‘2023 was a great year for us’: Bend Fire & Rescue takes a look back at past year, notes accomplishments

(Update: Adding video, comments from Bend Fire and Rescue)

BEND, Ore (KTVZ) -- During 2023, Bend Fire & Rescue received more than 10,000 calls, the large majority involving medical issues. Their lifesaving efforts recently earned the department a prestigious national award.   

"There's always challenges in our line of work," Fire Chief Todd Riley said Tuesday. "But thankfully, 2023 was a great year for us."

 Looking back at the year, Bend's fire chief recognizes the challenges, trends and accomplishments.

Highlights include the EMS GOLD award for stroke and heart attack care from the American Heart Association. 

EMS Training Captain Petar Hossick said, "Mission Lifeline is a national set of parameters that AHA puts together that says, 'These are the marks that basically denote good cardiac or stroke care.'"

EMS is graded on factors like how fast they get an EKG on a patient or how fast aspirin is given in the field. Meeting requirements more than 75 percent of the time earns a gold award. 

Bend Fire says it's the only agency in Oregon to receive the recognition, and that more than 80% of their calls are for medical or trauma incidents.

"For the most part, yeah, it's it's a good way to measure yourself against the rest of the country, to make sure you're complying with what's known in science," Hossick said

Fire Chief Todd Riley points to the local option levy voters passed last May as another highlight. 

"We will start collecting revenue on that levy this November," he said. "So we haven't started collecting that revenue yet. However, by passing that five-year local option levy, we were able to sustain our staffing at the Pilot Butte Station."

While Riley considers it an achievement, the levy also served as a challenge. The department prefers not to ask the public for additional funding.

 Bend Fire & Rescue responded to about 13,000 calls for service last year, including emergency and non-emergency calls. 

Notable trends in 2023 include an uptick in calls involving the homeless. 

"Often, they're hard to find," the fire chief said. "They don't live in a place that has an address that's, you know, well well-lit or address from the street. So oftentimes, they're having to go off-road or going to a location where it can be difficult to locate and access patients. And, you know, when somebody is having a medical emergency, time is of the essence."