Emergency fire response in Ghana: the case of fire stations in Kumasi

bibliographic database
Line

Periodical article

Title:	Emergency fire response in Ghana: the case of fire stations in Kumasi
Editor:	Oppong, Joseph R.
Year:	2017
Periodical:	African Geographical Review (ISSN 1937-6812)
Volume:	36
Issue:	3
Pages:	253-261
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	fires disasters GIS
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2016.1231616
Abstract:	Recently, Ghana has been plagued by increasing and disastrous fire emergencies, yet little research exists on Ghana's fire response system. This paper examines the emergency fire response system in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city. We use spatial analysis to evaluate the geographic distribution of existing fire stations and their service areas, and identify coverage gaps based on specified response times. Our results show that large portions of the Kumasi Metropolitan Area are underserved, a situation that partly explains the huge losses in property and lives during recent fire outbreaks. Efficient location of fire stations using simple location-allocation models can help to improve response to fire emergencies and reduce the cost of fire outbreaks in African cities. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]