The Dispatch wrote
Few fire departments in fast-growing central Ohio hit the national standard for response time
Sunday, September 21, 2008
BY DOUG CARUSO, MARTIN ROZENMAN AND JIM WOODS
In a race against a house fire, which can double in size every minute it burns, firefighters should strive to get there in six minutes. That improves their chances of saving lives and property, according to a widely accepted national standard.
But the farther you live from central Ohio’s urban centers, the less likely it is that your fire department will make it in time, according to a Dispatch analysis of state fire-run data.
As the region has grown, especially in the counties surrounding Franklin County, departments have tried to keep up, bringing on professional, full-time firefighters and adding stations. Still, response times in some of the fastest-growing areas — including Pickerington, Powell, New Albany and the eastern part of Reynoldsburg — meet the standard less than half the time.
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