Calls for help from the Potsdam and Canton rescue squads have increased by about 30 percent in the last five years.

Canton Fire and Rescue’s annual emergency medical services calls have gone up by more than 29 percent, and the Potsdam Rescue Squad answered 32 percent more calls in 2016 than in 2012.

But the number of calls received by the Canton and Potsdam volunteer fire departments has remained fairly constant in recent years.

Canton Fire Chief Robert Crowe said one of the main reasons for the increase in EMS calls is that people seem to depend on ambulance service more than they used to.

More EMS Calls Than Ever

“Fifteen years ago people would drive themselves to the hospital with an illness or injury, but not so much anymore,” he said.

In addition, he said, “people have the mistaken idea they’ll be seen earlier if the go in by ambulance,” but ordinary cases that are not emergencies will still have to wait if there are genuinely urgent cases present, regardless of who arrived by ambulance.

“If you come in with a sore tooth or a stubbed toe, you’ll probably be put in the waiting room” under the usual triage procedures.

The 1,642 EMS calls Canton Rescue responded to in 2016 were the most ever, Crowe said.

Potsdam Volunteer Rescue Squad Chief Rod Kenyon said the squad responded to 1,831 EMS calls in 2016, also more than ever. That’s 320 more than just two years earlier, when the total for 2014 was 1,511.

Crowe said Canton EMS crews are now covering an average of two more calls a day than they were 10 years ago.

Volunteers Hard To Find, Keep

In addition to more calls, squads are having to do more with fewer qualified EMS technicians.

“We also provide advanced life support for surrounding communities,” including Russell, Hermon, Clare, and parts of Pierrepont, Crowe said. “We have two paid people on during the day, and we will cover them,” as well as mutual aid to other nearby squads.

The significance of that is reflected in the continuing and growing problem of finding and keeping qualified volunteers.

“It’s more difficult to attract and retain volunteers, and in the smaller communities, it’s even harder,” Crowe said. So his department is covering more of their calls, too.

That is a longstanding issue. “That’s the trend across the county,” Crowe said, and it is tougher on the units in those smaller communities. The difficulty has finally taken its toll on the Edwards Rescue Squad, which shut its doors on Dec. 31.

“Gouverneur will be covering all of Edwards now,” he said.

In addition to the higher standards, tougher tests, and more education and training required of volunteers these days, “people have less time to volunteer. There are more pulls on their lives, especially family. People have a lot more going on” than they used to, Crowe said.

Potsdam’s Chief Kenyon sees the same things putting more of a load on the Potsdam squad, which covers the villages of Potsdam and Norwood and town of Potsdam. “We also cover mutual aid for all other surrounding towns. We cover advanced life support for Colton and South Colton along with Parishville Fire department EMS,” he said.

The one clear trend, he said, is an increase in the number of calls for help from the squad.

“There are a number of non-emergent calls that we do respond to. I think however both emergent and non-emergent calls have increased linearly in that respect,” Kenyon said.

He also said the volunteers who do qualify and sign up seem to have less time to devote to the squad’s duties.

“As with any volunteer organization, this is a growing trend across both fire and EMS agencies. I believe a lot has to do with everyone being busy in their own personal lives and cannot spare the time to volunteer as much as they used to,” Kenyon said. He emphasized that that was his belief “even though the data does not support this nor do I have concrete data to demonstrate it.”

Fewer Potsdam Fires

Canton and Potsdam volunteer firefighters have not seen anything like the spike in calls their EMS colleagues are responding to. Calls for fire department help over the last five years has been fairly steady.

But in Potsdam the last year, there was “a big decrease in actual fires” they were called on to extinguish from the previous year, down 25 percent, from 44 in 2015 to 33 in 2016, according to Rose.

Actual fires are just a fraction of the total number incidents they responded to.

Canton fire volunteers responded to 476 incidents in 2012; 475 in 2013; 450 in 2014; 480 in 2015; and 420 in 2016.

In Potsdam, the responses were 549 in 2012; 534 in 2013; 523 in 2014; 538 in 2015; and 532 in 2016.

“Incidents” include vehicle accidents where they are frequently called upon to assist with injuries, hazardous materials leaks, calls to electrical or other equipment malfunctions, and actual fires such as building, cooking, rubbish or grass fires.

Prevention, Enforcement Key

“I think fire prevention programs for the community have had an effect,” she said.

She cited the special programs they present to kids about the dangers of fires and how to prevent them, and special programs at home improvement stores for adults about smoke and heat detectors. “They ask a lot of questions,” Rose said.

“Plus I think code enforcement is cracking down on these issues, in rental buildings and businesses. They’re becoming pretty strict about that, and a lot more thorough,” she said

By far the most common reason for a call is an unintentional mistake where an electronic alarm system in a larger building sounds off but no fire is found. That has happened an average of 190 times a year from 2013 to 2016. That’s more than a quarter of all responses, according to Potsdam’s records.