|
Editorial: WBFD’s quick response
Op-Ed · April 28, 2016
West Branch citizens benefit from a fire department with a quick response time with an average that exceeds national standards.
Response time — also known as mobilization time — refers to the time from when the call goes out to the time firefighters or other emergency responders drive trucks out of the fire station. The National Fire Protection Association sets minimum times to respond depending on population density or distance. The standard, NFPA 1720, refers to volunteer fire departments:
• Urban areas with greater than 1,000 people per square mile require a minimum response time of 9 minutes.
• Suburban areas of 500 to 1,000 people per square mile require a response time of 10 minutes.
• Rural areas with fewer than 500 people per square mile require a response time of 14 minutes.
• Remote areas with travel distances of eight miles or less require a response time that depends on the distance.
West Branch Fire Department’s average response time? 3.4 minutes.
The average is important also because the NFPA sets objectives for fire departments because there are so many factors — like bad weather — that can slow down how quickly volunteers can get to the West Branch Fire Department. The NFPA does not expect fire departments to hit these standards 100 percent of the time. But they do expect fire departments to meet these response times 80 to 90 percent of the time.
It is interesting to compare this to fire departments with full-time staff — firefighters already at the station when the siren goes off. The NFPA 1710, a standard for full-time fire departments, says those firefighters need to get geared up and out the door in 60 seconds for medical calls and 80 seconds for fire calls.
Subtracting the time allotted for putting on gear, this suggests that the West Branch volunteer firefighters are dropping everything they are doing, jumping into their trucks and arriving at the fire station in roughly two to two-and-a-half minutes.
That’s fast.
West Branch is one of Iowa’s largest fire districts, also, covering all or part of six townships. So the time it takes to drive from the station to the location of the emergency will vary. However, getting mobilized so quickly means saving more lives and property.
The department responds to more than 400 calls per year, calls that come on weekends and holidays to when many of us like to travel or take it easy. West Branch fire department still keeps its response time low.
West Branch Fire Department Chief Kevin Stoolman said he is pleased with this 3.4-minute response time.
And with good reason.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
