Spatiotemporal Analysis of Emergency Calls during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Case of the City of Vaughan

Bibliographic Data

ID13112869
AuthorsAli Asgary (0000-0002-6253-1021, York University, corresponding author), Adriano O Solis (0000-0002-9166-3365, York University), Nawar Khan (0000-0003-1244-0954, York University), Janithra Wimaladasa (0000-0003-2227-8911, York University), Maryam Shafiei Sabet (0000-0002-8218-0994, Fleming College)
Year2023
Volume7
Issue2
Pages62-62
Publication date2023-06-12
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2413-8851 • E-ISSN: 2413-8851
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/urbansci7020062
OpenAlexW4380483390
LanguageEN
References cited17

Cities have experienced different realities during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its impacts and public health measures undertaken to respond to and manage the pandemic. These measures revealed significant implications for municipal functions, particularly emergency services. The aim of this study is to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of emergency calls during different stages/periods of the pandemic in the City of Vaughan, Canada, using spatial density and the emerging hotspot analysis. The Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) provided the dataset of all emergency calls responded to within the City of Vaughan for the period of 1 January 2017 to 15 July 2021. The dataset was divided according to 11 periods during the pandemic, each period associated with certain levels of public health restrictions. A spatial analysis was carried out by converting the data into shapefiles using geographic coordinates of each call. Study findings show significant spatiotemporal changes in patterns of emergency calls during the pandemic, particularly during more stringent public health measures such as lockdowns and closures of nonessential businesses. The results could provide useful information for both resource management in emergency services as well as understanding the underlying causes of such patterns

Cartography · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Emergency management · Environmental health · Geography · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Medical emergency · Pandemic · Political science · Public health · Regional science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · Medicine · Urban Transport and Accessibility