General Plan Update - City of Inglewood

6.7 Fire Services
Fire and Medical Incidents
In 2005, the five stations serving Inglewood responded to 10,505 emergency incidents, of
which 8,299 (79 percent) were medical emergency responses. Divided equally, this
equates to approximately 1,660 responses per station, which is well within the number of
calls recommended by the Insurance Service Office (ISO) when rating a community for
fire insurance rates. 119 The ISO provides rating and statistical information for the
insurance industry in the United States. Specifically, the ISO recommends that a second
company be put in service in a fire station if that station receives more than 2,500 calls
per year. The purpose of the ISO’s recommendation is to assure reliability of response
time to a structure fire.
Due to the size of the LACFD, the Battalion that serves Inglewood can easily draw from
the depth of resources available around the County, including within its own division that
has additional stations in adjacent unincorporated areas and within the neighboring cities
of Hawthorne and Gardena. According to the LACFD, Fire Station 18, which is within
Battalion 20 but outside City limits, would be the closest unit available to service
Inglewood if a need should arise. 120
Fires in Inglewood represent a small portion of all calls in Inglewood. The Division
reports that no particular area of the City experiences an unusual number of fires and no
particular factor is responsible for causing the fires. High-rise developments, however,
have the potential to cause more difficulty in fighting fire due to the need to provide
more resources. Other calls to the Division include miscellaneous problems such as
hazardous materials incident or a water rescue. 121
Response Times and Protocol
The existing service level in Inglewood is adequate for the existing conditions. The
LACFD uses nationally-accepted guidelines for response times in urban areas: 5 minutes
for a first-responding or basic life support unit (usually an engine company) and
8 minutes for an advanced life support (paramedic) unit. Inglewood had 10,505
emergency incidents in 2005, of which 79 percent were medical. The average emergency
response time was 4 minutes 22 seconds. There were additionally 440 non-emergency
incidents with an average response time of 6 minutes 21 seconds. 122
Mutual Aid Agreements
In addition to providing service within the City of Inglewood, the LACFD also
participates in automatic and mutual aid services with neighboring jurisdictions. Units
from stations located outside Inglewood respond to calls on a daily basis. Under the
119 Bennett, Mark J., Acting Assistant Fire Chief, 2006. Personal communication.March 14.
120 Bennett, Mark J., Acting Assistant Fire Chief, 2006. Personal communication.March 14.
121 Bennett, Mark J., Acting Assistant Fire Chief, 2006. Personal communication.March 14.
122 Bennett, Mark J., Acting Assistant Fire Chief, 2006. Personal communication.March 14.
City of Inglewood General Plan Update Technical Background Report
6.7-5