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Wellington Fire Rescue reports faster response times, adds EMS captains and chiefs, begins hurricane prep
Summary
Fire Rescue reported an average response time of 6 minutes 39 seconds for the period reported, added EMS captains and battalion chiefs, and said stations are preparing for dry‑brush risk and hurricane season ahead of mid‑April completion.
Chief Arena of Wellington Fire Rescue briefed the Public Safety Committee on quarterly response metrics, staffing changes and seasonal preparedness.
For the reporting window (December 10 through March 10), Chief Arena gave the following averages: dispatch handling time 43 seconds, turnout time 43 seconds, travel time 5 minutes 12 seconds, and overall response time 6 minutes 39 seconds. She said the service handled about 1,825 calls in the quarter and that about 73% of those were medical calls; overall call volume was up about 72 calls from the previous quarter while response times fell by about 10 seconds.
Chief Arena said the department placed three EMS captains into service earlier this cycle and has six EMS captains in battalion 2; three additional battalion chiefs were also placed into service, bringing that total to six. She described a battalion split along Southern Boulevard and noted that battalion 2 south stations serve the Wellington area.
Because of dry weather, the department is in a dry‑brush response posture and will dispatch additional units, including water tenders, to brush‑fire calls. Chief Arena and staff conducted a barn‑fire tactics walkthrough at Palm Beach Point with crews from Stations 20 and 27 and the EMS captains and battalion chiefs designated as first due to that area.
The department said hurricane preparations for all stations are underway and expected to be complete by mid‑April. Committee members asked procedural questions and suggested future demonstration topics; Chief Arena solicited ideas for future presentations to the committee.
No new budget requests or policy changes were proposed during the briefing.
