As 2022 gets underway, the West Grove Fire Company has reported its call statistics for 2021:

In all areas, 2021 was a busy year. In particular, the emergency medical services (EMS) operation set a record for annual calls for the year with 2,896 dispatched emergencies -- that represents the busiest year in the organization's history, and exceeded the previous record year in 2018 with 2,612 calls. 2021 EMS calls increased by 331 calls over the previous year. Behind those numbers in 2021 were three significant factors: the role played by the pandemic, the addition of territory with WGFC being assigned all of London Grove Township, and the winddown of the Jennersville Hospital (which began having an impact on WGFC in the last three months of the year as patients began to go elsewhere).

On the fire side, the Company was dispatched to 611 calls -- these include a variety of emergencies like fires, automatic alarms, auto accidents, etc., as well as requests to assist neighboring Fire Companies. Of those calls, there were 100 'box alarms' which are dispatches for building or dwelling fires. 25 of those calls were working fires. Of the many, many auto accidents, four calls were confirmed entrapment calls requiring the use of extrication equipment ("jaws of life" tools) to remove victims.

As WGFC looks ahead to this year, call volume is already very, very busy. This is particularly true for EMS, where the closed hospital means all ambulance patients are transported to emergency departments much further away. These increased transport times have a ripple effect on WGFC operations with ambulances out of the district and not available for the next call for extended periods, and this is also true for our neighboring services in Oxford and Avondale. This is a system-wide issue -- for more information see: https://www.wgfc.org/news/1111/Updated--Hospital-Closed----WGFC-Operations-and-Plans-in-Motion-

The West Grove Fire Company is a combination department, meaning the organization is staffed by both volunteer and career employees. Fire calls are handled by volunteer firefighters, supplemented most often in the daytime hours by career personnel. On the EMS side, most calls are handled with career emergency medical technicians (EMTs), supplemented from time to time by volunteers. The Fire Company covers approximately 75 square miles of territory, including all of London Grove, New London, and Penn Townships and West Grove Borough. WGFC covers most of Franklin and London Britain Townships. The EMS operation covers the same territory, but adds the southeastern corner of Londonderry Township, totaling approximately 88 square miles of coverage. WGFC operates from three fire stations: on Walnut Street in West Grove, on Route 896 behind the 7-11 in New London, and in Nichol Park along Route 896 in London Britain Township.