Cartersville, GA – September 16, 2013 –When comparing performance measurement numbers from July 2013 and July 2012, the City of Cartersville Fire Department learned their response time has improved a great deal. In July 2012, 64% of top priority calls had a response time of five minutes or less. In July 2013, that had improved to 74%. The Fire Department believes that is due to the new headquarters and additional fire station on MLK. By adding a fire station, the department has been able to spread out their coverage and increase staff. This created a new response district, decreasing the square miles that each station was responsible for from 10 to 7.5 square miles. Cartersville Fire Chief Scott Carter stated, “so far our predictions and planning appears to be paying off”. He went on to say, ”every movement we make is to enhance the service that we provide to our citizens and guests of Cartersville.” Chief Carter also explained that Cartersville Fire Department has been working with the staff of Bartow 911 to improve dispatching procedures, as well as, internal changes within the department. The fire department, along with all City departments, monitor performance data to look for ways to improve efficiency. This is done by looking for trends within the data that can highlight specific areas of need.