West Central Reporter

Jacksonville Fire District responded to 294 calls in 2018 - 2.1 percent more than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Jacksonville included 88 fires - 31 structure fires, 11 vehicle fires and 46 other fires. The fire department also responded to four calls for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

In all, the department saw $1,171,375 in fire loss - or about $13,311 per fire.

The department also received 202 false calls, including three malicious calls and 199 other false calls.

The Jacksonville Firefighters Pension Fund, which has 24 active employees and 38 retired or inactive employees, was $277,170 positive as of December 2017, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $2,543 for every fire in 2017.

	2017	2018	Year-over-year change (%)
Building Fires	28	31	10.7
Vehicle Fires	12	11	-8.3
Other Fires	69	46	-33.3
Total Fires	109	88	-19.3
Total Calls	288	294	2.1