Patterns of Police, Fire, and Ambulance Calls-for-Service: Scanning the Spatio-Temporal Intersection of Emergency Service Problems

Abstract

Independent analysis of police, fire, and ambulance calls for service demonstrates common patterns in emergency service activity. Targeted, place-focused interventions have been demonstrated to prevent future problems for emergency services. This research builds on these findings to examine the spatial and temporal intersection of police, fire, and ambulance incidents to explore the potential utility of enhanced collaboration between emergency-first responders. Using police and fire data from Surrey, BC, Canada, from 2011 to 2013, spatial and temporal patterns of police-, fire-, and ambulance-related incidents were examined. Initial analyses demonstrate that 36% of the City’s area experienced 72% of incidents responded to over this 3-year study period. Focusing on this high-volume area, the spatial and temporal intersection of these incident types was explored. Spatially, lattices of varying cell sizes (250 m, 500 m, and 1,000 m) were placed over the study area. Temporally, incident volume was examined across the entire 3-year study period, and at yearly and monthly intervals. Incidents were placed within these spatial and temporal frameworks and visual inspection was utilized to assess the convergence of service demand. Regardless of the cell grid size, police, fire, and ambulance incidents were spatially and temporally concentrated, with the top 10% of cells accounting for approximately 50% of all incidents across all services. Furthermore, there was considerable spatio-temporal convergence in cells which account for the top decile of call volume for all incident types. A 2 × 2 typology is proposed to classify locations (in this case grid cells) based on (1) the frequency at which they generate high demand for services (sporadic versus persistent), and (2) the combination of agencies required to respond to high demand problems (single versus convergent). The spatial and temporal convergence of emergency service problems observed in this study suggests that an interagency approach to problem identification will enhance problem analysis processes. Working in conjunction with established problem-focused intervention strategies (such as problem-oriented policing), the volume-service typology provides a framework that can contribute to the development of appropriate problem-responses. This, we hope, will support emerging efforts to increase the extent to which emergency-first responder agencies collaborate to maximize efficiency and effectiveness, and reduce harm.

Examining spatio-temporal patterns, drivers and trends of residential fires in South East Queensland, Australia

“…Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia have a relatively higher number of fire-related deaths compared to other states in Australia (Council, 2005). Fires also have catastrophic effects on critical infrastructure, and the biophysical environment (Masood Rafi et al, 2012;KC and Corcoran, 2017;Clare et al, 2017). Despite the significance of this problem and its associated enormous costs, there is limited attempt to examine the changing spatio-temporal patterns, trends and drivers of residential fires using disaggregate fire incident data at a small area level in Australia.…”

Opportunity and rationality as an explanation for suspicious vehicle fires: demonstrating the relevance of time, place, and economic factors

“…This research provides an additional, contemporary example of the benefits of applying opportunity-based criminological theory to first responder problems that extend beyond the traditional criminal justice players (Clare et al 2012(Clare et al , 2017Wuschke et al 2013). Furthermore, given this clear utility of opportunity/rationality-based explanations of offending to understanding suspicious vehicle fire, this opens the door for the development of strategies to reduce the opportunity for similar fires in the future.…”

“…There is also a non-random involvement of people as both offenders (e.g., Martinez et al 2017) and victims (e.g., SooHyun et al 2017). These high-level crime patterns hold true when focusing specifically on emergency responses to fires (Clare et al 2017;Corcoran et al 2010Corcoran et al , 2011Wuschke et al 2013) and, in particular, within arson events (Asgary et al 2010;Grubb and Nobles 2016;Potter 2000). Spatio-temporal patterns of arson reveal a higher amount of incidents occurring at night, over the weekend, and in areas with little surveillance (Asgary et al 2010;Grubb and Nobles, 2016;Potter 2000).…”

“…Recent research indicates that the trends and patterns of fire events can be usefully explored through theoretical lenses developed and applied within criminology (e.g., Clare et al 2012Clare et al , 2017Corcoran et al 2010Corcoran et al , 2011Grubb and Nobles 2016;Turchan et al 2018;Wuschke et al 2013). This paper contributes to the body of literature exploring the spatial and temporal distribution of fire events by examining vehicle fire patterns through an opportunity theory lens.…”

Going Beyond the Blue: The Utility of Emergency Medical Services Data in Understanding Violent Crime

“…We should, of course, expect some level of overlap between the two data sources. Clare et al (2019), for example, looked at clustering of police, fire, and ambulance calls in Surrey, British Columbia over 3 years, and found a great deal of spatial and temporal overlap. They suggest certain areas, particularly those with high population density, are likely to have high service demand from any emergency service.…”