Exploring Fire Station Location Analysis Methodology Through Fire Service Analysis: Focusing on the Golden Time Data

Abstract

Recently, fire services have attracted considerable attention owing to issues such as the occurrence of large-scale fire accidents and the national position of firefighters. The location and establishment of fire stations is under the authority of the cities and counties (Si-Gun) governor, and local governments should provide new indicators for the provision of adequate fire service. This study was conducted to develop a methodology for enabling local governments to provide adequate fire services in the future. The number of “missed golden times” was used as the main indicator, and areas with weak fire services were identified through hotspot analysis. The city and county (Si-Gun) regions of Gyeongsangnam-do province are diversely scaled. Therefore, we analyzed three pertinent aspects: missed golden times’ “missed golden times per 1,000 people,” and “missed golden times per square kilometer.” The analysis yields hotspots for missed golden times and missed golden times per square kilometer in cities toward the east of Gyeongsangnam-do province and the hotspots for missed golden times per 1,000 people in counties of western Gyeongsangnam-do province. These indicators and methodologies, if applied, can serve as one of the major criteria for selecting the location for a new local governmental fire station in the future.