THIS MAP shows locations and response times for building fires from 1990-2002
Building fires:
1-5 minute response
Fire stations:
6 minute response
7-29 minute response
Chatham Fire Department
Community served: Chatham, Mass. Department type: Mostly career firefighters Fire stations (department)1: 2 Fire stations (town): 2 Square miles (town): 17.1 Square miles per station (town): 8.5 [ See rankings ] 1Some communities have more than one fire department.
Deadly delays
An exclusive Globe investigation into fire response times. Read the series
SUMMARY: On-time rate, building fires receiving a response within 6 minutes, 1986-2002: 83.8% [ See rankings ] On-time rate, early years, 1986-1998: 86.4% On-time rate, recent years, 1999-2002: 74.3%
DETAILS:
1986-1998
1999-2002
1986-2002
Fires with on-time response
108
26
134
Fires with slower response
17
9
26
Total building fires studied
125
35
160
Insurance companies use ratings from ISO, a New Jersey company, to help determine fire insurance premiums. ISO rates communities on a scale from 1 (best) to 10 (no protection). The ratings are based on the community's fire department, water supply, and dispatch communications. The ratings are not based at all on response times. The same scale of 1 to 10 is applied to the
effectiveness of building codes. In a split fire rating, such as 4/9, the second number applies to properties more than 1,000 feet from a hydrant.
ISO fire protection rating, Nov. 2004: 5/9
ISO building code rating, residential, Nov. 2004: 5
ISO building code rating, commercial, Nov. 2004: 5
Fire spending FY 2003 (town only): $1,527,154
Fire spending as percent of total budget, FY 2003 (town only): 6.3% [ See rankings ]
Fire spending as percent of total budget, FY 1987 (town only): 5.8%
Fire spending per capita, FY 2003 (town only): $230 [ See rankings ]
Fire spending per capita, FY 1987, in 2003 dollars (town only): $113
Change in fire spending per capita, 1987-2003 (town only): 104.3%
Change in other municipal spending per capita, 1987-2003, adjusted for inflation (town only): 92.6%
Fire spending per housing unit, FY 2003 (town only): $483
Fire spending per square mile, FY 2003 (town only): $89,554
County: Barnstable
Population, 2004 (estimate): 6,643
Occupied housing units, 2000: 3,160
Median family income, 1999: $56,750
Population growth, 1990-2000: 0.7%
Population growth, 1980-1990: 2.8%
Tax base (assessed value per capita), FY 2004: $673,446