Urban Fire Risk Evaluation and the Municipal Emergency Plans

Urban fires cause a large number of casualties per year, in addition to property and environmental damage. Every effort should be made to minimize the effects of a severe fire, emergency planning is expected to encompass fire risk assessment, preventive measures, and effective solutions, thus assisting the implementation of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs. Municipal Emergency Plans are key tools towards such achievements, along with the Civil Protection Departments, Local Governments, Official Services and Technical and Scientific Institutions. Despite the efforts to assure the submission for approval of Municipal Emergency Plans to the Portuguese Civil Protection Committee, to comply with the Portuguese Directive witch define the Criteria and Technical for the elaboration and operation of the Municipal Emergency Planning (Resolution no 25/2008), the urban fire risk hasn't yet been appropriately addressed, compromising the efficiency of the approved fire hazard response and mitigation plans. This paper presents a Fire Risk Evaluation Method, suiting average-skilled users, allowing the elaboration of a Fire Risk Chart. Moreover, it enables planning and implementing the most appropriate actions, when both prevention and intervention are required, before or during any particular fire emergency situation. With a Method based on a Risk Matrix and designed according to 11 determining factors, the buildings' fire risk may be easily calculate and a risk chart may be consistently drawn up.