Analyses of Trends in the Fire Losses and the Fire-Brigade Call-Outs in South Africa Between 2004 And 2017

Abstract

The current study aimed atperformingcorrelation analyses to gain a more detailed systems understanding of the temporal trends in financial losses from fires (disaster impacts) and the fire brigade call-outs (disaster response) in South Africa from the 2004 to 2017 period. The analysis is performed using data on the fire disaster impacts at the national level and the local level (Makana Local Municipality). The data on disaster impacts was extracted from databases and reports published by the Fire Protection Association of Southern AfricaandStatistics South Africa. The total number of fire brigade call-outs/firesfor the entire territory of South Africa ranged from 26574 in 2010 to 49567 in 2017. There was a direct correlation between the total number of fires and the losses from fires in residential settings in South Africa with time for the studied period. The losses from fire disasters in residential settings accounted for between 21.84 % and 74.06 % of all financial losses in South Africa between 2004 and 2017. On the other hand, call-outs to fire brigades with a residential cause or related to rubbish/bush/grass accounted for an average of 81.7 ± 2.7 % between 2004 and 2007, while it reached 88.5 ± 4.9 % in Makana Local Municipality. This indicates that fires in residential settings or related to rubbish or plant-based fuel account for a significant majority of the time fire brigades spent fighting fires in South Africa between 2004 and 2017.Fuel and waste management, and increasing fire human resilienceat the household level, will play a significant role in the fire disaster risk management in South Africa. Vegetation cover and management will play a key role in the fire DRM in South Africa and local municipalities such as Makana.

The current study aimed atperformingcorrelation analyses to gain a more detailed systems understanding of the temporal trends in financial losses from fires (disaster impacts) and the fire brigade call-outs (disaster response) in South Africa from the 2004 to 2017 period. The analysis is performed using data on the fire disaster impacts at the national level and the local level (Makana Local Municipality). The data on disaster impacts was extracted from databases and reports published by the Fire Protection Association of Southern AfricaandStatistics South Africa. The total number of fire brigade call-outs/firesfor the entire territory of South Africa ranged from 26574 in 2010 to 49567 in 2017. There was a direct correlation between the total number of fires and the losses from fires in residential settings in South Africa with time for the studied period. The losses from fire disasters in residential settings accounted for between 21.84 % and 74.06 % of all financial losses in South Africa between 2004 and 2017. On the other hand, call-outs to fire brigades with a residential cause or related to rubbish/bush/grass accounted for an average of 81.7 ± 2.7 % between 2004 and 2007, while it reached 88.5 ± 4.9 % in Makana Local Municipality. This indicates that fires in residential settings or related to rubbish or plant-based fuel account for a significant majority of the time fire brigades spent fighting fires in South Africa between 2004 and 2017.Fuel and waste management, and increasing fire human resilienceat the household level, will play a significant role in the fire disaster risk management in South Africa. Vegetation cover and management will play a key role in the fire DRM in South Africa and local municipalities such as Makana.