Cheyenne Fire Rescue responded to more emergency incidents than ever in 2019, according to an annual report released Thursday.

Firefighters responded to 9,384 calls last year, 8.6 percent more than in 2018.

The majority of the calls -- 73 percent -- were medical emergencies, while fires only accounted for 1.5 percent of the calls.

"As we see more calls coming in, we are seeing more stress placed on our apparatus and fire stations," said Chief Greg Hoggatt.

"We need to start looking at finding financial mechanisms that can help us replace worn and outdated fire stations like Station 5 on Dell Range Boulevard and Station 3 on Cleveland Avenue (and) a number of our fire apparatus reaching end of serviceable life," he added.

Hoggatt says the city is exploring options such as bonds, sixth penny projects and possible seventh penny economic development projects to help fund the "high dollar" items.

​​

More From KGAB