Carbondale Reporter

Herrin Fire District responded to 137 calls in 2018 - 5.4 percent more than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Herrin included 69 fires - 53 structure fires, eight vehicle fires and eight other fires. The fire department also responded to two calls for ruptures, explosions or overheating.

The department also received 66 false calls.

Two fire service members were injured in fire-related incidents.

The Herrin Firefighters Pension Fund, which has 11 active employees and 11 retired or inactive employees, was $107,394 in debt as of April 2017, according to the fund's mandated filings with the Illinois Department of Insurance. That amounts to $1,451 for every fire in 2017.

	2017	2018	Year-over-year change (%)
Building Fires	41	53	29.3
Vehicle Fires	8	8	0
Other Fires	25	8	-68
Total Fires	74	69	-6.8
Total Calls	130	137	5.4