WELLSVILLE — The Wellsville Fire Department’s call volume for 2025 is consistent with that of 2024. The department responded to 134 calls as of the end of November for 2025 and 128 in 2024.  

They were called to provide mutual aid one time and had 34 medical calls for ambulance assistance.   

Fire Chief Barry Podwel noted that the Wellsville Fire Department responds for EMS service only if called by an ambulance for assistance. The Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD) handles the EMS calls.  

While the total call volume remains consistent between this year and last, Podwel noted that there has been an increase this year in the number of ambulance assist calls received.  

The department had 34 fire callouts in 2025. These callouts included structure fires, burning complaints and alarms.  

They had 58 callouts for a variety of other reasons including downed wires/trees, gas odors, motor vehicle accidents, lockouts, busted pipes and a carbon monoxide detector going off.  

The department currently has 19 volunteers, and four paid village firefighters. There have been no staffing changes or new hires this year.  

The village department is considered fully staffed with the four firefighters. 

The village firefighters also do the round the clock, seven days a week dispatching for both police and fire. Podwel recently noted that this is causing issues in response times because, with the exception of the daytime shift on Wednesday, the department is only staffed by one firefighter who cannot leave the station due to having to man the phones. So they often have to wait for another firefighter or call another station to get someone out on a call.  

Podwel would like to see the fire department switch to the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch center. Discussions are ongoing for that.  

“I think everybody is doing a great job,” Podwel said of his department members. “The thing is manpower; we are short. You always want more guys. Depending on the time of day there have been calls where we are short staff or manpower is down. We always have other departments we can call, but that’s not guaranteeing we are going to get anybody. It’s not just here, it’s everybody having problems getting needed manpower.”

The department’s fire levy passed this year, which Podwel said is a good thing. He noted that anyone who had concerns over voting in favor of the levy is more than welcome to come talk to him. He would be glad to sit down and discuss how the fire department works and how the levy is needed.  

Podwel reiterated that he thinks everyone is doing a great job and noted that the department does have its flaws, but that every department has some, and the department has some problems just like every other does.