A new system is being installed at the Mission Fire Department to automatically dispatch the units closest to an emergency.

Mission Fire Chief Adrian Garcia said the new system will reduce wait times. 

“Each unit will have a GPS tracker on it so as calls are coming into the dispatch, our dispatchers plug that in and the computer will automatically pick the closest unit to that call,” Garcia said.

The average response times for a fire call are about six minutes for the department, and EMS calls are about seven minutes. 

Garcia said the system costs $100,000, and the installation will take between six and eight months to be completed.