Maricopa Fire and Medical Department last year saw a 6% increase in calls, but a half-minute reduction in response time.

That’s according to an annual report given by MFMD Chief Brad Pitassi to the Maricopa City Council on Tuesday.

The fire chief attributed the quicker response times — decreasing from 6:49 in 2023 to 6:16 last year — to completed construction projects and better infrastructure.

“Firefighters hate traffic just as much as every resident of Maricopa,” Pitassi said during the meeting. “But what we’re seeing is that when the big, large construction projects are complete, we are seeing a benefit in the travel time of our apparatus.”

Station 571 near Smith-Enke and Porter Roads responded to 2,776 calls, or 42% of the total volume. Station 575 at Edison Road and Estrella Parkway responded to about one-fifth of all calls.

About 4 in 5 calls were for emergency medical services. Those top response calls included:

• Falls, 19%
• Sick person, 17%
• Breathing problem, 10%
• Traffic incident, 10%
• Altered mental status, 8%

Pitassi said the department also saw the return of a few beloved programs, like the chaplain program and increased visits for the Fire P.A.L.S. elementary school program.