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Fire Response

Firefighters

Fire Response

 

   
The Issue In-Depth
Background

The Mesa Fire Department is the largest accredited fire department in the state.  Only 0.4% of all fire departments in the U.S. have acquired international accreditation.

In 1990, Mesa Fire served 119 square miles, with a population of 288,091.  By 2006, there was a 58% growth in population with only 134 fire fighters added to the department.

The response time goal for the Mesa Fire is four minutes or less, 90% of the time.  The four minute response time is extremely important because:

  • Brain damage begins at 4 - 6 minutes without oxygen
  • Brain death occurs at 8 minutes
  • Fire will double in size every 2 minutes
  • Flashover occurs in less than 8 minutes (the room is so hot that everything ignites)
  • At flashover, the survival rate is 0.  The housing structure is compromised and may collapse.

With a larger area to cover, and more people to serve, response time begins to increase because of high call volumes and long travel distances.  Response time is also impacted by:

  • Location of incident
  • Road conditions
  • Access (entrance gates, etc.)
  • Traffic
Resources & Key Contacts

Deputy Chief Mike Dunn
480-644-2101
mike.dunn@Mesaaz.gov

Fire Web site