Why This Measure Matters

Tracking the rate of availability of fire apparatus to respond to calls in their first due area helps the city identify trends and allocate resources to improve public safety. It also provides valuable feedback in evaluating the success or opportunities to improve allocation of resources to best meet the community risk analysis.

What’s the Story?

Through resource deployment evaluation, the introduction of Aid units, and technology upgrades, the reliability of the Olympia Fire Department (OFD) continues to improve. Citywide reliability increased from 88% in 2022 to 92% in 2025. While this reflects steady progress, reliability remains below the department’s 95% target. OFD continues a process of ongoing evaluation to identify strategies that strengthen response coverage and maintain reliable service across the community.

Increased response volume in the Eastside and Northeast station areas contributed to a reduction in reliability for Downtown units, which recorded a reliability rate of 92% in 2025. The drop below the 95% target indicates that units assigned to the Downtown response area are being dispatched to cover incidents in neighboring districts more frequently. OFD continues to monitor deployment patterns and response demand to identify opportunities for operational improvements that support reliable coverage citywide.

Target

OFD's performance goal is for apparatus to be available to respond to incidents in their first due areas 95% of the time or more.

Reliability Measures: 95% and above is On Track, 80% to 95% is Caution, below 80% is Off Track.

Reporting frequency