Incident response times

Conference is concerned that certain Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) are defining a response time as the time of station alert (or even mobilisation) to time of first appliance in attendance. The response time must be calculated from time of call from those seeking emergency intervention to time in attendance. This was defined (and has not been rescinded) in the ‘Fire Incident Response Times’ provided previously by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

FRSs who record response times from time of alert (or mobilisation) are potentially manipulating those times as up to 90 seconds call handling time, or at times significantly more, may be being removed from the actual response time. This allows those FRSs to falsely demonstrate their FRS are acting within already poor attendance standards using flawed data.

Conference calls on the Executive Council to investigate this matter and address any anomalies in recording of incident response standards with the relevant authority within the Home Office.