After seeing a spike in calls (25) in the last week of August, the Okotoks Fire Department saw their number of responses return to normal last week.

According to Fire Chief Ken Thevenot, the Fire Department responded to 16 calls between Aug. 31 and Sept. 6.

Making up those calls were two fire responses, one fire investigation, seven medical responses, one public hazard, four alarm system activations and one motor vehicle collision.

Thevenot says calls are consistently staying ahead of last year's totals.

"Year-to-date responses are at 745, which is still ahead of last year," he says. "Since we started these reports, within the last month, we've fluctuated anywhere from 91 to about 107 calls ahead of where we were last year."

Thevenot says after watching the numbers go up and down for quite some time, the increases across the board aren't unexpected.

"(The growth) fluctuations within five, eight, ten per cent in each category," he says. "But, having said that, the categories are all fairly consistent in their growth patterns, so it would be a conclusion of growth within the community."

Thevenot says with the Summer over and kids heading back to school, the Fire Department's focus starts to shift.

"As we move forward we'll be coming up to Fire Prevention Week in October," he says. "And then also we'll touch on some of the things you can do to prep your home, be it furnace or chimneys, that sort of thing to get ready for Winter."

Thevenot says the entire fire department is looking forward to a big event this week, as they host the Okotoks Firefighters Ball on Saturday.