Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland Fire and Rescue only meets its arrival time goals about 75 percent of the time -- according to a new audit.

The agency sets the goal of arriving at 90 percent of emergencies within 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

It's a goal that many cities have adopted and met. It's because fires tend to "flash-over" to other objects after five minutes -- and the odds of surviving a heart attack after five minutes drop substantially.

Portland City auditor, Drummond Kahn, says the reasons for delays are multiple -- from miscommunication with 911 operators to hilly neighborhood and even emergency driving.

Drummond Kahn: "It always is a balancing act between safety for the traffic and pedestrians and cars on the emergency route itself. Balanced against the safety at the site of the emergency."

Portland's Fire commissioner says he's supportive of the audit's recommendations. But Amanda Fritz, the commissioner for the Bureau of Emergency Communications, questioned some of the audit's recommendations saying they "miss the mark."

Online:

Emergency Response Times Report .pdf