The Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services Communications Center handled the highest number of incident calls in its history in 2017. The center, which handles 911 calls for CCEMS as well as 16 other emergency agencies—including the Spring Fire Department and Klein Volunteer Fire Department—received 90,873 calls resulting in a response from an emergency agency. That number is 24 percent more than the 73,335 calls the center handled in 2016. CCEMS Public Information Officer Norm Uhl said part of this increase can be attributed to Hurricane Harvey. During the storm, the center handled more than 12,000 calls, of which 5,426 were for incidents requiring a response. However, even without the 5,426 incident calls handled during Hurricane Harvey considered, the number of calls the center handled in 2017 exceeded the number of calls in 2016 by 12,112, or about 17 percent. Although Uhl said it is hard to pinpoint why this increase in calls has occurred, it could partly be explained by the area's growing population. According to a demographer with Emergency Services District 11, which funds CCEMS, the population in CCEMS's service area increased from 502,126 to 549,108 between 2014 and 2018, an increase of about 9 percent. The center is also expanding the number of agencies for which it handles calls. For example, in 2016 it added Pearland Fire Department and in October 2017 it added Stafford Fire Department. Uhl said the center hires additional staff as it expands its service list to keep pace with this growth.