Why response time must be reduced
For rescue operations ‘response time’ is one of the measures for effectiveness. In emergency situations response time should be as short as possible as this could be crucial for saving lives or properties at danger. Accordingly, much effort is put into reducing response times. But actually, what is response time?
Response time is a sum of parts
The total response time could be split into three clearly different phases:
- Dispatch time – This is the time elapsed from when an emergency call is received at the central until the rescue unit is notified.
- Turnout time – The time from when the rescue unit is notified until it is responding.
- Travel time – The time from responding until arriving at the incident scene.
It’s quite obvious that the potential for reducing response time will differ considerably depending on what phase we’re looking at.