MONROE - A Times study of area emergency response times shows local personnel respond quickly to calls for service, but for Monroe's Fire Department and Green County Emergency EMS reaching the city's far west side is a challenge.
Volunteers for Green County EMS and the Monroe Fire Department have the same problem of getting across town quickly, Green County EMS Chief Dan Nufer said.
This slowed response is caused in large part to firefighters having to leave their jobs or homes on the west side of the city and travel downtown to board apparatus and then return, sometimes along the very same route, to an incident west of Wisconsin 69.
The EMS department discourages on-call personnel from being west of Wisconsin 69. Those who work on the west side are not on call during the day, Nufer said.
"But I don't need all the people (Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch) needs. I only need three to get a vehicle out the door," he added.
A crew of at least six firefighters is needed to get a fire truck out the door.
National Fire Protection Association publication NFPA 1720 set acceptable response times of 9 minutes in 90 percent of the calls in urban areas, and 10 minutes in 80 percent of the calls in suburban areas. Rural areas response is 14 minutes 80 percent of the time.
NFPA 1720 is a set of standards for the organization and deployment of services for volunteer firefighters.
National Fire Protection Association 1710 standards state that all areas served by a fire department should be within a six- to eight-minute total reflex time and that those standards should be met 90 percent of the time. NFPA 1710 focuses on departments staffed by career personnel.
Monroe Fire Department's command vehicle with Rausch or Deputy Chief Lane Heins can be on scene within six minutes. However, arrival of actual firefighting personnel takes about eight to 10 minutes, and the average reflex time to the far west edge is about 12 to 14 minutes.
When the Monroe Fire Department was called to a fire at the Badger State Ethanol plant on West 17th Street on Jan. 19, 2009, firefighting personnel arrived in about 10.5 minutes.
Rausch measures reflex time from the moment the 911 dispatcher picks up the phone until the first action is taken by the fire department at the scene.
The Insurance Services Office, which sets rates for commercial and residential properties based on the effectiveness of the local fire department, recommends insurable properties be within a 1.5-mile radius of a fire station in order to receive maximum credit. The most western areas of Monroe fall outside a 1.5-mile radius of the current fire station.
Enroute response time is the span of time from the moment the pagers go off until the emergency crew hits the road.
Emergency medical and fire personnel in Green County often are en route within one minute of the dispatch officer receiving a call for help.
"Our goal is to be out the door in four minutes or less. In addition, rapid response is out the door and on the road within one to two minutes," Nufer said.
The Times contacted five emergency departments regarding response times, and all reported response times under five minutes.
Green County EMS in Monroe has an average response time of less than four minutes in 96 percent of its calls.
Rapid Response times were within two minutes, Nufer added.
Green County EMS tries to staff a primary vehicle "to the best of our ability" and a secondary vehicle, Nufer said. The averaged response times include both vehicles.
Green County had 321 calls during the first quarter and 285 calls during the second quarter of 2009.
Brodhead EMS Service Director Bryan Niedermeier quoted an enroute response time of 4 minutes, 41 seconds.
"We have one ambulance that is always staffed with minimum two EMT-basics and one driver," Niedermeier said.
Currently, Brodhead has 22 EMTs, and one starting classes in August. It also has four drivers, bringing the roster to 27. The staff is volunteer based; there are no full- or part-time paid employees. Brodhead EMS had 209 calls as of July 28, 2009. Last year at the same date, it had 240 calls
New Glarus EMS, staffed by paid members from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by volunteers on nights and weekends, average 3.4 minutes, according to EMS Chief Kris Mueller.
Juda Fire Chief Steve Isely said his department is on the road in about 3.5 minutes. The 40 volunteer members operate six trucks at the station in Juda, as well as three trucks at the Twin Grove station.
The greatest feat is just getting the people to the station quickly, Isely said.
Volunteer firefighters in the area usually are at work when a call comes in.Albany Fire Chief Danny Mueller said his volunteer crew arrives at the station within three minutes, but it could be less, "if it's the middle of the night."
"During the day, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., is the hardest to get people in (quickly)," Niedermeier said.
Green County EMS keeps three people on staff at all times. They must be within four minutes of the EMS building on 12th Street, where GCEMS has living quarters.
Volunteers for Green County EMS and the Monroe Fire Department have the same problem of getting across town quickly, Green County EMS Chief Dan Nufer said.
This slowed response is caused in large part to firefighters having to leave their jobs or homes on the west side of the city and travel downtown to board apparatus and then return, sometimes along the very same route, to an incident west of Wisconsin 69.
The EMS department discourages on-call personnel from being west of Wisconsin 69. Those who work on the west side are not on call during the day, Nufer said.
"But I don't need all the people (Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch) needs. I only need three to get a vehicle out the door," he added.
A crew of at least six firefighters is needed to get a fire truck out the door.
National Fire Protection Association publication NFPA 1720 set acceptable response times of 9 minutes in 90 percent of the calls in urban areas, and 10 minutes in 80 percent of the calls in suburban areas. Rural areas response is 14 minutes 80 percent of the time.
NFPA 1720 is a set of standards for the organization and deployment of services for volunteer firefighters.
National Fire Protection Association 1710 standards state that all areas served by a fire department should be within a six- to eight-minute total reflex time and that those standards should be met 90 percent of the time. NFPA 1710 focuses on departments staffed by career personnel.
Monroe Fire Department's command vehicle with Rausch or Deputy Chief Lane Heins can be on scene within six minutes. However, arrival of actual firefighting personnel takes about eight to 10 minutes, and the average reflex time to the far west edge is about 12 to 14 minutes.
When the Monroe Fire Department was called to a fire at the Badger State Ethanol plant on West 17th Street on Jan. 19, 2009, firefighting personnel arrived in about 10.5 minutes.
Rausch measures reflex time from the moment the 911 dispatcher picks up the phone until the first action is taken by the fire department at the scene.
The Insurance Services Office, which sets rates for commercial and residential properties based on the effectiveness of the local fire department, recommends insurable properties be within a 1.5-mile radius of a fire station in order to receive maximum credit. The most western areas of Monroe fall outside a 1.5-mile radius of the current fire station.
Enroute response time is the span of time from the moment the pagers go off until the emergency crew hits the road.
Emergency medical and fire personnel in Green County often are en route within one minute of the dispatch officer receiving a call for help.
"Our goal is to be out the door in four minutes or less. In addition, rapid response is out the door and on the road within one to two minutes," Nufer said.
The Times contacted five emergency departments regarding response times, and all reported response times under five minutes.
Green County EMS in Monroe has an average response time of less than four minutes in 96 percent of its calls.
Rapid Response times were within two minutes, Nufer added.
Green County EMS tries to staff a primary vehicle "to the best of our ability" and a secondary vehicle, Nufer said. The averaged response times include both vehicles.
Green County had 321 calls during the first quarter and 285 calls during the second quarter of 2009.
Brodhead EMS Service Director Bryan Niedermeier quoted an enroute response time of 4 minutes, 41 seconds.
"We have one ambulance that is always staffed with minimum two EMT-basics and one driver," Niedermeier said.
Currently, Brodhead has 22 EMTs, and one starting classes in August. It also has four drivers, bringing the roster to 27. The staff is volunteer based; there are no full- or part-time paid employees. Brodhead EMS had 209 calls as of July 28, 2009. Last year at the same date, it had 240 calls
New Glarus EMS, staffed by paid members from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by volunteers on nights and weekends, average 3.4 minutes, according to EMS Chief Kris Mueller.
Juda Fire Chief Steve Isely said his department is on the road in about 3.5 minutes. The 40 volunteer members operate six trucks at the station in Juda, as well as three trucks at the Twin Grove station.
The greatest feat is just getting the people to the station quickly, Isely said.
Volunteer firefighters in the area usually are at work when a call comes in.Albany Fire Chief Danny Mueller said his volunteer crew arrives at the station within three minutes, but it could be less, "if it's the middle of the night."
"During the day, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., is the hardest to get people in (quickly)," Niedermeier said.
Green County EMS keeps three people on staff at all times. They must be within four minutes of the EMS building on 12th Street, where GCEMS has living quarters.