What is the average response time of volunteer fire department?

The response time for firefighters refers to the time from when an alarm is reported to the time meaningful firefighting begins at the scene.

Response times can vary from less than a minute to several hours, depending upon where the fire is and what resources are available.

For example, if an automatic fire alarm is connected directly to the station, and there are firefighters at the station, they could arrive very quickly. However, if the fire is ten miles away, and the fire department is staffed by volunteers, the response time could be much longer (e.g., 20 minutes or more).

Of course, if the fire is in a remote wilderness, the response time could be days, assuming anyone is even aware of the fire.