The average response times among the seven volunteer rescue squads in Patrick County during 2016 ranged from a low of 21 minutes to a high of 28 minutes, according to data provided by Emergency Services Coordinator Steve Allen.
The numbers represent the amount of time it takes for a squad to arrive at the scene of an emergency, Allen said. He noted the times are not broken down according to whether a call is in or out of a particular squad’s area. However, the clock starts ticking when a call is received by dispatchers manning Patrick County’s E- 911 service.
According to the data, the Smith River Volunteer Rescue Squad had the lowest average response time, at 21 minutes; both CCDF and Ararat had an average response time of 23 minutes; JEB Stuart’s average was 22 minutes; Vesta’s average was 28 minutes and Blue Ridge was 24 minutes, the data showed.
The data also included the number of times mutual aid coverage was provided for out-of-area calls; and information such as the number of times a call to an individual squad required county-wide tones and the number of in-area calls both received — and answered — by individual squads.
Last year, Station 1, CCDF, answered 165 of the 199 in-area calls it received, according to the data. Station 2, Ararat, answered 129 of 146 in-area calls; Station 3, JEB Stuart, answered 730 of 886 of its in-area calls; Station 5, Vesta, answered 73 of 137 calls and Station 7, Blue Ridge, answered 39 of the 53 calls received in 2016, the data showed. Station 4, Smith River, answered all 247 in-area calls it received.
Four agencies — considered First Responders who provide basic First Aid but do not provide transportation — also are included in the data. Calls and response times varied among those agencies as well.
Data showed that Patrick-Henry answered 35 of the 107 in area calls in 2016; Stuart responded to 157 of the 262; Fairystone answered 79 of 107 calls, and Moorefield Store answered 27 of 112.
