TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1997//
TI  - The importance of the time factor in fire and rescue service operations in Sweden
JO  - Accident analysis and prevention
A1  - Mattsson, B.
A1  - Juas, B.
SP  - 849
EP  - 857
VL  - 29
IS  - 6
N2  - The aim of the paper is to measure the benefits and costs for the society if the fire and rescue service is delayed by 5 and 10 min respectively. A 5 min longer turn-out time is often the difference between a full-time and a voluntary crew. A 10 min difference may represent what happens if a voluntary crew on the outskirts of the municipality is closed down and their services are taken over by the centrally located full-time staff. In Sweden a full-time staff costs USD 180,000 more per year and man on duty. When it comes to the costs of a longer turn-out time three items dominates: fires in buildings; road transport accidents; and drowning cases. These three account for 38% of the alarms but 97% of the damage increase if the rescue operation is delayed, whether it is for 5 or 10 min. For all these three items we have carried out calculations based on our own empirical material. To be allowed to fight fires using breathing apparatus Swedish legislation requires a minimum crew of five. For a municipality in Sweden with the average number and distribution of alarms a full time crew of five is not economically justifiable until it reaches a population of 30,000.
LA  - en
SN  - 0001-4575
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -