Ann Arbor Area Civic Document Repository

These are some of the records obtained by AnnArbor.com through Freedom of Information Act requests. The records show the Ann Arbor Fire Department handled five incidents (reports attached) last year that were classified as "major fires." Four were house fires and one was a person on fire. The department failed to meet national standards for response times on all four house fires, which caused an estimated $900,000 in damages and killed one person. NFPA standards state the first fire truck should arrive on the scene of a fire within four minutes, and a full alarm assignment should be in place within eight minutes. In Ann Arbor's case, a full alarm means four fire trucks and a battalion chief, according to city fire officials.