South King Fire and Rescue gets 16,000 calls in 2009

South King Fire and Rescue has released its latest call numbers, going on almost 16,000 calls in 2009. That works out to a call every 31 minutes. Of those calls, 71 percent of them are medical, including falls, problems breathing or unconsciousness. The resuscitation survival rate in the service area (Federal Way and Des Moines) is 48 percent for cardiac arrests occurring out of the hospital. According to the department, this is one of the highest cardiac resuscitation rates in the United States. Also in 2009, firefighters responded to 581 fire-related calls, with 88 percent of them occurring in places where people live. The majority of the fires are attributed to unattended food cooking on the stove and cigarettes or smoking materials.