Dupage Policy Journal

Bensenville Fire District responded to 1922 calls in 2018 - 13.4 percent more than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Bensenville included 68 fires - 46 structure fires, seven vehicle fires and 15 other fires. The fire department also responded to three calls for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

In all, the department saw $205,501 in fire loss - or about $3,022 per fire.

The department also received 1851 false calls, including 11 malicious calls and 1840 other false calls.

The Bensenville Firefighters Pension Fund, which has 21 active employees and 26 retired or inactive employees, was $13,259 in debt as of December 2017, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $217 for every fire in 2017.

	2017	2018	Year-over-year change (%)
Building Fires	33	46	39.4
Vehicle Fires	10	7	-30
Other Fires	18	15	-16.7
Total Fires	61	68	11.5
Total Calls	1,695	1,922	13.4