Fire departments themselves typically decide how to measure and log response times, giving them control over key numbers used to judge their performance.

WSJ: All Heat, No Light, in Fire Data

The last government originally tried to measure efficiency against a whole panoply of targets: response times, arrests and convictions, writing letters to victims, clear-up rates, time spent on the beat rather than filling forms - a huge range of measures.

BBC: What do we value about the police?

Response times, however, are inherently difficult to measure.

WSJ: All Heat, No Light, in Fire Data