City of Morgan Hill Public Safety Master Plan

FIGURE 5-1: Fire Propagation Curve

Another important factor in the whole response time question is what we term “detection time.” This is the time it takes to detect a fire or medical situation and notify 911 to initiate the response. In many instances, particularly at night or when automatic detection systems (fire sprinklers and smoke detectors) are unavailable or inoperable, the detection process can be extended.

MEASURING RESPONSE TIMES

There have been no documented studies that have made a direct correlation between response times and outcomes in fire and EMS events. No one has been able to show that a four- minute response time is measurably more effective than a six-minute response time. The logic has been “faster is better,” but this has not been substantiated by any detailed analysis. Furthermore, the ability to measure the difference in outcomes (patient saves, reduced fire damage, or some other quantifiable measure) between a six-minute, eight-minute, or ten- minute response is not a performance measure often utilized in the fire service. It has been the position of CPSM that the level of protection in a community should be based on the specific needs of that community. So, in looking at response times it is prudent to design a deployment strategy around the actual circumstances that exists and the historical service demands that are occurring.

For the purpose of this analysis, Response Time is a product of three components: Dispatch Time , Turnout Time , and Travel Time .

■ Dispatch time is the time interval that begins when the alarm is received at the initial public safety answering point (PSAP) or communications center and ends when the response

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