Initial Assessment of Fire Response Time between Different Categories of Fire Stations in Malaysia

Abstract

Response time is an important factor in fire operations. A continuous assessment of response time is crucial in order to monitor firefighters’ performance level. An initial assessment of fire response time was conducted for fire stations in categories A-D throughout Malaysia from 2018 to 2020. The categories were determined based on risk profiling scores. In this study, the mean response time and distance travelled for the selected fire stations were calculated. To measure the fire station’s performance, a 10 min standard response time was used as a benchmark. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also applied to statistically determine any significant differences between mean response time and mean distance travelled. Among the four categories, category C and D fire stations recorded high values for mean distance travelled and mean response time. Category C fire stations recorded the mean response time, at 15.1 min, and distance travelled, 20.1 km. The areas where category D fire stations are located have low population density, resulting in greater coverage for the stations. Most of the fire stations in this category had approximately 13.8 km travel distance with a mean response time of 17.9 min. Category C and D fire stations require a substantial amount of time to reach incident locations due to the low-quality road network and the local topography. A new profiling method for minimizing fire risk based on constant development in these areas might be necessary for future improvement. Additionally, new category C and D fire stations would meet the demands of expanding communities. It is important to note that establishing a demand zone in Malaysia with specific response time could give a better indication of firefighters’ performance in the future.