KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some fire departments across East Tennessee say crews respond to more emergency medical calls than fire calls. Those can range from stroke calls to car crashes and overdoses.

When there is an immediate life threat or injury, the men in red are there.

On any given year, the Knoxville Fire Department responds to roughly 26,000 emergency calls, but only a portion of those are fires.

According to Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks, the department is an “all-hazard department,” meaning they can respond to a variety of emergency situations.

“We do a little bit of everything,” Wilbanks said. “Chest pains, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, overdoses, shootings, stabbings, motor vehicle accidents, that’s what we’re seeing most.”

Wilbanks said that about 75% of their calls no

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