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52 FIREFightingInCanada.com September 2016 residents in 2008, this ratio dropped to 3.52 per 10,000 by 2013. Our efforts and results caught the attention of the Canadian Marketing Association, honoring London Fire Department and Environics with a bronze award in the public service category. We know that our team can still do better, but we need to do more work to better understand the public's thoughts and attitudes in order to make greater inroads. We have begun applying the demo- graphic data, maps and GIS-based analysis to the area of fire-pre- vention inspections. For example, one of the segmented groups we identified, classified as single city renters, are the sole residents in two of the 13 areas. Jack Burt, a fire inspector for London Fire, is applying the data and technology to his day-to-day work. "By using up-to-date maps, data and GIS-based analysis, I'm better prepared to focus on my assigned area of the city," Burt said. "Data-driven studies identify areas that are more prone to fires, allowing me to focus my fire prevention efforts in these areas." The analytics also drives our annual smoke-alarm campaign. Based on Walsh' GIS analysis, he assigns crews to canvas residential areas with a higher frequency of residential fires. The heat maps allow us to visualize gaps, revealing areas that need more attention. Targeting segments of the population in specific areas that have his- torically started a greater proportion of residential fires allows us to maximize limited resources. Jason Poole, a fire-prevention officer and public fire and life safe- ty educator with the department, says our new approach is making a positive impact. "Analyzing the plotted heat maps to identify areas with higher prevalence of fires provides educators with an exceptional tool. We display a large version of the map at community fire-safety lectures and seminars. This visual has been a great draw at our events and has brought up many questions from Londoners, especially those living within the hot zones," Poole said. In 2015, London Fire spent $120,000 on our fire-safety mar- keting campaign, an investment that provides 75 million possible impressions. The cost of this campaign – which is roughly the same as the salary of one educator – delivers a greater return-on-invest- ment than previous campaigns, which cost approximately $75,000, plus four educators. Next on the horizon is a purpose-driven marketing approach to fire station relocation and resource allocation. Our analyses will now also consider the location of greatest fire risks to ensure the resources are in the right place instead of relying on theoretical response areas. London Fire's efforts have enabled us to maximize the services offered to residents without increasing operating costs. Our results demonstrate that fire departments across Canada and beyond can leverage the very same marketing data, tools and strategies employed by the private sector to keep their communities safe. John Kobarda is the fire chief of the City of London's Fire Department. He joined the department in 1991 and became fire chief in 2004. Prior to joining London, John worked in the private sector as a plant manager, produc- tion manager and mechanical engineering technologist. Paul Voegtle is a location analytics specialist with Esri Canada. He has more than 12 years of experience helping organizations in public safety, banking, insurance, retail, government, real estate and utilities apply location ana- lytics using geographic information systems (GIS).

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