Fire chiefs often ask what GIS data they need. But before that can be answered, it is important to know what chiefs wants to accomplish with their GIS applications. Do they want to know where the fire apparatus can go? Do they want to know where they have response coverage problems and can't assemble an effective firefighting force in less than eight minutes? Do they want to have a real-time situational awareness application at their fingertips for emergency operations decision-making?

The first step to moving into the GIS-enabled world of decision support is to make a list of what things the chief wants to do with GIS. Failure to plan at this stage usually results in buying hardware and software that does not meet the department's needs and ultimately leads to frustration and expensive delays. The chart and table on the next page show some of the ways to use GIS for public safety agencies. But chiefs will need to build their own list to reflect the needs of their departments.

When evaluating service delivery, fire chiefs really are making a decision about how much risk and resources they can afford. When supporting emergency management, fire chiefs are trying to understand the problems, provide a safe environment, manage resources, and deliver the appropriate resources to solve the problem. GIS helps model and understand the consequences of those decisions.

Over the last five years data models have evolved to help guide data development. Some of the data models, such as the Homeland Security Data Model and the Spatial Data Standard for Facilities Infrastructure and the Environment, help understand the data relationships and attributes necessary for good data. These standards will help in developing data that will incorporate the right attributes the first time and eliminate poor data development. Some of the attributes are speed data for road segments, flow data for fire hydrants, and use and occupancy data for land parcels.

GIS data is captured real-world objects and features such as roads, water systems, buildings, parcels, topography, and emergency forces that can be displayed in a geospatial application. There is data available today for almost every agency. This means that GIS can be deployed today and refined over time. In fact, the best data is data that is used everyday. When data has been refined and proofed by field use, it becomes trusted.

Data can be classified into five main areas: environment, infrastructure, resources, incidents and imagery. The environment is everything natural and includes elevation, slope, aspect, soil types, vegetation and fuel model, water features, weather, and 100- and 500-year flood plains. Infrastructure involves man-made systems and structures, transportation systems, buildings (number of stories, firewalls, construction type, use and occupancy), parcels, water systems (hydrants, mains, valves, pumps and storage tanks), fire protection systems, and storm drain systems (inlets, piping, access points and outflows). Resources are the geo-location of responders and equipment including fire stations, fire apparatus, law enforcement units, public works equipment and construction equipment. Incidents includes the type, time of day, location, duration, disposition and resources assigned. Aerial imagery, the bird's-eye view, can really help understand the lay of the land.

GIS data is an important part supporting decision making, whether it is planning, budgeting, station deployment analysis, risk analysis, or incident management with real-time situational awareness. Modeling the real world shows what aspects are resources and what aspects create risk. Risk can be shake roofs too close together or hydrants too far apart. Another risk is a high-rise building full of limited mobility senior citizens. A resource is the ability to deliver six engines, two trucks, and a battalion chief in less than six minutes to the high-rise building that is fully equipped with a sprinkler system. Understanding the relationship between risk and resources is important to a community's safety, economic vitality and quality of life.

Michael St. John is a recently retired operations division chief from the Livermore-Pleasanton (Calif.) Fire Department. During his more than 30 years of service, he was involved in the hazmat team, department training and public safety technology. His technology responsibilities included communications and radio systems, leading the development of a citywide Geographic Information System, emergency operations resource deployment analysis, implementation of a regional GIS data server, and the development of tactical emergency management software. He is currently the director of public safety solutions for SYS Technologies.

Possible GIS Uses

• Model first-due response time to understand distribution of resources.
• Model the time needed to assemble an effective firefighting force to understand concentration of resources.
• Map assets at risk such as property, inventory, people (high-occupancy hazards), natural resources, large employers and tax-revenue generators.
• Map resources such as fire stations and apparatus, water systems and hydrants, streams, ponds and lakes.
• Assess the transportation network, which controls how resources and people are moved.
• Assess risk to support the planning process to develop the appropriate infrastructure, focus priorities and training, and deploy the appropriate resources.
• Assess incident and disaster management.
• Analyze standards of cover deployment.
• Manage fire prevention inspections.