Every year, Wrenford’s fire, paramedic and emergency management teams respond to thousands of calls for help. The numbers below show how your local emergency services operate, how they are staffed, and what it costs to keep your neighbourhoods safe. Please note that policing is handled separately by the Wrenford Police Service under Chief Andrea Holloway.
Call volumes and response times
From January 1 to December 31, 2025, your Fire Rescue and Paramedic Services teams answered 12,450 calls. The breakdown is:
- Emergency medical calls: 9,815 (79%)
- Fire-related calls: 2,635 (21%)
Of the fire-related calls, 55% were medical emergencies on fire scenes, 18% were false alarms, 10% were outside fires, and 7% were vehicle collisions. Actual structure fires made up just 2% of all fire-related calls.
The city’s target is to arrive at every reported structure fire within 10 minutes, 90% of the time. This target aligns with the provincial standard for high-density residential fire response. In 2025, crews met that target 91.3% of the time. The average response time for all call types was 8 minutes and 42 seconds.
Staffing and readiness
Each fire station runs on a four-person crew, and the city aims to keep 28 staff on duty every shift. We use a 32% relief factor to cover vacations, sick leave and training so that stations never drop below safe staffing levels. Since 2022, the department has added 24 new full-time positions, bringing our total workforce up by 18% while the city population grew by 12%.
Paramedic services, led by Chief Yusuf Karimi, operate from five stations across the city. Fire Rescue, overseen by Fire Chief and GM Protective Services Darren MacAulay and Deputy Fire Chief Simon Hartley, maintains a 24-hour on-call rotation for major incidents. All crews complete over 120 hours of mandatory training each year, covering technical rescue, hazardous materials and advanced life support.
Budget and tax impact
Emergency services make up 16% of the city’s total operating budget. About 85% of that money goes directly to salaries and benefits. Every $1.5 million added to the emergency services budget translates to roughly a 1% increase in property taxes for the average home. The department spends carefully to keep response times low while funding new equipment and station upgrades planned through the Budget.
Community safety initiatives
Public safety goes beyond emergency calls. Wrenford supports the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan with annual grants of $1.5 million to local partners, including the Downtown Wrenford BIA, community centres and youth programs. These grants fund security upgrades, mental health outreach and street safety projects. The city also tracks crime data alongside emergency calls to spot trends and direct resources where they are needed most.
For full details on station locations, shift schedules or to request a copy of the annual performance report, contact the Emergency Management department. Emergency calls are always made to 911.