Job performance and operational efficiency of the latacunga fire department in Ecuador (January – June 2025)

Abstract

This research addresses the impact of job performance on the operational efficiency of the Latacunga Fire Department in Ecuador. The central problem lies in the limitations detected in emergency response, which could be linked to deficiencies in the training, motivation, and internal organization of operational personnel, increasing the risk to public safety. The general objective was to analyze the relationship between these two variables to understand how the human factor determines the achievement of institutional goals. A positivist paradigm with a quantitative approach and a non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational design were used. The population consisted of 115 firefighters, who were administered a structured questionnaire using the Likert scale. Due to the nature of the data, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis. A moderate-to-high positive correlation was found (p = 0.68) with a statistical significance of p < 0.05. The analysis revealed that 48.7% of the staff have an average performance level, with commitment and motivation being the weakest dimension (mean of 3.4). It was established that job performance is a direct predictor of operational efficiency; therefore, optimizing response times and resource utilization depends strictly on strengthening the technical skills and organizational climate of the human talent.