ESRI published a white paper discussing how GIS technology can optimize fire department emergency response. Because the time between ignition of a fire and the start of fire suppression is directly related to the amount of loss due to fire, analysis of fire and medical response times to emergency events is crucial. This response time is also identified as one of the most manageable time frames (compared to dispatch, turnout, access and setup time frames). Color map examples in this article illustrate how GIS can be used to analyze fire station placement and coverage, and there is also a brief discussion of how GIS may be utilized as a major component of the emergency dispatch system.
I picked this paper for my post because it recognizes the role of the community in fire department response. On page 11, this question is raised: “What are the current community expectations for fire protection and emergency service delivery?” In addition to the discussion of national time standards for response in this paper, there is a list of ways the community establishes their own response time/travel time standard for response on page 9:
Some of these are (1) the use of historical fire and EMS response data, (2) demand for service, (3) the level of care that the community wants to provide, and (4) the level of care that the community is able to afford.
Regarding item number 2 (demand for service), I believe this is a huge opportunity to use GIS to give local governments insight and feedback in terms of how well the community thinks emergency resources have been allocated.
This map gives the locations of fire department stations in Naperville, IL, and identifies 1 mile buffers around them.
Local government could use it in discussions with citizens regarding the construction of additional fire department stations.
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