Olympia fire chief reveals gaps in emergency response times

The Olympia Fire Department has completed a comprehensive assessment of its emergency response system, identifying service gaps and proposing strategic solutions to improve future coverage in the city.  

The comprehensive Standards of Cover report, presented by Olympia Fire Department Chief Matt Morris at the Community Livability and Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 23, revealed disparities in response times across the city's four fire stations.

The assessment identified risks to the community and evaluated the department's ability to meet the needs of residents for fire protection and emergency medical services.  

Citing the 170-page report, Morris noted the city's four stations demonstrate high availability, exceeding 90% overall, with three stations surpassing 95%.

However, response times vary dramatically. 

The fire chief revealed the city has no established response time benchmark, currently applying the national standard of 7.6 minutes. He said the department currently measures its performance against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 standard of reaching emergencies within 7.6 minutes; the department does that 90% of the time.  

Morris wants to engage the city council in a conversation to see if they are comfortable with the standard or develop its own tailored response time goal.  

In meeting the NFPA 1710 standard response time, Morris said the department has significant variations in emergency response times across its four stations: 

• Stations 1 and 4 meet the 7.6-minute standard 75-75% of the time 

• Station 2 achieves the standard 44% of the time 

• Station 3 meets the standard 35% of the time.  

Downtown stations typically respond within 8.50 minutes, while other stations show longer response times, with Station 2 averaging 11 minutes, Station 3 around 11.4 minutes and Station 4 about 8.50 minutes.  

In analyzing response time challenges, Morris talked about the west side's emergency service situation. One fire station (Station 2) serves the entire area, it covers 7.7 square miles, the city's largest response zone. The station manages approximately 5,000 incidents each year.  

Morris noted Station 3, which serves southeast Olympia, has a large coverage area with low incident counts. However, its wide geographic span poses challenges.

"When they do respond, they are often too far to meet the seven-minute standard," he said. "Time is directly related to outcomes and performance. Each district has different factors impacting emergency response, and we can't apply a one-size-fits-all approach." 

Addressing challenges 

To address the response time disparities and service delivery challenges, Morries presented several proposals to the committee.  

Morris said technological innovations will play a crucial role, with plans to implement advanced data analytics software to better manage and analyze response data.

“We are going to purchase and secure a new data analytics software. We are going to cover that with existing budget money,” said Morris, adding the department would partner with Lacey Fire District 3 to drive the cost down.  

He said the approach will enable more efficient and comprehensive data collection, providing deeper insight into emergency response effectiveness.  

The Standard of Cover assessment also recommends potential district realignments, including redrawing fire station response boundaries and optimizing station locations to match call volumes and geographical challenges.  

Morris added that resource deployment strategies are key, with considerations for adding aid units, repositioning existing resources, and potentially constructing new fire stations.  

The fire chief emphasized the importance of long-term capital planning, including budgeting for apparatus replacements and infrastructure improvements.

The committee approved the recommended 2025 Standards of Cover. It will be forwarded to the city council for further consideration.