Pooch, great post... sorry I didn't see it before I posted my own!

As far as fire department response times go there are a number of factors to take into consideration.
First, what is the FD's policy for fire alrams? Some FD's respond without lights and sirens to alarms especially to address with freq, false alarms.
Second, was the first due truck avalible? Some people tend to forget how busy a fire company can be. If the first due comapnay is already on a call it will take longer for the second or even third due company to arrive.
Third, how long did it actually take for FD dispatch to recieve the call. Automatic alarms aren't always "Automatic" and may be screened by the alarm monitoring company. In larger occupancies they may actually be monitored on site and require an operator or security guard to call.

Of course, the company may be dragging their feet because the know that they run to this address everyday and either find nothing or get canceled before they get their each and every time in the past...It is the cry wof syndrome, and unfortunatly human nature.