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
Walpole Fire Department
Community served: Walpole, Mass. Department type: Mostly career firefighters Fire stations (department)1: 3 Fire stations (town): 3 Square miles (town): 21.0 Square miles per station (town): 7.0 [ 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: 93.1% [ See rankings ] On-time rate, early years, 1986-1998: 92.2% On-time rate, recent years, 1999-2002: 94.5%
DETAILS:
1986-1998
1999-2002
1986-2002
Fires with on-time response
106
69
175
Fires with slower response
9
4
13
Total building fires studied
115
73
188
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: 4/9
ISO building code rating, residential, Nov. 2004: 6
ISO building code rating, commercial, Nov. 2004: 6
Fire spending FY 2003 (town only): $2,087,716
Fire spending as percent of total budget, FY 2003 (town only): 4.4% [ See rankings ]
Fire spending as percent of total budget, FY 1987 (town only): 3.2%
Fire spending per capita, FY 2003 (town only): $87 [ See rankings ]
Fire spending per capita, FY 1987, in 2003 dollars (town only): $54
Change in fire spending per capita, 1987-2003 (town only): 61.5%
Change in other municipal spending per capita, 1987-2003, adjusted for inflation (town only): 17.8%
Fire spending per housing unit, FY 2003 (town only): $259
Fire spending per square mile, FY 2003 (town only): $99,401
County: Norfolk
Population, 2004 (estimate): 23,869
Occupied housing units, 2000: 8,060
Median family income, 1999: $84,458
Population growth, 1990-2000: 12.9%
Population growth, 1980-1990: 4.8%
Tax base (assessed value per capita), FY 2004: $105,333