Spatial Evaluation and Modelling of Fire Stations Layout to Access Forest Fires by Roads (Case Study: Krasnoyarsk Region, Russia)

Abstract

Regional ground forest fire protection services usually have a fire station infrastructure with firefighting vehicles capable to move by public and forest roads. Location of fire stations is a subject of evaluation at regional scale and a matter of constant research interest. We have discussed infrastructure and transport accessibility, spatial location of fire stations worldwide and in Russia. Location-Allocation ArcGIS-tool and the access routes database for Krasnoyarsk region (archived data of 2002-2022 forest fires detected by MODIS instrument containing 60637 records) were the base of methodology to evaluate fire stations layout. We also used OSM settlements map to analyze new locations as candidates for a fire station. Standard Deviational Ellipse ArcGIS-tool has applied to define an optimal area for current fire station from which routes to nearest fires are built. OSM settlements inside of 1-sd area of ellipse have been put in candidate list of settlements to find new location instead current fire station. Results have been discussed for 3 groups of access routes: 3 hours and less, more than 3 hours and access routes of any time duration according to the Russian forestry rules. Proposed fire station layout has improved forest fires accessibility with OSM-candidates for 39 stations, 20 remain spatially unchanged from the total number of 59. Total regional forest fires accessibility changed from current to proposed layout in absolute values from 47331 to 48905 fires. Analysis for 39 relocated stations showed that new fire stations layout is more optimal than the current one because it provides access to additional 20 % of forest fires with a decrease of average weighted time to reach them by 30 %. Described methodology could make an emergency response during fire hazardous period more effective.