| What is Response Time? |
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 Response Time !!!! What is response time and why is response time so important? Definition of “response time” – Most fire service leaders agree that response time is composed of a number of distinct elements: call processing time – the time it takes for dispatchers to ascertain the location and nature of the emergency and initiate the appropriate response; turnout or staffing time – the time it takes for personnel to respond to the dispatch, board apparatus, and begin traveling to the scene; and travel time – the actual time it takes to travel from the station to the scene.
To victims of fires and certain medical emergencies chances of survival or severity of disability are directl  y linked to the amount of time it takes for the fire department to arrive. According to the American Heart Association time is brain and time is heart muscle, meaning the amount of time it takes to get medical care is directly linked to a patient's level of injury during a heart attack or stroke. If someone is trapped in a fire or a baby stops breathing, seconds also count. Irreversible brain damage and death begin in as soon as 4 minutes.The odds of survival from cardiac arrest decline exponentially as the first few minutes go by without effective CPR and defibrillation (cardiac shocks), the only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest caused by a deadly heart rhythm disturbance called "ventricular fibrillation". CPR and other interventions, which are critical to the "chain of survival", can only increase the chance for successful resuscitation by paramedics or persons equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and "buy time". Fact: a fire can double in size in a little as 2 minutes. In as little as 30 seconds a small flame can become a deadly house fire.
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| Last Updated on Saturday, 07 March 2009 01:33 |
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