Today the Country Fire Authority is releasing its emergency response data from the fourth quarter of the 2019/20 financial year.
The most recent data from April to June 2020 showed CFA brigades responded to 9,120 incidents, of which 4,893 required an emergency response.
In 87 per cent of incidents that required emergency response, the community received a fire service within the standard response time, which was broadly consistent with previous quarters.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the data highlighted the hard work of CFA members, but also demonstrated the continued danger fire poses to the community.
"These statistics are testament to the hard work and consistent service of our firefighters who have dedicated their time and service to the Victorian community and continued to respond to emergencies such as structural fires, HAZMAT incidents and many more throughout the pandemic," he said.
Tragically, five people died in residential fires in CFA areas during the period.
"At the moment, a lot of our focus is on bushfire safety, but this is a sobering reminder that residential fires can be just as deadly and devastating to our community.
"While these deaths occurred in the cooler months, we encourage everyone to install smoke alarms and check the batteries regularly regardless of the time of year," he said.
The results: Quarter Four (April - June) 2019/20
For CFA brigades, the Customer Service Delivery Standard compliance rate was 87 per cent. This rate is a measure of the first truck arriving on scene, regardless of brigade area.
The Quarter Four figures show CFA brigades continuing to perform well across a variety of urban and rural environments, including:
- CFA responded to 89 per cent of fires in significant urban areas within the standard response time of 8 minutes.
- CFA responded to 86 per cent of fires in all other urban areas within the standard response time of 10 minutes.
- CFA responded to 100 per cent of fires in areas with predominantly natural surroundings.
