Report: Orlando Fire Department response times aren’t improving

ORLANDO, Fla. — In 2020, Orlando firefighters were concerned about a new dispatch system that was causing increased response times in the city.

Now, almost three years later, they say the bugs still have not been worked out.

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In 2019, both the Orlando Fire Department and Orlando Police Department implemented a new computer-aided dispatch system to replace an aging system.

But a new report compiled by an assistant fire chief says there are repeated concerns that affect the system.

Read: New system designed to make Orlando fire response times faster, but some firefighters, paramedics say it’s slowing them down

“During the review, we have found a concerning trend that should require the department to reevaluate how the GPS/GIS system is performing,” the report said.

The report claims that response goals were rarely met in the city and that response times were exceeding the adopted standards of 5 minutes for the first-due crew.

Data in the report shows that response times increased by 11% in the five-to-seven-minute range and by 35% in the range greater than 7 minutes.

Read: One person killed in early morning apartment fire in Orlando, firefighters say

Since Oct. 27, Channel 9 has been trying to get an interview with the Orlando Fire Department about the report but was told a deputy chief, not the fire chief, would sit down. On Monday, that deputy chief canceled our scheduled interview.

On Tuesday, Channel 9 asked if Fire Chief Charlie Salazar was prepared to answer questions while he attended an event. But his spokesperson said he was not because he had other commitments to attend to.

Read: Orlando firefighter named in lawsuit filed by city after seeking payment for work-related cancer

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