Spatial Analysis of Fire Service Station in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The fire service mission is to assist the public in the protection of life and property by minimizing the impact of fire, medical emergencies, and potential disasters or events that affect communities and the environment.This study analyzed the spatial distribution, fire incidences and people’s perception on the fire service station in Kano Metropolis. The data pertaining to the list of fire service station, number of fire personnel, equipments and fire incidences records were sourced from Kano State Fire Service Board. Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to measure the coordinates of the stations in the area. A structure questionnaire was administered to source people’s view in the area. Nearest neighbour was used to determine the pattern of the distribution. ArcGIS 9.3 software was used to draw map of the distribution of the service stations, and table figure were used to present the survey result. From the finding, there are ten fire service stations in the area. The pattern of the distribution is dispersed at 95% level of significance. One and two kilometer buffer zones were generated and the result shows that only the old city of Kano is fully served while the other part of the metropolis is underserved. The ratio offirefighting personnel to population is approximately 1:5900 and the response time exceeds the minimum standard of 4 minute derive. Nearest neighborhood analysis has shown that the distribution of fire service stations is dispersed in the area. In addition most of the respondents ranked the service as poor. The paper recommended the need to have more and consider population and markets proximity in citing fire service station in the areas as one of the means for achieving better safety situations.