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 90th percentile response time for the first ambulance to arrive on scene.
In 2024-25, the 90th percentile response time for ambulance priority 1 incidents was 17.8 minutes.
The data show the ACT as the most responsive Australian ambulance service.
Over time these results have slightly increased. This is partly due to 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 2026, 11 Ambulance services.
Chart description
Line graph of the time it takes the first ambulance to arrive on the scene of 'priority 1' incidents in the ACT in 90% of cases, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2024-25. In 2024-25 the ambulance response time was 17.8 minutes compared to 16.7 minutes in 2023-24.
Technical notes
The 2026 Report on Government Services reports the national data and was progressively released between 30 January and 10 February 2026. 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.
Faster response times reduce injury or damage to community members and infrastructure.
In 2024-25, 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.
In 2023-24, ACT was the second fastest responding fire and rescue service in the nation.
Over time, the response time has remained stable in the ACT.
Community satisfaction with police services
This measure shows the percentage of Canberra residents satisfied with the services provided by police in the ACT.
In 2024-25, 64.6% of Canberra residents were satisfied with services provided by police.
This figure is not comparable to years prior to 2023-24 (see technical notes for more information).
Data source
Chart description
Line graph of percentage of satisfaction with police services in the ACT, by financial year from 2018-19 to 2024-25. In 2024-25, 64.6% were satisfied with police services.
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.
Due to a national change in the data collection methodology the data for 2023-24 and later years is not comparable to previous years’ results. The new methodology for collection has shifted for all jurisdictions to a mix of online and phone modes using a sample mix combination of mobile Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and online (through either a probability-based online panel or SMS push-to-web). This change has substantially impacted results as respondents' answers differ between CATI and online. Sampling mix also differs between jurisdictions. Accordingly, multi-year data is required to establish comparable trends within the jurisdiction.
