Canton by the Numbers: How Many Fires? How Many Items Borrowed from the Library?

Canton’s 2012 statistics are in and here’s a rundown of the numbers, according to the Annual Town Report.

The Canton Fire Department extinguished 82 fires in 2012. These fires included houses, commercial buildings, brush and vegetation and vehicle fires. The department responded to a total of 3,700 emergency calls, about 2,000 of which were medical calls. Canton also participated in 140 mutual aid requests to help out other communities.

Canton’s Police Chief  Kenneth Berkowitz wrote 2012 saw a “marked increase” in crime because of what he said was also an increase in drug addiction, most notably opiates. He stated many subjects were apprehended and charged for motor vehicle break ins, bank robberies, non-fatal stabbings, house break ins and federal drug violations. For this year in 2013, he stated in the report he wanted to get more proactive in the school system and expand the school resource officer program.

The Canton Public Library saw over 315,297 items loaned in 2012, with 39,521 out to other libraries. The rate of active borrowers increased 2.4 percent to 11,542, with 6,926 more visits to the library than 2011.

The Canton Health Department made over 660 inspections and investigations in 2012. They include:

• Food = 317 including, but is not limited to restaurants and other food service establishments, retail food stores, caterers, and function hall kitchens

• Title 5 = 51 including septic system installation inspections along with witnessing soil and percolation tests, septic system plan reviews and approvals

• Public and semi-public swimming pools = 38
  

• Nuisances = 29

• Septage hauler truck inspections = 8

• Trucks haul offal = 3

• Housing and State Sanitary Code, Chapter II Inspections= 148
  

• Mobile vendors or “canteen” trucks = 10

• Ice skating rinks = 4

• Children’s camps = 18

• Tanning salon = 6
  

• Miscellaneous complaints = 29