Plano Fire-Rescue has been providing emergency services to the City since 1897. Plano Fire-Rescue is the only department serving a city over 250,000 that maintains an ISO Class 1 fire accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation, International (CFAI) and ambulance accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). Response times are a critical measure used to assess perform and serve as an indicator of outcomes. The most critical being that of Cardiac Arrest. Plano Fire-Rescue has a Cardiac Arrest survival rate more than twice the national average.

Turnout Time

Turnout time from the time the fire station is alerted from Public Safety Communications (PSC)(aka Dispatch) until the time the apparatus begins to move. For calls Emergency Medical Services, the expected turnout time is 1 minute and 10 seconds or less. This goal is the area that Fire-Rescue has the most control. Station size and layout can negatively affect turnout times.

Travel Time

Travel time is measured from the time the dispatched apparatus begins to move in the direction of the emergency and the time that it arrives on scene of the emergency. The Plano Fire-Rescue has set a goal that strives to remain in compliance with the Nation Fire Protection Protection Association standards on Career Fire Departments. (NFPA 1710).

The department acknowledges that the travel measurement is effected by many things. Some examples are limited access roadways (US 75, President George H Bush Tollway, Dallas North Tollway, and the Sam Rayburn tollway), traffic on the streets at the time of dispatch, time of day, and distance in which the emergency occurs from the fire station. Additionally drive time go up drastically when road conditions or weather deteriorates.

The department's Fire Dispatchers are tasked with ensuring a timely and accurate response to every Fire/Rescue and Medical/Injury call for service that is processed by the 9-1-1 Call Takers. Dispatch time is measured from the time a 9-1-1 Call Taker enters a call for service into the Computer Aided Dispatching system to when a Fire Dispatcher has assigned Plano Fire-Rescue units to respond. In addition to the department's goal of having at least 90% of these calls dispatched within 15 seconds from being entered by a Call Taker we also seek to maintain an average dispatch time as low as possible.