With the climate and environment around us rapidly changing, it has never been more important to enact strict and thorough fire safety inspections on development sites. It can be a challenging task, but there is good news — with modern technology, you can conduct risk evaluation inspections and create fire evacuation plans before even stepping on site. We’re going to take a look at fire safety compliance through the lens of geospatial data and aerial mapping, two useful risk assessment tools that can be utilised throughout all stages of planning.
From erosion impact evaluation to calculating distances to water, this blog will talk you through using geospatial data and aerial mapping to inspect development sites for fire safety.
Why geospatial data is useful for fire safety planning
When it comes to fire safety, aerial mapping and geospatial data play a vital role in creating logical, compliant and up-to-date fire evacuation plans for developments of all sizes. These tools can be used across emergency management phases such as mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and to identify bushfire hazard zones. The information gleaned from geospatial data can be used to assist in risk evaluation and reduction initiatives before disaster strikes, as well as verifying hazard and loss models in the wake of devastation.
During bushfires, emergency services as well as state and federal governments need access to up-to-date spatial information to minimise damage. Details like current vegetation, slope, aspect, infrastructure, infrastructure location, evacuation routes, hazardous areas and locations of water sources can be invaluable to those fighting the fire — and most of this information can be extracted from aerial mapping and geospatial data. Detailed and current orthographic views can assist with tasks like defining points in terms of coordinates, measuring and digitising vectors, accurately measuring distances and areas, plus more benefits that we will cover here.
Measurement tools available with geospatial data
Digital location analysis services like Nearmap are loaded with useful measurement tools that make development site inspections easier and more cost-effective. Things like high-resolution orthographic views, 3D mapping technology and oblique aerial imagery give you the power to calculate exact distances between points, which is particularly useful for fire safety inspections. You can see nearby water sources at a glance and ascertain more precise measurements for reports.
One of the biggest benefits of using geospatial data as a risk assessment tool in fire safety planning is being able to conduct investigations and evaluations completely off-site. Travel times and costs are drastically reduced, meaning you can better utilise your team to complete other tasks pertinent to your development. This is particularly beneficial for large, long-term developments that take years to complete, as you are able to keep an eye on any topographical changes without site visits. Finding distances remotely is also a safer option — minimising the number of times staff need to get kitted out in steel-capped boots and helmets to conduct the work.
How aerial mapping can be used for fire safety
Emergency contingency plans work best when every possible variable has been taken into account. With superior aerial mapping software, you can conduct thorough inspections that reveal crucial insights into any geographical advantages or limitations of your development site — and this extends to fire safety. Being able to discover exact distances to each nearby water source and evaluate the impact of erosion on the landscape are vitally important in creating emergency contingency plans.
It’s not just about planning for the future — geospatial data is also extremely useful in the wake of devastating fire events. A combination of GIS and aerial imagery allows for meaningful analysis and facilitates insightful decision-making during the response and recovery phases of a fire. The imagery that Nearmap captures is especially pertinent for recovery operations, as demonstrated in our interview with Head of ANZ Survey Operations, M’Shenda Turner. M’Shenda explains the intricacies of her role, and how her unique experience as a firefighter lends a different perspective to our aerial photography.
The importance of maintaining fire safety compliance
When it comes to fire safety compliance, factors both within and out of our control can cause the goalposts to shift. Whether a government body updates their fire safety standards or a water source becomes unviable, you need to be able to adapt your compliance plans accordingly. Geospatial data and aerial mapping give you the information you need to keep fire safety compliance up to date, which is essential from both a legal and ethical standpoint. The retroactive and current data available is ideal for new projects or existing infrastructure.
Trust the geospatial data experts for fire safety compliance
As you can see, geospatial data and aerial mapping can both be invaluable tools for fire safety planning — but you can’t just plug your requests into a search engine and call it a day. To achieve the best results, you need the best technology — and this is where Nearmap comes in. Start working with historical and current aerial imagery and geospatial data, so you can see the whole picture and make more informed decisions about fire safety.
Want to learn more about using Nearmap for fire safety compliance on your development site? Head to our website to have a chat about our services or get a quote for your business needs.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the data and analysis in blog articles, this information is not to be relied on as professional advice. No endorsement or approval of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressed or implied by any information in the blog. Should you seek to rely in any way whatsoever upon this content, you do so at your own risk.