FIREFIGHTERS are called out to an average of 21 incidents a day in Surrey – and overall they get to 90 per cent within the target time, according to new statistics.
Figures obtained using the Freedom of Information Act show Surrey Fire and Rescue Service crews were called to 7,761 incidents – 3,762 of them "critical" – between September 2011 to September this year.
For the critical incidents (when someone has dialled 999) the target is to have at least one crew on scene in 10 minutes and a second within 15 minutes.
Fire services are expected to achieve this at least 80 per cent of the time for critical incidents and the Surrey figure was 85.49, meaning the target was missed 546 times in the 12-month period.
Surrey Fire Brigade Union secretary Richard Jones said: "It is important we get there as quickly as possible because it could make the difference between rescuing casualties or bringing out dead bodies; every second counts.
"The sooner we can get there the better. We need to aim higher for 100 per cent, but it becomes increasingly hard with cutbacks."
Mr Jones added: "I am sure some parts of the county are not covered as well as others, but unfortunately it is a postcode lottery. Delays can really make the difference between life and death."
Surrey crews were also called to 3,999 "other emergency" incidents, which the first crew is expected to reach within 16 minutes.
County firefighters managed this in more than 96 per cent of cases, one per cent ahead of the target figure.
Police in Surrey are called to an average of 11 incidents every hour, according to figures also revealed under the Freedom of Information Act Officers attended a total of 96,195 incidents between September 2011 to September this year – more than 263 a day. These included 22,726 'emergency' calls, and officers arrived within 15 minutes in 83.4 per cent of cases. The target is 82 per cent. There were also 49,585 'priority' response calls, which are incidents such as burglaries where the perpetrator is no longer on the premises. Of these, police managed to attend 75 per cent within 60 minutes. The average 'scheduled' response time was 7 hours, 57 minutes and 10 seconds, well inside the recommended limit of 48 hours.