Using G.I.S as a tool to help combat fire-outbreak within Kumasi Metropolis-Ghana

Keywords: Fire-outbreak, G.I.S database, Handheld G.P.S, Fire-fighters, Georeferenced, Digitize, Response time
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

In Kumasi metropolis, Ghana, periodic fire-outbreaks particularly in markets lead to loss of lives and livelihood and this poses challenges to firefighters. The purpose of this study is to estimate the travel time from fire hydrants, and fire stations to fire-prone locations in Kumasi metro, Ghana. We used Garmin handheld G.P.S to collect geographic coordinates of fire stations and hydrants and obtained a paper copy of the road network from the Town and Country Planners Department. We scanned and digitized the road network using ArcGIS 9.0. We simulated 15 locations that have historically been found as fire-prone regions and developed a network analysis model to estimate travel time from the location of the fire stations and hydrants to the simulated locations. We observed that the locations of the fire stations and hydrants were unevenly distributed across the metro area. The distance from most fire hydrants to the three fire stations in the metro area was >5 kilometers. Our network analysis showed that there was a long response time to fire hydrants in most areas that were prone to fires. Our work also provides G.I.S maps as a demonstration of their ability to provide preliminary and easily understood insight on the extent and possible causes of fire outbreaks in Kumas-metro, Ghana. The major cause of fire-outbreak is human carelessness and negligence. Our methodology is portable to areas interested in the development of a digital system with G.I.S of fire stations, fire hydrants, and road networks to aid in combating fire outbreaks.