Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal
Post-earthquake fires are typically of great concern for fire protection services, which are expected to be in high demand immediately after a strong earthquake. The post-earthquake functionality of fire stations is necessary after strong earthquakes to reduce potential fire damage and improve emerg...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | GeoHazards |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-795X/6/2/22 |
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| author | Thomas Lessault Ahmad Abo El Ezz Marie-José Nollet |
| author_facet | Thomas Lessault Ahmad Abo El Ezz Marie-José Nollet |
| author_sort | Thomas Lessault |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Post-earthquake fires are typically of great concern for fire protection services, which are expected to be in high demand immediately after a strong earthquake. The post-earthquake functionality of fire stations is necessary after strong earthquakes to reduce potential fire damage and improve emergency services. A reliable assessment of the seismic vulnerability and expected damage for fire stations is therefore a necessary step towards the identification of the most vulnerable structures and the prioritization of seismic retrofit activities. This article presents the development of a methodology for the damage assessment of fire stations based on earthquakes scenarios. The framework is based on four models: seismic hazard, inventory, fragility and impact. The seismic hazard model represents ground shaking in terms of intensity measure at each station using a ground motion prediction equation for Eastern Canada. The inventory model categorizes all the fire stations in building classes based on construction material and seismic code level. The fragility model associates building classes with fragility functions that provide the relationship between intensity measure and expected damage probabilities. The impact model converts damage probabilities into a mean damage state. All Montreal fire stations were selected as case study demonstrations. Simulations were conducted by varying the epicenter location and magnitude for a total number of 345 scenarios. Simplified relationships that correlate the earthquake magnitude and expected damage were developed. The study showed that, for magnitude 6 earthquakes, 45% of stations on average would sustain at least moderate damage. The methodology is particularly useful for emergency planning and prioritization of seismic retrofit activities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6161cdeb6f99402580892afd98b6f3c5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-795X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | GeoHazards |
| spelling | doaj-art-6161cdeb6f99402580892afd98b6f3c52025-08-20T03:24:33ZengMDPI AGGeoHazards2624-795X2025-05-01622210.3390/geohazards6020022Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in MontrealThomas Lessault0Ahmad Abo El Ezz1Marie-José Nollet2École de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaÉcole de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaÉcole de Technologie Supérieure, Université du Québec, 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3C 1K3, CanadaPost-earthquake fires are typically of great concern for fire protection services, which are expected to be in high demand immediately after a strong earthquake. The post-earthquake functionality of fire stations is necessary after strong earthquakes to reduce potential fire damage and improve emergency services. A reliable assessment of the seismic vulnerability and expected damage for fire stations is therefore a necessary step towards the identification of the most vulnerable structures and the prioritization of seismic retrofit activities. This article presents the development of a methodology for the damage assessment of fire stations based on earthquakes scenarios. The framework is based on four models: seismic hazard, inventory, fragility and impact. The seismic hazard model represents ground shaking in terms of intensity measure at each station using a ground motion prediction equation for Eastern Canada. The inventory model categorizes all the fire stations in building classes based on construction material and seismic code level. The fragility model associates building classes with fragility functions that provide the relationship between intensity measure and expected damage probabilities. The impact model converts damage probabilities into a mean damage state. All Montreal fire stations were selected as case study demonstrations. Simulations were conducted by varying the epicenter location and magnitude for a total number of 345 scenarios. Simplified relationships that correlate the earthquake magnitude and expected damage were developed. The study showed that, for magnitude 6 earthquakes, 45% of stations on average would sustain at least moderate damage. The methodology is particularly useful for emergency planning and prioritization of seismic retrofit activities.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-795X/6/2/22fire stationsseismic riskdamage assessmentearthquake scenarios |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Lessault Ahmad Abo El Ezz Marie-José Nollet Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal GeoHazards fire stations seismic risk damage assessment earthquake scenarios |
| title | Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal |
| title_full | Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal |
| title_fullStr | Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal |
| title_short | Earthquake Scenarios for Seismic Performance Assessment of Essential Facilities: Case Study of Fire Stations in Montreal |
| title_sort | earthquake scenarios for seismic performance assessment of essential facilities case study of fire stations in montreal |
| topic | fire stations seismic risk damage assessment earthquake scenarios |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-795X/6/2/22 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomaslessault earthquakescenariosforseismicperformanceassessmentofessentialfacilitiescasestudyoffirestationsinmontreal AT ahmadaboelezz earthquakescenariosforseismicperformanceassessmentofessentialfacilitiescasestudyoffirestationsinmontreal AT mariejosenollet earthquakescenariosforseismicperformanceassessmentofessentialfacilitiescasestudyoffirestationsinmontreal |