DFEMS reports slight shift in fire and emergency incidents from 2024 to 2025

The CNMI Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to 2,399 emergency calls in 2025, up slightly from 1,825 total responses in 2024, according to the department’s Citizen-Centric Reports.

The bulk of activity included fire suppression, medical emergencies, and special operations.

In fire-specific responses, DFEMS reported 18 structure fires and nine automotive fires in 2025, compared with 10 structure fires and 10 automotive fires in 2024.

Wildland fires saw a notable drop to 28 incidents from 115 the previous year, while suppression-assisted medic calls rose to 300 from 200, and rescue unit-assisted medic calls increased to 289 from 155. Search-and-rescue missions and hazardous material responses remained low, at 6 and 4 incidents respectively in 2025, compared with 12 and 3 in 2024.

DFEMS also conducted 821 inspections in 2025, issuing 75 passes, 12 fails, 24 warnings, and 30 conditional notices. Permit activity included 179 new applicants, 642 renewals, and 95 operational permits.

Emergency medical services continued to form a substantial part of the department’s workload. While detailed ambulance responses for 2025 were not fully broken out in the CCR, the 2024 report recorded 6,220 ambulance responses, 244 motor vehicle crash transports, and 4,670 total transports to hospitals, including 120 immediate Code-1 emergencies and 3,780 moderate Code-3 transports.

DFEMS leadership emphasized that personnel and community outreach remain key priorities as the department works to enhance emergency response capabilities, provide public education on fire safety, and strengthen workforce development amid ongoing operational and budgetary challenges.