From Sunday November 13, 2022 through Saturday November 19, 2022, the Yuma Fire Department responded to 392 emergency calls for service:

                10    General Fire Responses
Including: 1 for smell of gas from meter outside residence, 2 for smell of gas from outside commercial buildings, 1 for an exhaust fan fire in a public restroom, 1 for a kitchen fire caused by unattended cooking, and various alarms 

                 8    Mutual Aid
Including: 6 for assisting Rural Metro with medical emergencies in Yuma County, 1 to assist with a medical emergency in Imperial County, and 1 to assist Imperial County with a brush fire in the Winterhaven area 

              27     Motor Vehicle Crashes 
Including: 1 involving a pedestrian, 1 involving a rollover, 1 involving several mailboxes, 2 involving head-on crashes, and 1 involving three vehicles

           315     Other Medical Emergencies (both serious and minor)
Including: 41 for difficulty breathing, 35 for chest pain/cardiac issues, 54 for fall related injuries, 15 for unconscious people (2 where bystander CPR was being provided), 7 seizure cases, 1 possible stroke case, 2 for an intoxicated person, 1 for a person under the influence of drugs, 1 for a drug overdose, 15 for psychiatric problems (10 threatening or attempting suicide), 3 for medical alarms, 1 for choking, 18 for altered or decreased level of consciousness, 4 for fevers,  3 for diabetic emergencies, 1 for a dog bite, 1 for a spider bite, 8 for man down calls, 2 for uncontrolled bleeding, 3 for bad headaches, 1 for a gunshot wound, 4 for assaults, 2 for back pain, 12 for abdominal pain, 1 pregnancy related, 2 for alcohol withdrawals, 8 welfare checks, 1 for a 60 year old woman badly burned when her dress was ignited by a campfire, 1 for a finger caught in a conveyor belt, 1 for a hand injured by a weed whacker, 1 for a person feeling sick after ingesting THC syrup, 1 for a person injured when their scooter hit a car, 1 for a person who cut their finger with a box cutter, and other illnesses and injuries (Note: 2 of the week’s total responses were to the USBP holding facility)

            32     Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
Including: 8 for a requested appearances or standbys at schools or special events, 1 for the smell of ammonia from a semi-truck, 1 for a trash truck on fire, 2 for heavy smell of gas (3E/32nd St.), 1 for a trash fire caused by a discarded cigarette, 1 for fuel leaking from a vehicle, 1 for a damaged power pole, 1 for a vehicle fire, and various alarms


According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking equipment was the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, with U.S. fire departments responding to an average of 172,900 home fires per year being cooking related. Stove top fires accounts for 3 out of every 5 of these fires. Unattended cooking was a factor in one-third (31%) of reported home cooking fires and more than half (53%) of the associated deaths. Frying dominates the cooking fire problem.

Yuma regularly sees cooking related fires. Several of these caused significant damage to homes, but even where damage was minimal, they do serve as reminders to “Watch what you Heat” and never leave things on the stovetop cooking unattended. As we head into the holiday season, remember that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving. In 2018 there were 1630 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day alone!

So, never leave things cooking unattended on the stove, keep clutter away from cooking surfaces, and wear clothing without loose dangling sleeves, Also, be sure to have a “Kid Free Zone” of at least 3 feet from cooking surfaces and always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove to prevent children from grabbing handles and spilling hot stuff onto themselves. Children under 5 years of age are at greatest risk of these scald injuries.

For more information about fire and injury prevention classes we offer, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 373-4855, you can also “Follow” us at www.twitter.com/YumaFireDept or on Instagram @YumaFireDepartment