WACO, Texas — The construction and traffic in Waco are having a direct impact on the city's fire department and EMS response times.
Over the past four years, the number of calls to fire and EMS has increased as well as the response times.
The Waco Fire Departments and EMS discussed those numbers at a city council meeting this week.
In 2016, the number of calls was 5,190 and the average response time was 4:36.
The following year, calls went up to 9,603 and the average response time increased to 4:46.
In 2018, calls were at 10,864 and response time was at 4:55.
The number of calls from January to August 7 is 8,710 and the response time is at 5:01.
According to fire officials, the response time has gone up because calls have increased due to population growth.
Another big reason for the increase in response time is caused by traffic due to construction in Waco. They said it takes longer for first responders to arrive at a scene.
Officials said they anticipate calls will be up from 2018 by the end of this year.
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