GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making application in determining the locations of fire stations

Fire brigades are one of the institutions that are extremely important in responding to emergencies. In case of an emergency such as fire or accident, fire trucks must be able to reach the scene quickly and intervene. This greatly reduces both the loss of life and the loss of property. For this reason, determining the most suitable locations for fire stations becomes one of the important problems. In this study, it is aimed to determine the most suitable locations for fire stations using a Geographical Information System (GIS) based Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method in Ordu Province, Altınordu District. The criteria that are effective in choosing the location of fire stations were determined by considering the necessary literature research and the characteristics of the study area. Ten criteria were used: slope, proximity to main roads, proximity to gas stations, close to educational and administrative institutions, close to health institutions, proximity to industrial centers, proximity to shopping centers, population density, number of fires in the past years, and land cost. The SWARA method, which is one of the MCDM methods, was used in determining the weights of the criteria. The criteria maps produced in GIS and they were normalized and superimposed using the Weighted Sum tool with the specified criteria weights. The result map was divided into 5 classes, taking into account the range of 0,0361-0,173. As a result of the study, three alternative locations were determined for fire stations in Altınordu district. Network analysis was performed to observe the coverage area of the determined locations. It has been observed that the determined stations cover 66% of the total population Altınordu district, which has a separated type settlement as other of Karadeniz region.