calls for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

In all, the department saw $1,487,814 in fire loss - or about $15,828 per fire.

The department also received 711 false calls, including three malicious calls and 708 other false calls.

The calls resulted in two civilian fire-related injuries. Additionally, one fire service member was injured in fire-related incidents.

The Elmhurst Firefighters Pension Fund, which has 40 active employees and 44 retired or inactive employees, was $383,209 in debt as of December 2016, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $3,992 for every fire in 2016.

	2016	2017	Year-over-year change (%)
Structure Fires	50	47	-6
Vehicle Fires	19	17	-10.5
Other fires	27	30	11.1
Total Fires	96	94	-2.1
Total Calls	828	812	-1.9