Topology of Fire Stations by Using Network Analysis and AHP Model in GIS Case Study: Qom

Among different uses and available services in a city, the optimum distribution and topology of fire stations has imported by their emphasis, considering to safety in cities, producing preventive arrangements and appose to fire and incidents. Qom with a population of about 957, 457 in 2006 as a populous city, suffers from shortage of service units, including fire stations, from the point of view of their number and distribution. In this paper, by employing a descriptive-analytical method and utilizing network analysis in GIS space, we have studied the spatial distribution, site selection and area of operation of the existing fire stations of Qom. The results show that the distribution patterns of the fire stations of Qom is not appropriate, and it takes more than 5 minutes for the fire engines to reach the furthest point of their area of operation, which differs 2 minutes with the standard time, in fact, about one third of the city does not have easy access to this service. Therefore, by utilizing the method of Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP), and its integration with GIS capabilities, five new stations have been site selected and proposed for regions outside the operation area of the existing stations, so that, on the basis of the three-minute standard of the arrival of fire engines to the location of the fire stations, the whole area of the city might benefit from the existing and proposed fire stations.