The New York City Fire Department is responding to fires faster than at any other time on record, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta announced today, crediting new dispatch protocols and improved technology for helping firefighters get to emergencies more quickly than ever before. The city also has had 44 fire deaths so far this year – fewer than ever before. In 2008, there were 59 fire deaths from January to August; in 2007, there were 64. Fire deaths in the last seven years are the lowest ever recorded in city history.

Since January, Firefighters have been responding on average to fire calls in 4:03 – the fastest time ever recorded – and 13 seconds faster than the same period (January to August) in 2008; 26 seconds faster than in 2007.

“These record-setting response times are a tremendous accomplishment for the FDNY that has been achieved through hard work from our members and innovation in the way we dispatch our fire companies,” said Commissioner Scoppetta. “Anyone who’s ever lived through a fire knows seconds can mean lost lives. It’s no wonder fewer people have died from fires this year than ever before.”

Under a new dispatch program that began in June 2008, dispatchers immediately assign fire units to an emergency as soon as they obtain and confirm the location and nature of an incident from the caller. Previously they gathered additional details before dispatching units. Further enhancements to the city’s 911 system were implemented when the Unified Call Taker (UCT) process became operational in May 2009.

Response to non-structural fires – such as car and brush fires – also reached a historic low, averaging 4:24 thus far in 2009 as compared to 4:44 in the first eight months of last year (4:56 for the same period in 2007).

There are also fewer fires in New York City. As of August 31, there were 17,176 structural fires in the five boroughs. Comparatively, there were 17,725 fires in the first eight months of last year and 18,604 during the same period in 2007. That represents a 3 percent drop since August 2008 and an 8 percent drop since August 2007.

Commissioner Scoppetta credited the hard work of FDNY’s Fire Safety Education Unit in large part for the reduction.

(Moshe Altusky – YWN)