Staffing Blamed for Slow response to NV fires

According to recent investigations, the Las Vegas fire department is unable to respond to emergency calls fast enough due to staffing shortages. Officials with the Las Vegas fire department hope this new information will improve its chances for a budget increase. It also hopes to provide even greater and faster service to Las Vegas residents in their time of need.

The department-conducted study examined the rate at which the Las Vegas fire department and paramedics responded to priority calls in less than four minutes. In North Las Vegas, emergency responders achieved this four-minute response just over half of the time. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that departments and paramedics reach this threshold 90 percent of the time. The American Heart Association and other experts say this four-minute response time greatly improves the chance that a person will survive a Las Vegas fire accident .

According to the study, the Las Vegas fire department's staff is half the size of most departments in similarly sized cities. This staffing shortage is the source of many potential deficiencies. While Fire Chief Al Gillespie notes that no deaths have resulted from this delay in Las Vegas fire accident response time, staffing shortages are a serious problem that must be addressed.

“It doesn't mean that the firefighters we have are not doing a great job, but we just need more staffing,” says Gillespie.

The Fire Chief is using this new study to request a 25 percent budget increase to $27 million for the Las Vegas fire department. Gillespie is also requesting another 50 staff members be added to his team of firefighters and administrators. The City Council will consider this request in spring 2006.

The study showed that the average response rates in Henderson and Clark County are even slower than those in Las Vegas, by almost a minute. Studies show that for every additional minute following the start of a blaze, a fire will double in size. This makes the consequences of a Henderson and Las Vegas fire accident potentially more devastating.