A study of access roads, boarding areas and firefighting units arrival times at selected heritage theatre buildings

Historic buildings, vital for preserving cultural heritage, are particularly vulnerable to fire. This paper assesses fire safety risks for five heritage Slovak theaters, focusing on firefighting unit arrival times. A literature-based approach, incorporating Slovak fire protection guidelines, was used to evaluate access roads, boarding areas, and proximity to fire stations. Travel times were calculated using a formula based on distance and a standard fire truck speed and compared with Google Maps data collected during nighttime (low traffic) and daytime (peak traffic). Results indicate that while access roads generally comply with regulations, pedestrian traffic, parked vehicles, and event-related obstructions in historic city centres pose potential challenges. Boarding areas were largely sufficient. Comparison of calculated and Google Maps travel times revealed minor differences, with nighttime data and daytime data. The study concludes that while access and boarding areas are mostly adequate, traffic and potential obstructions, especially during events, represent a significant challenge to rapid fire response for these historic structures.