San Francisco Misses Goals on Emergency Response Times

A newspaper investigation found that first responders in San Francisco did not make it to the scene of a high-priority medical call within 6.5 minutes -- the city's goal -- in more than a quarter of cases. Experts say the city needs to recruit more 911 dispatchers and add more ambulances to its fleet, while citing Seattle's emergency response system as a model of efficiency.

• "S.F's Emergency Responses Fail To Meet Goal" (Doyle, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/13).
• "Dispatcher, Ambulance Shortages Slow Response" (Doyle, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/13).
• "Seattle a Model for Emergency Medical Response" (Doyle, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/13).