Location planning of fire service fleet based on forest fire susceptibility

Abstract

Forest fires constitute one of the greatest risks for certain ecosystems services. Hence, the location planning of firefighting units based on forest fire hazard is a key point for the immediate containment of fire incidents before they become uncontrollable. The primary aim of the paper is the estimation and finding of the required number and positions (i.e. the exact geographical locations and the respective type of installation – fire hydrant etc.) of fire fleet to fully cover (in terms of travel time) the districts of fire services in Chalkidiki (Greece), taking into account the scalable fire susceptibility. The proposed location plans revealed the fact that most of the regions may adequately respond to the fire vulnerability with the current forces, whereas a few regions clearly need a reinforcement in order to sufficiently cover their territories. A future perspective may be related with the exploration of best locations through the entire study area, merging the current administrative boundaries. One more asset of the project constitutes the flexibility and applicability of the sub-modules to other geographic regions after the necessary adjustments to local conditions. © 2020, World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society. All rights reserved.