Bluffton Fire District responds to record call volume in 2025
The Bluffton Township Fire District responded to a record 11,165 calls for service in 2025, marking the busiest year in the district’s history.
The total surpassed the 10,799 calls handled in 2024 and reflects continued population growth and increasing demand for emergency and community services across the district’s nearly 250-square-mile coverage area.
Fire district officials said the increase mirrors broader trends in call volume as the region grows, with firefighters responding to a wide range of emergencies and service-related requests throughout the year.
In December 2025, the district also completed its transition from the National Fire Incident Reporting System, known as NFIRS, to the National Emergency Response Information System, or NERIS. The new nationwide reporting platform is being implemented by the U.S. Fire Administration and is designed to modernize how fire and emergency response data are collected and reported.
Officials said the new system allows certain types of service calls that were not individually tracked under the previous reporting system to be more accurately recorded. Those activities are now categorized under public service responses and include citizen assists, non-medical alarms, weather- and disaster-related incidents, and other community service calls.
District leaders emphasized that the change affects reporting practices rather than field operations.
“What has not changed is our commitment to the community,” Fire Chief David Hindman said. “Our firefighters have taken on a record workload and adapted to new reporting requirements while continuing to deliver exceptional service on every call.”
The fire district credited its firefighters, officers, support staff and their families for meeting the increased demand, and thanked the community for its continued support.
More information about the NERIS system and monthly operational data is available in the Operations Report section of the district’s website at blufftonfd.com.
