West Central Reporter

Beardstown Fire District responded to 52 calls in 2018 - 30.7 percent less than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Beardstown included 15 fires - six structure fires, three vehicle fires and six other fires. The fire department also responded to one call for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

In all, the department saw $594,400 in fire loss - or about $39,627 per fire.

The department also received 36 false calls.

The Beardstown Firefighters Pension Fund, which has three active employees and two retired or inactive employees, was $31,447 in debt as of April 2017, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $731 for every fire in 2017.

	2017	2018	Year-over-year change (%)
Building Fires	22	6	-72.7
Vehicle Fires	5	3	-40
Other Fires	16	6	-62.5
Total Fires	43	15	-65.1
Total Calls	75	52	-30.7