Emergency services
Confidence in our emergency services is vital to our safety and security.
Ambulance response times to priority 1 incidents
This measure shows the average time taken for the first ambulance to arrive on scene. This is important because confidence in our emergency services is vital to our safety and security.
In 2022-23, the average ambulance response time to a priority 1 incident was 16.8 minutes.
2021-22 data show the ACT as the most responsive Australian ambulance service.
Over time these results have slightly increased. This is due to ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on crewing levels, and the increase in people calling for an ambulance in non-emergency situations.
The increases reflect a trend seen by ambulance services across Australia. Despite this, ACT Ambulance Services remain the fastest responding ambulance service in Australia.
Data source
ACT Emergency Services Agency's Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system; and Australian Government Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2023, 9 Emergency services for fire and other events.
Chart description
Line graph of average ambulance response time to 'priority 1' incidents in the ACT, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 2022-23 the average ambulance response time was 16.8 minutes compared to 16.5 minutes in 2021-22.
Technical notes
Data for other state and territories were drawn from Australian Government Productivity Commission’s ‘Report on Government Services’. Only 2021-22 data were available at the time of publishing, and caution should be used when comparing data between ACT and other jurisdictions.
First fire crew on scene of structural fire
This measure shows timeliness of responses to structural fires. It shows the time taken for the first fire crew to arrive on scene on 90% of occasions, including call taking time. This is important because a faster response time reduces injury or damage to community members and infrastructure.
In 2022-23, the 90th percentile response time for first fire crew to a structure fire was 11.5 minutes.
ACT Fire and Rescue aims to respond to 90% of structure fires within 10 minutes.
The Report on Government Service 2023 shows the ACT as the second fastest responding fire and rescue service in the nation.
Over time these results have slightly increased. ACT Fire and Rescue experienced a 7% increase in the number of structure fires in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22. Even with this increase, structural fires are still below pre-COVID-19 levels. The increase in response time is likely due to the number of structure fires in the ACT’s outer fringes.
Data source
ACT Emergency Services Agency's Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system; and Australian Government Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2023, 9 Emergency services for fire and other events.
Chart description
Line graph of average fire crew response time in minutes in the ACT, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 2022-23, the average response time was 11.5 minutes compared to 10.9 minutes in 2021-22.
Technical notes
Data for other state and territories were drawn from Australian Government Productivity Commission’s ‘Report on Government Services’. Only 2021-22 data were available at the time of publishing, and caution should be used when comparing data between ACT and other jurisdictions.
Community satisfaction with police services
This measure shows the percentage of Canberra residents satisfied with the services provided by police in the ACT. This is important because confidence in our emergency services is vital to our safety and security.
In 2022-23, 68.7% of Canberra residents were, in general, satisfied with services provided by police. This is lower than the national result of 73.9%.
Over time these results have declined both in the ACT and nationally.
Data source
National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP). 2021-22 data are located at Australian Government Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2022, 6 Police services.
Chart description
Line graph of percentage of satisfaction with police services in the ACT, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23. In 2022-23, 68.7% were satisfied with police services compared to 76.3% in 2021-22.
Technical notes
‘Satisfaction with police services’ is an indicator of the government’s objective of providing services that are accessible and responsive to community needs.
These results were drawn from the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing (NSCSP) conducted annually by the Social Research Centre. The study aims to monitor levels of satisfaction with policing services and feelings of public safety.
Data for other state and territories were drawn from Australian Government Productivity Commission’s ‘Report on Government Services’. Only 2021-22 data were available at the time of publishing.
