Characterization of Fire Stations in Montreal for Seismic Risk Assessment

A recent study by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction for fire following earthquake scenarios in Montreal has highlighted the importance of the assessment of the seismic vulnerability of fire stations in the city to better understanding their capacity to respond to potential fire ignitions following a large earthquake event. Moreover, such vulnerability assessment would provide needed information on their level of risk and guide plans for seismic retrofit to ensure their post-earthquake full functionality. This paper presents an investigation on the structural and non-structural characterization of exiting fire stations inventory in the city including geometrical parameters. The followed methodology included: collection of data from the city archives on the location and year of construction for each station, assessment of floor plans for geometric assessment, identification of main lateral load resisting system, and field visits and interviews with fire officials for the assessment of non-structural components that are essential for the functionality of stations. The inventoried stations were then classified into six main archetypes according to their service area scale, year of construction, construction material, lateral load resisting system, floor system, and presence of geometrical irregularities. The study revealed that 39% of stations were built before the introduction of minimal seismic provisions in the 1953 National building Code of Canada. Moreover, most of the stations contain unreinforced masonry walls either as part of the structural load-bearing system or as non-structural façade or partition walls. The study underscored the significance of improved understanding and assessment of seismic vulnerability of fire stations and the evaluation of corresponding impact on the fire department capacity to respond to post-earthquake fire events.