Based on compiled data during the period 1779-2010, 48,000 earthquake events exceeding M4 had occurred in Indonesia. Since the earthquake data are available in various magnitude scales, we converted all scales into moment magnitude. By using the catalogs compiled, we constructed area earthquake source model and estimated the frequency-magnitude relationship. From recorded data by accelerometers installed at four stations in Padang, we plotted observed data on the several existing attenuation equations and selected a suitable attenuation relationship for Indonesia. Peak ground acceleration on 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years for rock and soft soil condition were calculated. We compared the expected acceleration with existing ones and discussed. Based on the expected acceleration calculated, we proposed design spectra in several major cities in Indonesia.

View full abstract

Severe lightning flashes, 120,000 a year or four times more than in the average year, started around 300 fires in each of the three years of 2004, 2005, and 2007 but the burnt area of each year differed considerably. The burnt areas in 2004 and 2005 were the largest and the third largest in the last 55 years (1956-2010), respectively; the burnt area in 2007 was smaller than the average 3,541 km². Overall, a comprehensive understanding of active forest fires in severe lightning years in Alaska was achieved based on various fire characteristics including the newly introduced “number of live fires” and “daily fire activity by hotspots” from NASA. These fire characteristics established the fact that severe lightning ignited Alaska's forests in June and July, and that most of the large fires in 2004 and 2005 started and lasted until August. Large numbers of live fires became active during drought and high-air-temperature conditions, which increased the burnt area in 2004. In 2005, continuous precipitation started from June but a large burnt area was also created by a very active forest fire period in August. The burnt area in 2007 was not so large due to continuous precipitation from the beginning of June.

View full abstract

Generally, to improve regional safety against fire, indispensable strategies are not only the reinforcement of the governmental ability, but also the strengthening of the cooperative relationship between government and non-government, which means volunteers, residents, and so forth. Needless to say, effective strategy should be varied depending on the actual situation in the subject area. Bangkok, our study area, is no exception. It was reported that the fundamental problems to first be resolved in Bangkok were not only a shortage of fire stations, but also an uncooperative relationship beetween governmental and voluntary firefighting. It has been difficult to solve these problems all at once because of deep-rooted chronic problems. In the previous study, although a certain strategy that ought to be useful for realizing a cooperative interpersonal relationship was proposed, the validity of the proposal has not yet been ascertained. Accordingly, in this paper, we would like to put an approach based on this strategy into practice in light of the facts, and to verify the effect of this implementation. In fact, we investigated quite carefully a number of negotiations, meetings, and questionnaire surveys. Finally, it is considered possible to establish a cooperative interpersonal relationship between both parties using the above strategy.

View full abstract