Station calls hit 1,000 for first time

Calls for response by Colfax fire and ambulance crews hit a new record early Dec. 31 when a call came in for an ambulance to respond to a sick person in Albion. That was the 1,000th call for the year for the department.

Call 999 came in the early morning hours of Dec. 30, when volunteers were asked to assist in the search for a missing hunter along the Palouse River.

The 1,000th call Dec. 31 is the first time the station’s log book has hit four digits during a year.

The log book for last year totaled 861 calls.

The department has a roster of 32 volunteers who respond to calls, but normally only 10 to 12 of the volunteers are active and on call to respond. A minimum of two people are dispatched as an ambulance crew, with three members dispatched on most calls.

The station operates with three full-time employees who work 24-hour shifts at the station. Another eight volunteers also serve on shifts at the station along with Scott Kruse, the EMS coordinator for the volunteers. Kruse, who is on duty at the station five days a week, rolls on approximately half of the ambulance runs.

The fire station serves the city of Colfax and the Colfax-Steptoe-Albion Rural fire district.

The log record of 1,000 calls averages more than 2.73 responses per day and points out the need for a roster of active volunteers. New recruits are always welcome to join and undergo training.