Plan To Improve Sacramento Fire Response Times Could Cost $8 Million Annually

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new report shows it's taking Sacramento firefighters longer to respond to a fire than the department would prefer.

While the recommended response time is four minutes, it's taking Sacramento firefighters an average of six minutes to respond.

A consultant hired by Sacramento Fire officials says the problem can be solved with more money from taxpayers.

Brenda Maddox's family has lived in South Natomas for more than a dozen years and she's concerned about the fire department's response time. Her neighborhood fire engine has some of the longest response times in the city. The department's goal is to arrive on scene within four minutes, but Engine 15 is averaging seven minutes and 18 seconds on its 3,400 calls each year.

A consultant says the solution is to spend more money, including adding three new ambulances and four new fire stations at a cost of nearly $8 million a year.

City Manager John Shirey says the city can save money by adding ambulances with paramedics who aren't trained as firefighters and only running them during peak daylight hours.

It's now up to the Sacramento City Council to determine how best to improve response times.

Traffic jams were also cited as problems for response times.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly referenced the department's four-minute goal as a "national average."